Archaeologies of American Life
Colonization, enslavement, urbanization,
immigration, industrialization, westward
expansion, community—these are
complicated and contested topics central to
the history and identity of the United States.
People on both ends of the political
spectrum have used narratives about each
for their own political purposes. This course
examines how archaeological studies have
expanded, further complicated, and/or
critiqued the familiar narratives. We will
focus upon what material culture and other
traces of human activity have revealed about
how “ordinary” people, especially those not
well represented in written texts,
experienced and contributed to larger
historical processes. The course will be
organized thematically, addressing the
topics at the beginning of the course
description. We will devote one to two weeks
per topic, after a brief introduction to
archaeology and its methods. Readings will
draw mostly from the field of historical
archaeology, but will be complemented by
works in history and material culture
studies. Class meetings will be seminar
style, with opportunities to view and handle
artifacts, and a field trip to a site in New York
City, if possible. Assignments will include a
research paper or project on a topic of your
choice (digital projects are welcome), a
presentation of your research project, and
leading a class discussion. There are no
prerequisites, and newcomers to
archaeology are welcome. 3 credits. May
satisfy the chronological requirement,
depending on final project.