Interdisciplinary Minor in Archaeology

The Faculty Advisor for the Interdisciplinary Minor in Archaeology is:
Professor Kevin E. Smith
Office: TODD 313
Phone: 615-898-5958
Email: kevin.smith@mtsu.edu

Archaeology Minor

Sociology and Anthropology 
Advisor: Kevin E. Smith

The minor in Archaeology draws upon the resources of anthropology, geography and geology, and history to provide a comprehensive view of modern archaeological techniques, particularly in those disciplines involved with diachronic studies of human cultures. In consultation with the advisor and appropriate departmental advisors, students may pursue flexible elective tracks focusing on the application of archaeological methods and techniques in anthropology, geography, or history. The minor in Archaeology requires 18 credit hours, including 9 hours of required courses and 9 hours of general electives from the list below. Each student is required to take electives from at least two departments, and a selection from all three departments is encouraged.

Interdisciplinary Minors

Interdisciplinary minors require the student to complete a minimum of 15 to 21 hours from a list of specific courses. Unless otherwise noted, a student may take no more than 6 hours of courses from a single department until he or she surpasses the required minimum number of hours necessary for completing the minor. Exceptions to this rule may be found within the discussions of several of the minors. In most cases, a student is also limited to just 3 hours of credit toward the minor in the same department or discipline in which he or she is taking a major. Students must fulfill all departmental prerequisites for any course within an interdisciplinary minor. In some cases, advisors may approve course substitutions within these program requirements.

Required Courses (9 hours)

 

  • ANTH 2210 - Introduction to World Prehistory

    3 credit hours

    Cultural change over the past four million years as interpreted through archaeology. The development of hunting and gathering through the origins of agriculture and the appearance of the world's first civilizations.

    TBC: Creativity and Cultural Expression (Discovery)

  • ANTH 3530 - Anthropology Research Methods  3 credit hours  
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    ANTH 3530 - Anthropology Research Methods

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: ANTH 2010, ANTH 2210, and ANTH 2800 (or corequisite of ANTH 2800). Introduces the use and application of statistical methods to anthropological problems. Students will use statistical software to perform quantitative analyses of anthropological data sets from cultural, archaeology, and biological anthropology.

  • ANTH 3610 - Archaeological Methods  3 credit hours  
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    ANTH 3610 - Archaeological Methods

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisite: ANTH 3210 or permission of instructor. Methods of identifying, excavating, recording, analyzing, reporting, and interpreting archaeological sites. Focus on technical aspects of archaeological research, including a substantial component of classroom simulations of the practical applications of these methodologies.

  • ANTH 4300 - Human Osteology  3 credit hours  
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    ANTH 4300 - Human Osteology

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: BIOL 1030/BIOL 1031 or BIOL 1110/BIOL 1111; ANTH 2210 or ANTH 3210 or ANTH 3310; or permission of instructor. Lab-intensive. Explores methods used in biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology to study human skeletal remains including skeletal anatomy and bone physiology. Emphasis on identification of fragmentary remains. EXL.

  • ANTH 4950 - Archaeological Field School  3 to 6 credit hours  
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    ANTH 4950 - Archaeological Field School

    3 to 6 credit hours

    Course may be taken for three to six credits after consultation with instructor. The basic techniques of archaeology and paleoecology through participation in actual excavation and laboratory work.

  • HIST 3730 - Research Methods in Historical Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: Six hours of HIST 2010, HIST 2020, HIST 2030, HIST 2040, or HIST 2050 or instructor permission. Explores historic artifact and historic landscape analysis and interpretation through practical experience within an ongoing research project. Lab intensive.

  • PGEO 4380 - Cartography  3 credit hours  
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    PGEO 4380 - Cartography

    3 credit hours

    General knowledge of the field including familiarity with the techniques and tools of professional cartography and graphics. Selected lectures, class discussions, and a series of map construction assignments. Three hours lecture per week.

