Assignments

Assignment 1. What is...? Short (3-5 page) paper on defining some fundamental terms in archaeological thinking and working: archive, site, map, fieldwork, artifact, museum, thing, figurine, text, etc. It is suggested that you start with the simplest form of a question such as "What is an archive," "what is a map" and so on, and explore in depth the conceptual baggage that such terms come with. The use of visual media welcome. Due: February 14. to be posted on the wiki.

Inspirational Bibliography

Merewether, Charles; 2006. The archive. Documents of contemporary art. The MIT Press. (I have a copy in my office, let me know if you'd like to borrow).

Turnbull, David; 1993. Maps are territories, science is an atlas: a portfolio of exhibits. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Turkle, Sherry; 2007. Evocative objects: things we think with. The MIT Press.

Cynthia C. Davidson; 2001. Anything. New York, N.Y. : Anyone Corp. ; Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.

Heidegger, Martin; 1967. What is a thing?. Translated by W. B. Barton, Jr., and Vera Deutsch, with an analysis by Eugene T. Gendlin. Chicago, H. Regnery Co.

Anderson, Gail; 2004. Reinventing the museum : historical and contemporary perspectives on the paradigm shift. Walnut Creek, Calif. : AltaMira Press.

Preziosi, Donald and Claire Farago (eds); 2004. Grasping the world : the idea of the museum. Aldershot, Hants, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate Pub.

Bailey, Douglas; 2005. Prehistoric Figurines : Representation and Corporeality in the Neolithic. Routledge : Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Barthes, Roland; 1977. Image, music, text. essays selected and translated by Stephen Heath. New York : Hill and Wang.

Assignment 2. Industrial Ruins of Providence: an ethnography of place: In the next several weeks, we will be collaboratively exploring the industrial ruins of Providence as archaeological sites. This will give us first hand experience of exploring places with rich material histories, and the urban stories that are associated with them. These places include an abandoned bridge on Seakonk river and an abandoned amusement park.

Research Projects

Final Paper Proposals due April 4, 2008 to be posted by 5 pm.