North American Archaeologist
October 8-9, 2010
6th Annual Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference to be held on the campus of Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio. Check back for details.
Port Tobacco Archaeological Project
The Archaeology of Institutional Life
Anthropology: An Introduction (ANT 100)
Introduction to the nature and use of anthropological and social science concepts and theories in the analysis of humans, human culture and social institutions.
Cultural Anthropology (ANT 200)
Introduction to the field of anthropology and ethnology. Special attention will be given to the concept of ethnocentrism as well as the comparative study of the structure of aspects of society such as subsistence and demographic patterns, social organization, religion and world view.
Physical Anthropology (ANT 205)
An introduction to Physical Anthropology. This course considers the origins, development and variation in humans by examining the physical relationships between humans and other primates, the biological and cultural evolution of our species and variation within existing populations. Finally, the course will consider
modern human adaptation and its effects on ourselves and our surroundings .Introduction to Archaeology (ANT 210)
An introduction to modern archaeology and its methods and goals. Modern archaeology will be contrasted with the popular view of archaeology that is perpetuated by the media and has roots in the unusual origins of this discipline.Contemporary US Social Issues (ANT 230)
An anthropological analysis of selected American social problems.
Forensic Anthropology (ANT 325)
This course considers the forensic application of anthropology and archaeology to identification of human remains in criminal and human rights cases. Students will be introduced to methods used to determine age at death, sex, stature, and ancestry of a skeleton and will practice the application of these methods in a laboratory setting. The course also addresses issues of recovery and processing of human remains from crime scenes and
review actual cases involving forensic anthropology. PREREQUISITES: ANT 205
Native North Americans (ANT 300)
This course examines the ethnology of various Native American societies in a comparative manner. Special emphasis is given to the environmental adaptation, family organization and world view and ethnohistory of each culture. The current status of each group will be discussed. PREREQUISITES: ANT 100, ANT 200, or ANT 210.Archaeology of North and Central America (ANT 340)
This course is designed to provide an overview of contemporary archaeological research in North and Central America. Common themes include architecture, contact/trade, gender roles, landscape, material culture, and mortuary rituals. Students will select one of these themes to focus on for a research paper. The techniques for conducting archaeology literature searches and producing a professional paper from the results will be emphasized.Method and Theory in Archaeology (ANT 410)
his seminar course designed to present upper level students with the most current information on methodological and theoretical developments in historic and prehistoric archaeology through review and discussion of recent developments in the field. Major topics to be covered will include a historical review of archaeological method and theory along with current approaches to material culture interpretation. The formation processes of the archaeological record will be explored along with the development of mid-range theoretical studies. This course may be taken as part of the capstone experience. See ANT490. PREREQUISITES: Junior or higher status. ANT major.
Memory, Identity, and NAGPRA in the Northeastern United States
American Anthropologist, forthcoming (June 2010)
Determinations of cultural affiliation in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) often rely on culture history and the direct historical approach. Both methods ignore important developments in our understanding of identity. A recent NAGPRA claim illustrates an alternative. Using culture history and the direct historical approach, it was difficult to ascribe the Engelbert Site of New York State to a federally recognized tribe because it contained material from multiple culture historic taxa, often in the same feature. Taphonomic analyses of selected mixed deposits revealed a previously undocumented mortuary ritual that has since been found at other sites. Using memory as a framework for interpretation, this ritual appears reflective of a kinship-based shared identity between culture historic taxa. The multivocality of this ritual provided an additional means for evaluating cultural affiliation by ascribing a consciousness of history to the subjects of this repatriation claim.Once Was Not Enough: Founding and Finding Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland
2007 Maryland Archaeology 43(2): 1-6Deer, Toads, Dogs, and Frogs: A New Interpretation of the Faunal Remains from the Engelbert Site, Tioga County, New York
2006 Northeast Anthropology No 72: 1-24
Recent research on the faunal assemblage from the Engelbert Site (New York) brings to light both the need for new archaeologically derived models of prehistoric animal use as well as the limits of such models. A model of Archaic to Late Woodland faunal assemblages for central New York State is presented and used to assess the composition of the Engelbert assemblage. Spearman’s correlation suggests that this assemblage is not statistically different from other faunal assemblages in the region despite the prominence of frogs, toads, and dogs at the site. A taphonomic analysis of these remains suggests that the non-subsistence roles of these animals led to their high rates of deposition. A new model, incorporating the Engelbert data, is provided to stimulate new zooarchaeological research in the region. Additional data from sites new and old are needed to move the zooarchaeology of the Northeast beyond the standard research questions of subsistence and paleoecology.The Archaeology of Michigan's One Room Schools
2003 The Michigan Archaeologist 49(3-4): 1-41
The application of traditional archaeological survey methods to one-room schoolhouse sites often results in meager artifact assemblages dominated by architectural artifacts. As a result, many schoolhouse sites have been lost to development. The archaeological investigation of two historic school sites provide examples of how the excavation of schoolhouse sites, combined with archival and architectural analyses, can be used to recover the long history of individual schools and their communities and contribute to the educational history of Michigan.Learning Cast Up From the Mire: Archaeological Investigations of Schoolhouses in the Northeastern United States
2000 Northeast Historical Archaeology 29:107-129 with James G. Gibb
Posted at academia.edu