  • PGEO 4490 - Remote Sensing  4 credit hours  
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    PGEO 4490 - Remote Sensing

    4 credit hours

    The various aspects of remote sensing such as radar, satellite imagery, and infrared data. Use of data in preparation of maps and application to land use and environmental problems examined. Three hours lecture and two hours laboratory per week.

  • PGEO 4530 - Geographic Information Systems

    3 credit hours

    Lecture and laboratory work relative to computer-manipulated geographic data base. Laboratory work will involve experience in practical application of a geographic information system (GIS) to problem solving.

Electives (9 hours)

 

  • ANTH 2230 - Tennessee Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    Archaeology of precontact and historic Tennessee. Based on archaeological research; presents an overview of human occupation in Tennessee with emphasis on local sites.

  • ANTH 2240 - Sunken Continents, Lost Tribes, and Ancient Astronauts

    3 credit hours

    Critical examination of popular theories of prehistory including Atlantis, Bigfoot, extraterrestrial visitors, and others with a focus on the nature of the scientific method.

  • ANTH 3210 - Archaeology  3 credit hours  

    ANTH 3210 - Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    Introduces methods used to study the nature and development of prehistoric societies. Approaches to survey, excavation, analysis, and interpretation explored through lectures, case studies, and problem assignments.

  • ANTH 3350 - Archaeology of Death

    3 credit hours

    Explores human diversity from the perspective of death and burial with emphasis on archaeological methods used to recover, describe, and interpret how past and present human societies disposed of the dead and coped with death through ritual.

  • ANTH 3520 - North American Prehistoric Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    A comprehensive presentation of archaeological findings concerning the initial settlement of North America some 20,000+ years ago; the origins, adaptations, and development of major North American cultural traditions through European contact and colonization; and the major theoretical contributions of North American archaeology.

  • ANTH 3521 - The Archaeology of Mexico and Central America

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisite: 3 hours anthropology. Archaeology of Mexico and Central America to include the findings of archaeology of the initial settlement of Mesoamerica; the origins, adaptations, and development of major prehistoric Mesoamerican cultural traditions such as the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec; and the major theoretical contributions of Mesoamerican archaeology.

  • ANTH 3530 - Anthropology Research Methods

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: ANTH 2010, ANTH 2210, and ANTH 2800 (or corequisite of ANTH 2800). Introduces the use and application of statistical methods to anthropological problems. Students will use statistical software to perform quantitative analyses of anthropological data sets from cultural, archaeology, and biological anthropology.

  • ANTH 3610 - Archaeological Methods

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisite: ANTH 3210 or permission of instructor. Methods of identifying, excavating, recording, analyzing, reporting, and interpreting archaeological sites. Focus on technical aspects of archaeological research, including a substantial component of classroom simulations of the practical applications of these methodologies.

  • ANTH 3720 - Environmental Anthropology

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisite: 3 hours anthropology or geography. Comparative study of ecological systems utilized by tribal, peasant, and industrialized peoples of the world. Special attention on theoretical approaches examining the interface of the environment and culture, the evolution of modes of subsistence, and contemporary development and indigenous people.

  • ANTH 4300 - Human Osteology  3 credit hours  

    ANTH 4300 - Human Osteology

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: BIOL 1030/BIOL 1031 or BIOL 1110/BIOL 1111; ANTH 2210 or ANTH 3210 or ANTH 3310; or permission of instructor. Lab-intensive. Explores methods used in biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology to study human skeletal remains including skeletal anatomy and bone physiology. Emphasis on identification of fragmentary remains. EXL.

  • ANTH 4520 - Archaeology of the Southeastern United States

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: ANTH 2230 or ANTH 3210 or ANTH 3520, or permission of instructor. A comprehensive presentation of the archaeology of the southeastern United States, to include historical overviews of southeastern archaeology; a consideration of geography, geomorphology, and environment; theoretical contributions of southeastern archaeology; the findings of southeastern archaeology concerning the initial settlement of the region; the origins, adaptations, and development of major prehistoric southeastern cultural traditions through historic contact and colonization.

  • ANTH 4620 - Environmental Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisite: 3 hours from the following: ANTH 2210, ANTH 3210, ANTH 3310, ANTH 3520, or ANTH 4950. The interdisciplinary reconstruction of prehistoric environments using archaeological methods with a focus on geoarchaeology, zooarchaeology, and archaeobotany. How past environments affect human adaptation and how humans impact the environment.

  • ANTH 4860 - Historical Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    (Same as HIST 4860.) Disciplines of historical archaeology, including examination of archaeological evidence, historical documentation, and interpretation of evidence.

  • ANTH 4950 - Archaeological Field School

    3 to 6 credit hours

    Course may be taken for three to six credits after consultation with instructor. The basic techniques of archaeology and paleoecology through participation in actual excavation and laboratory work.

  • PGEO 4380 - Cartography  3 credit hours  

    PGEO 4380 - Cartography

    3 credit hours

    General knowledge of the field including familiarity with the techniques and tools of professional cartography and graphics. Selected lectures, class discussions, and a series of map construction assignments. Three hours lecture per week.

  • PGEO 4490 - Remote Sensing  4 credit hours  

    PGEO 4490 - Remote Sensing

    4 credit hours

    The various aspects of remote sensing such as radar, satellite imagery, and infrared data. Use of data in preparation of maps and application to land use and environmental problems examined. Three hours lecture and two hours laboratory per week.

  • PGEO 4530 - Geographic Information Systems

    3 credit hours

    Lecture and laboratory work relative to computer-manipulated geographic data base. Laboratory work will involve experience in practical application of a geographic information system (GIS) to problem solving.

  • GEOG 4540 - Geography of Indigenous Peoples

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisite: junior standing. Historical and current examination of indigenous peoples from a geographic perspective including their locations(s), history, diffusion and migration, human/land relationships, cultural traits, and cultural landscapes. (Offered upon sufficient demand)

  • GEOL 4020 - Geomorphology  4 credit hours  

    GEOL 4020 - Geomorphology

    4 credit hours

    Prerequisite: GEOL 1030/GEOL 1031 or GEOL 1040/GEOL 1041; or consent of the instructor. An introduction to the modern geologic study of Earth's landforms and landscapes and their relationship to surface processes, underlying structure, and the history of geological changes. Emphasis on the relationship between process and form, the linkage between geomorphology and other geoscience disciplines, and Quaternary climate change. Three hours lecture and two hours laboratory per week. A weekend geomorphic field trip is required.

  • HIST 3730 - Research Methods in Historical Archaeology

    3 credit hours

    Prerequisites: Six hours of HIST 2010, HIST 2020, HIST 2030, HIST 2040, or HIST 2050 or instructor permission. Explores historic artifact and historic landscape analysis and interpretation through practical experience within an ongoing research project. Lab intensive.

  • GEOL 1030 - Introduction to Earth Science  3 credit hours  
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    GEOL 1030 - Introduction to Earth Science

    3 credit hours

    Corequisite: GEOL 1031. The earth and its relationship to its space and environment emphasized. Forces and processes which combine to mold the face of the earth and its atmosphere, as well as the internal constitution of the earth. Three hours lecture.

    TBC: Scientific Literacy (Discovery)

 

  • GEOL 1040 - Physical Geology  4 credit hours  
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    GEOL 1040 - Physical Geology

    4 credit hours

    Corequisite: GEOL 1041. The origin, composition, and structure of the solid earth: rock-forming minerals; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks; earthquakes and plate tectonics; surface processes; geologic time. Identification and description of minerals and rocks in hand sample. Use of topographic and geologic maps. Three hours lecture and two hours laboratory per week.

    TBC: Scientific Literacy (Discovery)