This course is an introduction to the anthropological subfield of archaeology. It will expose students to archaeological methods and theory, as well as the political and social issues that emanate from the study of human pasts. In this course, students will learn how archaeologists study and interpret the past using theories and methods. The course is divided into three main sections/aspects. First, we shall examine the history of archaeology and the theories that underpin the discipline. The second aspect looks at archaeological methods and techniques, including how archaeologists prepare research designs, excavate sites, and analyze materials. Finally, we will learn about how archaeology can meaningfully confront present issues such as heritage preservation, Indigenous rights, and feminist archaeology and gender equality. Some other critical topics to be discussed include careers in archaeology and Indigenous scholarship. Students will become familiar with archaeological case studies from around the world and from different historical periods.
Visual anthropology encompasses both the study of visual culture and the modes of producing inter- and cross-cultural visual ethnographic texts (e.g. photographs, film/video, comics/drawings, exhibits)-in other words, the cultural meanings of visual expressions and the visual recording of cultural practices. In this course, we will explore historical approaches to analyzing visual and material culture and ethical and philosophical debates about power, the representation of cultural difference and the ethnographic gaze. In addition to exploring the legacies of visual anthropology, we analyze the techniques, visual rhetoric, and narrative strategies used to produce a range of images of Africa and Africans in historical and contemporary media. We will also experiment with video, photography, and drawing in our own ethnographic projects.
