Summarize and evaluate the use of statistical methods to create units for archaeological analyses, and compare and contrast these statistical approaches with other methods of unit-construction. Citing specific studies, consider the roles of ethnography and experimentation in the archaeological interpretation of ancient technologies. During the past decade, models derived from evolutionary ecology in general, and from optimality theory in particular, have been increasingly applied to explain a wide variety of attributes of past and present hunter-gatherer societies. Define evolutionary ecology, discuss the nature and composition of optimality models, and compare and contrast these models with evolutionary approaches advocated by such people as R.C. Dunnell and M.J.O Brien. Then, discuss and critique one recent archaeological and one recent ethnography application of foraging theory.
Most archaeologists think that they are doing science.
Discuss the nature of scientific explanation and theory construction. Be sure to discuss the history of explicit attempts at a scientific archaeology and the key advocates both for and against a scientific archaeology, citing relevant examples. Discuss and evaluate the various ways archaeologists conceptualize and analyze style in material culture studies. Take a position in this debate and support it with an example of stylistic analysis that you find particularly useful. Evaluate attempts to explain the similarities and differences exhibited by ancient civilizations, and discuss these attempts in the context of contemporary debates about the role of explanation in archaeological analyses.