Courses

• CAS AR 506: Regional Archaeology and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: two archaeology courses or consent of instructor.
  Graduate Prerequisites: two archaeology courses or consent of instructor.
  Use of advanced computer (GIS) techniques to address regional archaeological problems.This applied course examines digital encoding and manipulation of archaeological and environmental data, and methods for testing hypotheses, analyzing, and modeling the archaeological record.
• CAS AR 507: Lay of the Land: Surface and Subsurface Mapping in Archaeology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS AR 100; or (CASAR101) and (CASAR307); or consent of instructor. CASAR505) and/or (CASAR506) encouraged.
  This course integrates classroom, lab, and field instruction to provide students with understanding and practical field skills in archaeological surface and subsurface mapping. Coverage includes point-based surveying, ground-based and photogrammetric surface modeling, aerial image digitization, and archaeogeophysical prospection.
• CAS AR 509: Geoarchaeology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS AR 101 and CAS AR 307; or consent of instructor.
  Graduate Prerequisites: CAS AR 101 and CAS AR 102; or equivalent.
  Lecture/laboratory course illustrating the use of geological concepts and methods in the study of archaeological problems. Topics include: stratigraphy and stratigraphic principles, geological environments and earth-surface processes, anthropogenic sediments, archaeological materials and their analysis, and the formation of archaeological sites. Field trips in the Boston area.
• CAS AR 510: Proposal Writing for Social Science Research
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: admission to AR Honors Program or advanced undergraduate standing with consent of instructor.
  Graduate Prerequisites: graduate student standing in the social sciences or humanities.
  The purpose of this course is to turn students' intellectual interests into answerable, field-based research questions. The goal is the production of a project proposal for future research. Also offered as CAS AN 510.
• CAS AR 534: Seminar in Roman Art
  In-depth examination of varying topics in the study of Roman art and architecture. Topics vary annually. Also offered as CAS AH 534.
• CAS AR 551: Studies in Mesoamerican Archaeology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Guatemala Archaeology Program.
  Analysis of major events and processes of the Mesoamerican area. Topics include rise of towns, temples, and urbanism; the origin of state; and the development of empires.
• CAS AR 556: Archaeological Field Research Experience
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Guatemala Archaeology Program.
  Supervised original research in excavation, survey, or field laboratory situation, as part of field study program.
• CAS AR 570: Studies in Historical Archaeology
  Topics vary. Intensive coverage of particular aspects of historical archaeology as selected by instructor. (Course fulfills department area or technical requirement.)
• CAS AR 577: Pots and Pans: The Material Culture of Cookery & Dining
  Exploration of food cultures and technologies through utensils for food preparation and consumption; kitchens from prehistory to present; tradition and fashion in cooking and dining vessels; cooking technology; utensils as metaphors and symbols. Ranges broadly across cultures, time, and space.
• CAS AR 590: Life Is a Bowl: Ceramic Studies in Archaeology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore, junior, or senior standing.
  Before plastic, there was pottery -- pots and pans, cups and dishes, crocks and jars -- in every culture and in abundance. Research seminar studies pottery across time and space to elucidate personal habits as well as social, economic, and political developments.
• CAS AR 593: Memory in 3-D: Memorials, Then and Now
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing
  Societies craft their histories and identities via memorials, thereby firming up the past for the future. In this course, we analyze the historical context, form, and message of important memorials in classical antiquity and modern America.
• CAS AS 100: Cosmic Controversies
  From surprise over the need to invoke Dark Matter and Dark Energy, to confusion about Pluto's being reclassified as a non-planet, this course explores how scientists explain our place in the physical universe, by focusing on some of the most current issues in modern astronomy. Topics range from the solar system, to extraterrestrial life, to the fabric of the entire universe. Carries natural science divisional credit (without lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 101: The Solar System
  The historical development of astronomy and the motion of the planets. The formation of the solar system. The sun and its effects on the earth. Description of the planets and the moons of our solar system including recent results from the space program. Use of the observatory. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS AS 105. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 102: The Astronomical Universe
  The birth and death of stars. Red giants, white dwarfs, black holes. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, and other galaxies. The Big Bang and other cosmological theories of our expanding universe. Use of the observatory. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 105: Alien Worlds
  Examination of worlds within and outside our solar system. History of NASA and other space exploration programs. Discovery and properties of hundreds of planets around other stars. Possibility of life on other worlds. Students use telescopes to observe our solar system. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS AS 101. Carries natural science divisional credit (without lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 107: Life Beyond Earth
  About 10% of the planets in our Milky Way galaxy are like Earth in size and material composition. Physical laws covered in this course operate everywhere, so life may be both common and technologically advanced. Where is everybody? (This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS AS 117.)
• CAS AS 109: Cosmology
  The evolution of cosmological thought from prehistory to the present: Greek astronomy, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. Motion, gravity, and the nature of space-time. The expanding universe. The early universe and Big Bang. Carries natural science divisional credit (without lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 202: Principles of Astronomy I
  Astronomical observing and the night sky; optics and telescopes; birth of modern astronomy; atoms, spectra and spectroscopy; planetary motion and orbits; overview of solar system; uses observatory. Intended primarily for astronomy or physics majors. Lectures and laboratories. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 203: Principles of Astronomy II
  Astronomical measurements; time and the celestial sphere; telescopes and observatories; the solar system, orbital motion; comparative planetology; the sun and solar-terrestrial effects; electromagnetic radiation; spectroscopy, stellar properties and stellar evolution; the Milky Way galaxy; galaxies; the universe. Lectures and laboratories. Intended primarily for astronomy or physics concentrators. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS.
• CAS AS 311: Planetary Physics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 124 and CAS PY 212 or CAS PY 252.
  Celestial mechanics, tides, resonances. Physical processes that affect atmospheres, surfaces, interiors of planets, and their satellites. Comets, asteroids, meterorites, and Kuiper belt objects. Formation and evolution of the solar system. Extra-solar planets.