An exploration of the science of archaeology, the study of past human behavior through material remains. Examines the ways archaeologists gather data and the methods used to analyze and interpret these data to learn about the past and how human societies evolved.

Archaeology spans the academic worlds of the physical sciences and the social sciences. In this course, the physical science qualities of the discipline are introduced. Students explore the various ways archaeologists use model building, statistical inference, and evidence analysis to reconstruct past human experiences. The course includes two hour of lab and two hours of lecture/discussion per week.

This course introduces students to the basic field and laboratory methods used in archaeological research through hands on experience. Students will receive intensive field training in archaeological field methods including excavation, survey, mapping, record keeping, and illustration. The course introduces basic laboratory techniques such as artifact processing, identification, and curation. The methodological training will be integrated through emphases on the place of data collection in the archaeological research process, and the relationship between archaeological data and questions of historical and anthropological importance. This course will provide students with the essential basic field training in archaeology required for both applied work in cultural resource management and continued graduate education in archaeology.

The course is an introduction to the analysis of archaeological data, the interplay between the knowledge people have of the world and the remains and traces of their actions in it; We review the relevant culture theory needed to draw distinctions between analytical stances. We examine how the rhetoric of the research report changes as different analytical stances are selected.

Placing an emphasis on both theory and the latest archaeological and multidisciplinary approaches this overview of world prehistory will look at a series of interesting problems and case studies that provide a taste of the richness of human creativity. Topics include the evolution from foraging lifestyles, through the increased control of nature by early farmers, to the rise of states and empires: this is an examination of the deep and tangled roots of today's societies.

This course explores the social, and economic dynamics of households through material culture. Specifically, this course looks at how material goods structure domestic life, reflect values surrounding family and kinship, and mediate the relationship between individual households and broader levels of social organization such as community, society, and culture.

This course is a co-requisite for the archaeological field methods course. Students will be participating in an archaeological research project focusing on Chicago's past. The course will include an introduction to the concept of an archaeological research design. Students will engage in historical research using primary documents and analyze archaeological data to address specific research questions about Chicago's recent past.

This course combines archaeology and material culture studies to examine how material goods both shape and reflect human experience in Asia, Africa and Europe. The course will be centered on the relationship between material culture, technology, subsistence patterns and societal complexity. The rise of cities and states in the old world will also be examined.

This class provides a general overview of the archaeology of urban settlements. We will begin by asking the question "What is a city?" and look at the different theories that address the nature and origins of early urban settlements. To further examine this question we will focus on Cahokia, the largest prehistoric settlement in North American north of Mexico, and the city of Chicago, a well established urban, industrial center. The second portion of the class will take an even broader comparative approach towards the archeology of cities by applying the theories and insights gained in the first portion of the course to different world areas. Through these comparisons students will gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of urban forms across time and space, and consider the possibilities of cross-cultural similarities among prehistoric and early historic urban populations.

Expressions of culture and heritage are found in museums, public spaces, public events, and other activities such as public archaeology and history programs. This course examines the debates that surround recent developments in the elaboration of heritage as an industry and a practice. Explores issues relating to cultural heritage, Indigenous rights, ethics, museum and material culture studies.

The course examines the evolving relationships between anthropology and museums. From functional, historical, material and aesthetic perspectives, the relationships between the cultural contexts of objects and museums will be explored. Case studies, guest lectures and site visits (virtual and real) will be used to demonstrate evolving theory, practice, law and ethical implications of collecting objects. Many of the logistical aspects of the museum including the laws and mission statements will also be examined.

AMS 370 combines historical archaeology and material culture studies to examine how material goods both shape and reflect American identity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

This course traces the developments of Egyptian civilization from its earliest beginnings to the Arab/Muslim conquest. Emphasis will be on assessing material culture with students being introduced to techniques of Egyptian archaeology and papyrology.

Analyzes the early civilizations in the Fertile Crescent through an examination of material culture. Attention will also be given to the archaeology and archaeological methods of the Near East including Jericho and Catalhoyuk.

This course combines historical archaeology and material culture studies to examine how material goods both shape and reflect American identity. The course will take an historical approach beginning in the 17th century when most Americans wore homespun clothing and produced their own food, and continue to the 21st century and a time when Americans wear the national colors of Tommy Hilfiger and eat fast food lunches. Often such changes in material culture are characterized as the process of "modernization," and as such, the course will be centered on the relationship between material culture, American identity and conceptions of modernity. Cross-listed with AMS 370.

Traces the development of Greek civilization through an examination of material culture. Emphasis will be on the major monuments and artifacts of the Greek world from prehistory to the Classical Age. Students will also be introduced to techniques and methods of classical archaeology.

This course traces the development of Rome from a small settlement on the banks of the Tiber in the eighth century BCE to a Mediterranean power in the first century BCE. Both textual and archaeological sources will be used to understand political, economic, and social institutions of the Archaic and Republican periods.

An exploration of the history of Mesoamerica before Columbus and the conquistadores, from the perspectives of the indigenous peoples, their conquerors, and contemporary scholars, with special emphasis upon the religious and cultural dimensions of Mesoamerican civilization.

Variable topics in anthropology intended for advanced students. Explores special aspects or areas of anthropology based on particular interests and expertise of the instructor; course content and title will vary with the instructor. Check current schedule of courses for specific topic. Course may be repeated for credit when title and content change.