BA in Archaeology
The BA in Archaeology is one of the few degrees of its kind in the United States. The curriculum focuses on both the Old and New Worlds and examines issues of state formation, power and human origins.
The 39-credit interdisciplinary degree program draws from disciplines common in archaeological research to round-out its core curriculum. These include anthropology, art history, classics and history.
Courses are divided into three groups for distribution purposes: Field and laboratory work, anthropological archaeology and ancient civilizations. Students take courses in all groups, and may further specialize in one discipline or area. All students acquire experience in field or laboratory methods. Twelve credit hours or the equivalent of a pertinent foreign language are also required.
"The historical record tells a story of those who have the ability to write, usually people in power. It doesn’t reflect the experience of those who didn’t have a voice. Archaeology provides a different perspective."
Stephen Lubkemann
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Course Requirements
The bachelor of arts with a major in archaeology is an interdepartmental program offered by the Department of Anthropology in cooperation with the Department of Arts and Art History and the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.
Additional curriculum requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Language requirement | ||
| Students must complete two years or demonstrate equivalent skill in one of the following foreign languages: Arabic, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, or Latin. Students should consult with their Archaeology advisor to petition to use other languages. | ||
| Students whose preparation allows them to waive this requirement are encouraged to begin study of a second language. Graduate study in archaeology usually requires knowledge of two or more languages besides English. Students planning to pursue advanced study should consult with an advisor early in their program. | ||
| Major requirements | ||
| No course can be counted toward more than one of the following requirements: | ||
| Core courses | ||
| ANTH 1002 | Sociocultural Anthropology | |
| ANTH 1003 | Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3838 | Theory and Practice in Archaeology | |
| or ANTH 3838W | Theory and Practice in Archaeology | |
| Field and laboratory work | ||
| One or two courses (3 or 6 credits) selected from the following: | ||
| ANTH 3832 | Paleoanthropological Field Program | |
| ANTH 3833 | Field Research: New World | |
| ANTH 3834 | Field Research: Old World | |
| ANTH 3835 | Historical Archaeology Field Program | |
| ANTH 3839 | Lab Research Methods in Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3995 | Undergraduate Research (With the advisor's approval.) * | |
| ANTH 6806 | Technology (Qualified juniors and seniors with departmental approval.) | |
| Anthropological archaeology | ||
| Four or five courses (12 or 15 credits) selected from the list below. Students must take at least one course marked with an asterisk. A course counted toward this requirement cannot also be counted toward the Ancient Civilizations requirement (below). A total of only one course from (ANTH 2821 or ANTH 2822) or (ANTH 3812 or ANTH 3814) can be counted toward this requirement. | ||
| ANTH 2821 | Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology | |
| ANTH 2822 | Archaeology in Film and Television | |
| ANTH 3801 | African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe | |
| or ANTH 3801W | African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe | |
| ANTH 3802 | Human Cultural Beginnings | |
| or ANTH 3802W | Human Cultural Beginnings | |
| ANTH 3803 | Old World Prehistory: First Farmers to First Cities | |
| or ANTH 3803W | Old World Prehistory: First Farmers to First Cities | |
| ANTH 3805 | Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands * | |
| or CAH 3106 | Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| ANTH 3806 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age * | |
| or CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| ANTH 3808 | Archaeology and the Celts * | |
| or CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| ANTH 3811 | Historical Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3812 | The Aztec Empire * | |
| or CAH 3116 | Aztec Empire | |
| ANTH 3813 | Archaeology of North America * | |
| ANTH 3814 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations * | |
| or CAH 3107 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations | |
| ANTH 3823 | Archaeology of Ritual and Religion | |
| ANTH 3891 | Special Topics in Archaeology | |
| Ancient civilizations | ||
| Five courses (15 credits) selected from the list below. The selected courses must include at least one course in each of the categories listed. Courses marked with an asterisk can count in only one category. | ||
| Art history: | ||
| CAH 3101 | Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece | |
| CAH 3102 | Ancient Art of the Roman Empire | |
| CAH 3103 | Art and Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East | |
| CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| or ANTH 3806 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| CAH 3105 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology | |
| or CLAS 3115 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology | |
| CAH 3106 | Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| or ANTH 3805 | Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| CAH 3107 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations | |
| CAH 3117 | Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology | |
| or ANTH 3891 | Special Topics in Archaeology | |
| Classics: | ||
| CLAS 2105 | Special Topics | |
| CLAS 2106 | Mythology of the Classical World | |
| CLAS 2107 | Greek and Roman Drama | |
| CLAS 3114 | Topics in Ancient Literatures and Cultures | |
| CLAS 3115 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology * | |
| or CAH 3105 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology | |
| History: | ||
| HIST 2112 | History of Ancient Greece | |
| or CLAS 2112 | History of Ancient Greece | |
| HIST 2113 | The Roman World to 337 A.D. | |
| or CLAS 2113 | The Roman World to 337 A.D. | |
| HIST 2803 | The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C. | |
| or CLAS 2803 | The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C. | |
| HIST 2804 | History of Ancient Israel | |
| or CLAS 2804 | History of Ancient Israel | |
| HIST 3111 | Topics in Ancient History | |
| Archaeology of ancient civilizations: | ||
| ANTH 2821 | Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3804 | Origins of the State and Urban Society | |
| ANTH 3805 | Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands * | |
| or CAH 3106 | Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| ANTH 3806 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age * | |
| or CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| ANTH 3808 | Archaeology and the Celts * | |
| or CAH 3116 | Aztec Empire | |
| ANTH 3812 | The Aztec Empire * | |
| ANTH 3813 | Archaeology of North America * | |
| or CAH 3116 | Aztec Empire | |
| ANTH 3814 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations * | |
| or CAH 3107 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations | |
| ANTH 3891 | Special Topics in Archaeology * | |
| or CAH 3117 | Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology | |