Spring 2013 Archaeology Courses

Student Link has most current information.

AR 100 AA Great Discoveries in Archaeology TR 11:00 12:30 Prof. Danti
Illustrated lectures focus on the important discoveries of the discipline of archaeology.  Course covers the whole of human prehistory and early history around the world.  Archaeological methods are described, along with the great ancient sites: Olduvai, Lascaux, Stonehenge, Egyptian Pyramids, Machu Picchu.
(Course fulfills humanities distribution requirement, fulfills department are requirements). 

Must register for the AR100 AA lecture and one of the discussion sections.
100 AB Discussion M 9:00 10:00
100 AC Discussion M 10:00 11:00
100 AD Discussion M 11:00 12:00
100 AE Discussion R 1:00 2:00
100 AF Discussion W 10:00 11:00
100 AG Discussion W 11:00 12:00
100 AH Discussion W 12:00 13:00
100 AI Discussion W 15:00 16:00
100 AJ Discussion F 10:00 11:00
100 AK Discussion F 11:00 12:00
100 AL Discussion F 12:00 13:00
100 AM Discussion F 14:00 15:00
100 AN Discussion T 2:00 3:00
100 AO Discussion T 16:00 17:00
100 AP Discussion F 11:00 12:00
100 AR Discussion F 12:00 13:00
AR 101 A1 Introduction to Archaeology TR 14:00 15:30 Prof. Saturno
Theory, methods and aims of prehistoric and historical archaeology in the Old and New Worlds.  Excavation and recovery of archaeological data; dating techniques; interpretation of finds; relation of archaeology to history and other disciplines.  Examination of several Old and New World cultures.
(Course fulfills social sciences distribution requirement.)  

Must register for AR101 A1 lecture section and one of the discussion sections.
101 B1 Discussion M 12:00 13:00
101 B2 Discussion M 13:00 14:00
101 B3 Discussion T 12:30 1:30
101 B4 Discussion F 9:00 10:00
101 B5 Discussion R 12:00 1:00
101 B6 Discussion T 11:00 12:00
101 B7 Discussion R 11:00 12:00
101 B8 Discussion F 10:00 11:00
AR 202 A1 Archaeological Mysteries: Pseudoscience and Fallacy in the Human Past TR 15:30 17:00 Prof. Runnels
(Prerequisite: AR100, AR101, AR102) This course investigates pseudoscientific claims about the past based on case studies claiming to solve archaeological mysteries, and subjects them to the test of evidence using the scientific method. Topics: Atlantis, ancient extraterrestrials, Pyramids, Stonehenge, crop marks, Noah’s Ark, etc. (Course fulfills department topical requirements).
AR 208 A1 Lost Languages and Decipherments TR 15:30 17:00 Prof. Danti
An overview of the archaeology of writing focusing on modern decipherments of ancient texts.  Related topics include characteristics of the world’s major language families, the nature of linguistic change, and the origin and history of the alphabet. (Course fulfills department topical requirements.)
AR 215 A1 The Contested Past TR 9:30 11:00 Prof. Elia
Examination of the diverse and often conflicting values associated with archaeological objects, ancient monuments, and cultural sites.  Case studies (including the Elgin Marbles) highlight contemporary controversies over ownership, appropriation, use, and abuse of the material remains of the past. (Course fulfills department topical requirements.)
AR 232 A1 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt TR 11:00 12:30 Prof. Bard
The technology, economy, social life, political organization, religions, art, and architecture of Egypt from predynastic times through the Hellenistic period, based on archaeological and historical sources.  Emphasis on the period of the Pharaohs (ca. 3200-323 BC).  (Course fulfills humanities distribution requirement, fulfills department area requirement.)
AR 270 A1 Age of Exploration MW 2:00 3:30 Prof. Beaudry
Archaeological evidence for Columbus’ voyage and its aftermath.  Topics include coastal exploration, early settlement, and cultural contacts between Europeans and Native Americans.  Evidence from both land and underwater excavations.  (Course fulfills department area requirement.)
AR 307 AA Archaeological Science TR 14:00 15:30 Prof. Marston
(Prerequisite: AR101and Archaeology major or minor with senior or junior standing) Application of natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology) as an integral part of modern archaeology and are applied to issues of dating, reconstructing past environments and diets, and analysis of mineral and biological remains. Laboratories concentrate on biological, geological, physical and chemical approaches.Course fulfills department natural science requirement. 

Archaeology Major required course.

Student must email mhsousa@bu.edu with request to register for lecture and which lab B1 or B2.

