INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY

Required Material:

Purpose of Course:

The purpose of the course is to provide the student with a general introduction to the contemporary practice of archaeology. The course will be divided into three substantive areas: conceptual or theoretical concerns, research or methodological concerns, and personal skills or techniques.

Evaluation of the Student:

The evaluation of the student will be based upon: (A) tests, (B) participation in computer activities, (C) laboratory assignments, and (D) site report summaries.

1. Tests.
   A test will be administered every three weeks. Each will have a value of 25 points. The student will be allowed 30 minutes to complete the test. Structurally, each will contain five short answer questions (4 points/question) and five multiple-choice questions (1 point/question). All students will be required to take the four tests. The minimum performance level for students who are desirous of a C is 70% correct, 80% correct for a B, and 90% correct for an A. The tests will be evaluated in class. Those students who fail to score at their desired performance level will be afforded the opportunity to take a second form of the test during the next class session.
2. Computer activities, laboratory reports, and site report summaries.
   These three areas of activity will constitute the other half of the student's grade. At the student's discretion, any combination of activities may be engaged in for credit. By semester's end, a student can have completed an aggregate of activities totaling a maximum of 150 points. There are 450 points available. With regard to each of the specific forms of evaluation:
A. Computer activities. As the semester progresses, we will have an opportunity to use the department's computer facility. Activities may range from data entry and analysis to exploring WEB sites of archaeological importance. Point awards will be determined at the time the activity is defined. Additionally, the several documents on the required reading list that are authored by Stelle are only available on-line, rather than as paper handouts.
B. Laboratory assignments. A variety of laboratory activities will be incorporated into the course. Some of these labs will have written assignments associated with them. The points available for the successful completion of each of these assignments is indicated on the syllabus next to the lab topic. There are a total of 200 possible points. The lab reports/assignments will be due one week after the class period for which the lab is scheduled.
C. Research report summaries. Our discussion of the prehistory and history of Eastern North America will draw heavily upon the research literature. A two-page, word-processed summary of an appropriate research report, to include our/my reports that are identified under my name at the top of this page, will be worth 20 points. There will be ten opportunities for submitting such summaries (200 total points available). If the your summary is in some manner incorrect, it will be returned to you for further work and can be resubmitted one week later for a final evaluation.

One's final grade for the course will be based upon 250 points (0-100 pts. from tests and 0-150 pts. from activities). Letter grades will be assigned in the following fashion: A = 225-250 pts. C = 175-199 pts. B = 200-224 pts. D = 150-174 pts.

1. If you believe you have a disability for which you may need an academic accommodation (e.g. an alternate testing environment, use of assistive technology, or other classroom assistance), please contact Becky Osborne in X148 or call her at 353-2082.

2. Withdrawl Dates and Procedures: The withdrawl policy can be found in the Parkland College Catalog. It states that at midterm the faculty member is required to certify students' progress/attendance and that students who have ceased to progress/attend must be withdrawn. After midterm faculty cannot withdraw a student. Lastly, student initiated withdrawal must be completed prior to 5 pm on the last day to withdraw as published in the Parkland Class Schedule.

Interesting Links:

• Illinois Archaeological Survey
• Anthropology: University of Oxford
• Archaeology
• Selected Internet Resources in Anthropology
• ArchNet
• Society for American Archaeology
• Flintknapping
• Classics and Mediterranean Archaeology
• "Reaching Out, Keeping Away"--An Interview with Ray A. Young Bear
• IAS - Site Survey Report Form