Historical Archaeology M.A. Graduate Courses
The following is a sample of courses in the Master's Program in Historical Archaeology. Most are offered at least once a year; some are only offered every other year.
Anth 615
PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY
Staff
An examination of cultural resource management in New England and the United States, including the significance of state and federal environmental protection legislation and the implementation of these laws, from the drafting of proposals and the granting of contracts to the collection of data and reporting of results. Students will learn the processes of national register nomination, problem-oriented proposal and report writing, and calculation of budget estimates for proposed work. PREREQUISITE: Anth 241, or expertise in contract archaeology. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 625
GRADUATE SEMINAR IN HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Mrozowski, Silliman
This course provides an overview of the field of Historical Archaeology. Since its emergence the 1960’s historical archaeology has grown to become the most rapidly expanding field of archaeological research. Starting as a focus in North America, historical archaeology is now a global field that concentrates on the study of the emergence of the modern world and other complex societies. Drawing on a rich palette of interdisciplinary approaches, historical archaeology explores complex global processes such a colonization, industrialization, urbanization and globalization. This course will focus on the methods employed by the field’s practitioners, the various contexts in which this work is conducted, and the theoretical underpinnings of the field as a whole. PREREQUISITES: Graduate admission, Anth 240, 241. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 630
SEMINAR IN THE PREHISTORY OF THE AMERICAS
Silliman, Zeitlin
The course introduces key topics and literature in the precontact cultural traditions, politics, lifeways, and material practices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The course is designed as a seminar discussion that runs concurrently with a lecture-based course at the undergraduate level. Topics will vary per semester among the following four options: Ancient North America, Ancient Peru, Ancient Mesoamerica, and New England Prehistory. By approval from the Graduate Committee, course may be repeated for credit if topical focus varies. PREREQUISITE: Enrollment in MA program in History/Historical Archaeology or approval of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 640
ARCHAEOLOGICAL METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Mrozowski, Silliman
This course introduces the practice of historical archaeology in the laboratory and in the field through considerations of research design, methodology, material culture, and technical analyses of archaeological remains. The first portion of the course will involve discussions and readings on research design, field methodology, and sampling and recovery. The remaining segments will cover material culture and technical analyses in the laboratory with a focus on ceramics, metal, glass, stone, plant remains, animal remains, and conservation techniques. The latter component of the course will be strongly devoted to hands-on, practical training in laboratory techniques and material identification. PREREQUISITE: Enrollment in MA program in History/Historical Archaeology or approval of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 645
TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Landon, Trigg
This course provides an overview of tools and techniques archaeologists use to investigate the interrelationship between cultures and their environments. We will explore how archaeologists and environmental scientists study past human-environment interactions, including human alteration of the environment and cultural responses to environmental change. Discussions of case studies provide examples of the interpretive power of interdisciplinary environmental archaeology research. Laboratory work with collections from archaeological sites provides practical experience and the basis for student research projects. Lab Fee $50.00. PREREQUISITE: Anth 640 or permission of instructor. 2 Lect Hrs, 3 Lab Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 650
MATERIALS IN ANCIENT SOCIETIES
Silliman
A one or two semester laboratory course offered as part of the teaching program of the Boston Area Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology, of which UMass Boston is a member. The topic of the course rotates annually among lithic materials, ceramics, faunal/floral materials, metals, and archaeological data analysis. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Lab Hrs, 5 Credits.
Anth 665
GRADUATE SEMINAR IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Mrozowski, Silliman
This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive background in current archaeological method and theory. The focus of the course will be the major theoretical schools in archaeology and their historical development. The course will include lectures on theory and method in archaeology as well as discussions of methods employed in other historical disciplines. Emphasis will also be placed on the articulation of social theory as developed in anthropology. history, and archaeological research. PREREQUISITE: graduate standing or permission of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 670
RESEARCH METHODS IN HISTORICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Den Ouden, Zeitlin
Anthropology 570 introduces the methods, analytical concerns, and theoretical approaches employed by anthropologists investigating past societies through documentary evidence. Readings for the course will range from the foundational literature of ethnohistory, with its primary focus on the historical study of marginalized cultures traditionally the subject of anthropological scrutiny, to recent trends in historical anthropology that reflect both a broader global base and a heightened sensitivity to issues raised by feminist, postcolonial, and indigenous scholars. Using historiographic tools outlined in class, students will conduct small documentary research projects during the term. PREREQUISITE: Enrollment in MA program in History/Historical Archaeology or approval of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 672
CULTURE CONTACT AND COLONIALISM IN THE AMERICAS
Den Ouden, Silliman, Zeitlin
This course explores the multifaceted nature of colonial encounters between Europeans and indigenous people. Using the Americas as the geographical focus, the course devotes special attention to the analytical and theoretical discourse shaping anthropological approaches to colonialism through the topics of material culture, gender, ideology, ethnicity, race, identity, labor, class, and resistance. Readings and discussions will draw on data and perspectives from ethnohistory, historical archaeology, and cultural anthropology to tackle the simultaneously global and local nature of colonialism. PREREQUISITE: Enrollment in MA program in History/Historical Archaeology or approval of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
Anth 674
TOURISM, HERITAGE, AND CULTURE
Sieber
A cross-cultural examination of cultural heritage and tourism through the lens of critical anthropological and archaeological studies. Analysis of the relation between history, heritage, and cultural tradition, and their incorporation into tourism planning and programming; conflicts between scholarly research findings and interpretations, and those marketable in the tourism and heritage industries; reasons for controversy and politicization of heritage planning and interpretation; differences between heritage or historical tourism and other tourism sectors; and, relevance of nationalism, globalization, post-coloniality, race, class, gender and sexuality in tourism and heritage. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Anth 675L (AMST 675L)
CULTURAL THEORY IN ANTHROPOLOGY
Addo, Den Ouden
An historical survey of 20th Century socio-cultural theory, this course provides graduate students in historical archaeology and other disciplines with complementary background in cultural anthropology. Emphases are on American anthropologists, their theories of culture, the attention to history in these, and the discursive contexts within which various theoretical schools have emerged. PREREQUISITE: graduate standing or permission of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits.
AppLing 603
CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
Sieber
This course is designed to help students use knowledge of the concepts and meanings of culture in developing their perceptions of cultural similarities and differences. Special emphasis is given to issues of linguistic and cultural discontinuities, the acculturation process, minority education, and inter-ethnic communication. Discussions and research are directed toward developing multicultural educational programs and activities. [Graduate Course in the Applied Linguistics Program; Sections taught by Sieber are open to Anthropology undergraduates with permission of instructor.]
Anth 697
Special Topics in Archaeology (Staff)
The content of this course, while always relevant to the program, will vary depending on the specialty or permanent faculty member who may teach this course on a one-time basis. 3 credits. Offered occasionally.
Recent offerings include: ‘The Lives of Objects’, a theoretical and practical look at museum collections taught by Dr. Diana D. Loren from the Peabody Museum at Harvard University in Fall 2007.