Analytic Methods in Archaeology
Archaeologists employ a suite of analytic tools to reconstruct dynamic past behavior and social systems based on the static archaeological record. This course is an experiential examination of the analytic methods archaeologists use to understand the past. This course emphasizes (1) how archaeologists design research projects and (2) a range of methodological techniques for analyzing the archaeological record to understand human behavior in the past. Rather than just a laboratory methods course, this course is first and foremost an exploration of the analytical process by which archaeologists design and conduct research to test hypotheses about human behavior developed from anthropological archaeological theory.