B1 Lab W 13:00 16:00
B2 Lab F 9:00 12:00
AR 322 A1 Ancient Aztec & Inca Civilization TR 9:30 11:00 Prof. Coggins
(Prerequisite: AR100, or AR101, or AR205, or AH 222, or AR222, or AR351, or AR352 or consent of instructor) The conquests, trades, society, history and religion, art and architecture of the ancient Aztec and Inca empires in Mexico and Peru, as revealed archaeologically and in the accounts of their Spanish conquerors. (Course fulfills department area requirement.)
AR 338 A1 Mare Nostrum: Material Culture and Individual Identity after Alexander TR 9:30 11:00 Prof. Berlin
This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE) through the Roman emperors period (c. 2nd-3rd centuries CE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity.  Meets with GRS AR738. (Course fulfills department area requirement).
AR 450 A1 Archaeology Methods R 9:30 12:30 Prof. Carballo
Senior capstone seminar dealing with the intellectual history of the discipline, research methods, concepts, and problems in archaeological theory, and the formulation of research designs.  (Archaeology Major required course)
AR 451 A1 Seminar: Mesoamerican Archaeology M 14:00 17:00 Prof. Carballo
(Prerequisite: AR222, AR250, AR251, AR322, AR323, AR353, or consent) Mesoamerican Archaeology: Advanced seminar covering major events and processes of the Mesoamerican culture region.  Topics vary by semester, but may include issues such as early villages, urbanization, state formation, households, religion, economy and exchange, and the Spanish conquest and early colonialism. Meets with GRS AR751.  (Course fulfills area requirement)
AR 506 A1 GIS M 9:00 12:00 Prof. Roosevelt
(Prerequisite: Two AR courses at the 200, 300 or 400 levels and consent of instructor)  Advanced computer (GIS) techniques are used 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. (Course fulfills department technical requirement.)
AR 510 A1 Proposal Writing T 10:00 13:00 Prof. Marston
This course is designed for graduate students in the social sciences and humanities who are preparing proposals for research. It is a requirement for undergraduates seeking honors in the anthropology department and is open (with instructor approval) to other advanced undergraduates with plans to pursue field-based research projects. The purpose of the course is to take student interests and turn them into answerable research questions. The main goal is the production of a project proposal. The proposal will make clear the student’s research question, offer a hypothetical answer, show why the question is academically interesting, present a research methodology, and include a working bibliography. In order to facilitate student research, the course will also include an introduction to the BU Institutional Review Board (IRB)’s requirements and review procedures for social science research. New Course pending approval.
AR 534 A1 Seminar in Roman Art R 14:00 17:00 Prof. Kleiner
In-depth examination of varying topics in the study of Roman art and architecture. Topics vary annually. Topic for Spring 2013: Imperial Rome, the Eternal City from Augustus to Constantine.
AR 590 A1 Life is a Bowl: Ceramic Studies in Archaeology W 9:00 12:00 Prof. Berlin
Before plastic, there was pottery – pots and pans, cups and dishes, crocks and jars – in every culture and in abundance. In this course we’ll study how archaeologists use the evidence of pottery to elucidate everything from personal habits to large-scale social, economic, and political developments.
The course will be divided into three study units. In the first we will focus on the most common forms of scientific analyses: mineral and clay identification via thin section and chemical composition via Instrumental Neutron Activation and X-Ray Fluorescence Analyses. In the second study unit, we will focus on the Levant over the longue durée, from the Bronze Ages through the Ottoman empire, and examine how archaeologists have analyzed and deployed ceramic evidence to reconstruct social, economic, cultural, and political processes. In the third study unit, we will broaden our geographical scope to study the application of ceramic analysis in the archaeologies of Oceania, Africa, the early Americas, and historic America.  (Course fulfills department topical or technical requirements.)
AR 702 A1 Contemporary Theory W 9:00 12:00 Prof. Saturno
(Prerequisite: GRS AR701) Explore aspects of contemporary theory in archaeology, including post-modern critiques of contemporary practice, new approaches to archaeology of ritual, personhood, identity, and the body; indigenous and public archaeology; politics and archaeology.
AR 704 A1 CMRAE Offered at MIT
(Prerequisite: graduate standing one laboratory course or consent of instructor; must also register for GRS AR704 in the Spring).  Seminar. Topic to be announced. Offered through the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology at MIT.  (MIT Materials in Ancient Societies: course #3.984)Students wanting to register for this course must contact Dr. Lechtman (lechtman@mit.edu,) at MIT in addition to registering for the course at BU.
AR 706 A1 Arch Complex Soc T 14:00 17:00 Prof. Bard
Core concepts of archaeological research on the formation, cultural development, and decay of complex societies as well as their introduction into other cultures. Coverage emphasizes research design rather than simply survey.
AR 712 A1 Seminar: OW Prehistory M 9:00 12:00 Prof. Runnels
(Prerequisite: Graduate standing, AR500 or equivalent or consent of instructor) Selected problems or topics in prehistoric archaeology of the Old World.
AR 730 A1 Seminar: Old World Historical – Economic Archaeology
 W 9:00 12:00 Prof. Roosevelt
In this seminar we will study ancient economic systems in practice and theory, focusing on selected historical and proto-historical cultures of the Mediterranean world. Discussion topics and case studies will include the production and exchange of agricultural commodities and various crafts, the monetized economy, and the intersection of economic models with different state systems, from palace-based Late Bronze Age societies, to the city-states of Archaic and Classical Greece and the imperial world of Rome.
AR 738 A1 Mare Nostrum: Material Culture and Individual Identity after Alexander TR 9:30 11:00 Prof. Berlin
This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE) through the Roman emperors period (c. 2nd-3rd centuries CE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity.  Meets with CAS AR338
AR 751 A1 Seminar: Mesoamerican Archaeology M 2:00 5:00 Prof. Carballo
It is a seminar on the archaeology of prehispanic Mesoamerica (much of modern Mexico and Central America), and is intended to provide students with an in depth understanding of major issues in studying the Mesoamerican past, with relative emphases changing by semester.
AR 810 A1 International Heritage Management R 2:00 5:00 Prof. Elia
Investigations of issues in archaeological heritage management at the international level. Approaches, challenges, and solutions to problems in the identification, evaluation, conservation, management, and interpretation of archaeological resources. Focus on specific topics (e.g. legislation) and/or geographical regions.