The University of Montana, Department of Anthropology Fall 2008
ANTHROPOLOGY 551
WEDNESDAYS 9:10 AM-12:00 PM, SS 252

Seminar: Historical Archaeology

Course Syllabus

Instructor:  Kelly J. Dixon
Office: Social Sciences Building, Room 232        
Telephone:        406.243.2450
Email:               kelly.dixon@mso.umt.edu
Office hours:     Check office door or make anappointment
Course Website: http://www.cas.umt.edu/departments/anthropology/courses/anth551/

Historical Archaeology is the study of post-prehistoric human cultures using physical remains, historical records, and a range of multidisciplinary techniques.

Course Objectives: This is an advanced course in historical archaeology; the lower-division companion to this course is ANTH 456 (Historic Sites Archaeology).  Whereas ANTH 456 provides students with a general introduction to the topic, ANTH 551 will delve deeper into the discipline’s scholarship through intensive readings, reading journals, essays, and discussions.  Ultimately, we will consider practical ways to apply [or not to apply] the influences of such scholarship to “real world” (e.g., CRM) circumstances.  All the while, we will scrutinize historical archaeology at global and regional levels to consider how our own research might contribute to broad understandings of cultural heritage issues associated with the relatively recent past. 

Required Textbooks:

DeCorse, Christopher R.
An Archaeology of Elmina: Africans and Europeans on the Gold Coast, 1400-1900.  Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, Eliot Werner Publications, 2001.

Deetz, James A.
In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life.  New York: Anchor Books, 1996. 

Dixon, Kelly J.
Boomtown Saloons: Archaeology and History in Virginia City, Nevada.  Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2005.

Fennell, Christopher C.  Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diasporas and Ethnogenesis in the New World.  Gainseville: University Press of Florida, 2007.

Hardesty, Donald L.
The Archaeology of the Donner Party.  Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1997.

Lawrence, Susan
Dolly’s Creek: An Archaeology of a Victorian Goldfields Community. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2000. 

Lightfoot, Kent. Indians, Missionaries, and Merchants: The Legacy of Colonial Encounters on the California Frontiers.  Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006.

Novak, Shannon A. House of Mourning: A Biocultural History of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2008.

Recommended Textbooks:

Deetz, James
Flowerdew Hundred: The Archaeology of a Virginia Plantation, 1619-1864.  University of Virginia Press, 1995.

McGuire, Randall H.
A Marxist Archaeology.  New York: Percheron Press, 2002.

Noel-Hume, Ivor
Historical Archaeology: A Comprehensive Guide, 6th printing.  New York: Alfred Knopf, 1983.

Orser, Charles Jr.
Historical Archaeology, 2nd edition.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2004.

Stanley South
Method and Theory in Historical Archaeology.  New York: Percheron Press., 2002.

Wegars, Priscilla
Hidden Heritage: Historical Archaeology of the Overseas Chinese.  Amityville, NY: Baywood, 1993.

Additional Readings

See attached course bibliography.  Certain readings from [or in addition to] the attached bibliography may be assigned as appropriate throughout the semester. 

ASSESSMENT OF OUTCOMES (I.E. GRADING)

Attendance:

Mandatory.

Because we will be addressing a range of topics and case studies in historical archaeology, all assigned readings should be done before class so that you can contribute to class discussions linked with the course goals.  In addition, you will be graded on a readings journal, which will be collected and used in class discussions (for grades) throughout the semester.  Readings journal directions are listed on the last page of this syllabus.  Please follow those directions, as your grade depends upon it.  Other deliverables will take the form of essays assigned throughout the semester.  Your final project for this course will be announced during the latter portion of the semester.

Grades

You will be assessed on the following:

1. Reading Journals (collected at random)	100 points
2. Assignments	100 points
3. Final Paper	100 points
4. Participation	100 points
Total	400 points

I will assign +/- grades and final grades will be based upon the following average scores for the journals, exam, research paper and in-class, exercises and participation: A (100-95), A- (94-90), B+ (89-88), B (87-83), B- (82-80), C+ (79-78), C (77-73), C- (72-70), D+ (69-68), D (67-63), D- (62-60), F (59 or less).

Students with Disabilities:

The Department of Anthropology is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities.  University policy states that it is the responsibility of students with documented disabilities to contact instructors DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE SEMESTER to discuss appropriate accommodations to ensure equity in grading, classroom experiences, and outside assignments.  The instructor will meet with the student and the staff of the Disability Services for Students (DSS) to formulate a plan for accommodations.  Please contact Jim Marks in DSS (243.2373, Lommasson Center 154) for more information.