Material presented in lectures forms a significant part of the material on which students are tested, thus class attendance is important. Requirements include a 15-page research paper, an oral summary which is presented in class, a midterm, and a final exam. Exams are a mix of essay, definition, and multiple-choice questions. The course is taught by Professor Marshall. Students examine a wide range of materials recently recovered from Iowa archaeological sites.
Readings cover theoretical, methodological, and technical topics.
Discussions, quizzes, and a final lab project are based upon the readings and lab work. The course is intended for students with strong archaeological interests or archaeological field experience. This course examines the range and patterning of biological diversity in contemporary human populations, and explores past and present attempts to organize and explain human genetic and morphological variation in light of recent data and theory. The course is taught by Franciscus. The history of archaeological and anthropological theory are reviewed to give students a perspective on changes in paradigms and their implications for the practice of archaeology.