ASM568 Intrasite Research Methods in Archaeology
Keith Kintigh - School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Fall 2008
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ASM568 Intrasite Research Methods in Archaeology |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This graduate seminar deals with the range of issues an archaeologist must confront when research focuses on a single site. Artifact distributions deriving from both relatively simple sites (with piece-plotted or grid collected artifacts) and more complex, sedentary sites will be considered. Subjects covered include the analysis of artifact distributions within a site, site definition, surface collection and subsurface sampling, and their relationship to substantive issues. ASM 565 or equivalent quantitative background is required. In particular, a reasonable understanding of probability, basic methods of data screening and display, distance measures, and cluster analysis is assumed.
Course Readings. Course readings are divided in to theoretical and methodological topics. References in parentheses are optional. Blankholm 1991 and Kintigh 1990 are review articles and must be read but will not be usually assigned for presentation, but may be discussed. The documentation for Tools for Quantitative Archaeology has useful information about some of these methods and you'll need it to run the programs. is available online at http://tfqa.com/doc.
Problem Sets. The course consists of a combination of lectures with student presentations and discussions of readings. Problem sets require the application of quantitative methods of spatial analysis to archaeological data sets. Problem set writeups are limited to three double-spaced pages (exclusive of tables and figures) and many can be shorter. Figures and tables need not be of publishable quality, but they should always be clear and well-labeled. Only tables and figures necessary to make the argument should be included unless otherwise specified (i.e., do not turn in all the output you receive). Programs in my Tools for Quantitative Archaeology will be used to do most of the problem sets. You can download the programs from MyASU and, if you wish, install them on your machine (they will run on any PC, but not on Macs). You may find SYSTAT or another statistical package useful as well for your term papers.
Term Paper. The term paper should have the general form of a paper that would be presented at a scholarly meeting. It must present a substantive argument based on archaeological data that addresses a well-defined problem that has a significant spatial component. (While the course is geared toward intrasite analysis, papers analyzing settlement pattern data using methods we have discussed will often be acceptable.) While GIS can be quite useful, it is the subject of a different class and is not covered here in any depth. In the paper GIS-based analyses are, of course, not required but may be used in conjunction with techniques covered in the class. GIS-only papers will not be acceptable. The paper should be on the order of 10 double-spaced pages in length (2500 words, but no more than 3000 words) plus figures, tables, and a bibliography. While the length is short (the model is a paper for presentation at a professional meeting, the paper should report, very concisely, on a study with some depth. (Because I want you to focus and refine your written presentation, you may well find that this format requires the same amount of research and more effort in writing than a term paper with three times its length.) Papers will be presented in class, with a 15 minute limit for presentation (strictly enforced), plus about 15 minutes for discussion. Final written papers are due the last day of class. If you wish, you may turn in a draft of your paper for comment to me on or before November 17. These drafts will not be graded but I will give you feedback you can use in your final paper or presentation.
Grading. Grading will be based on the problem sets (about 40%), the term paper (about 40%), in-class presentations, and class participation (about 20%). It will not be possible to receive a grade higher than a B without significant participation beyond your required presentations.
Page Last Updated - 17-Dec-2008