Topics in Anthropology (490-0-3)
Topic
Archaeology of Buildings
Instructors
Matthew H Johnson
847/467-3021
1812 Hinman Ave., Room #201
Matthew Johnson is a Professor and Chair in Anthropology. His research interests include the archaeology of medieval and later historical England and Europe, especially castles, traditional houses, 'polite' architecture, and landscape; theory and interdisciplinarity; and archaeology in its cultural context. Matthew's recent books include Ideas of Landscape, which looked at how cultural Romanticism and national discourses underlie traditions of landscape history, and English Houses 1200--1800: Vernacular Architecture, Social Life. Matthew's plans include a book entitled How Archaeologists Think and developing a field program involving Northwestern students at Bodiam Castle in southern England. Matthew's 2002 book, Behind the Castle Gate: From Medieval to Renaissance, is a controversial discussion of later medieval castle studies.
Meeting Info
ANTHRO Sem Rm 104 - 1810 Hinmn: Fri 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
How do scholars record, classify, understand and interpret buildings? This class will guide students through this process, from the record of buildings as revealed by both below-ground and above-ground archaeology, through the reconstruction and visualization of structures, to the cultural understanding of houses, religious buildings and other structures in their landscape context. Students will gain a holistic understanding of buildings spanning theory and practice -- how 'practical' aspects such as the properties of building materials and the logic of technical systems mesh with wider issues of social and cultural interpretation. The course will emphasize an understanding of buildings in terms of an anthropological archaeology, though we will consider and compare approaches derived from architectural history, folklife, landscape studies etc. Examples will be drawn from around the world, though my own specialism of medieval and historic Europe will be well represented.
Learning Objectives
"By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Understand the different sorts of evidence for interpretation of buildings (excavation, standing building survey, stylistic analysis, documents, ethnography, structural reconstruction)
• Grasp the different properties and potentials of building materials and the social organization of technology
• Draw and represent the form, structure and style of a building, and eflect critically on such representations
• Compare and contrast different disciplinary approaches to understanding buildings
• Draw down and apply as appropriate all of these elements and bring them together to interpret the archaeology of buildings in an area of their choice"
Class Materials (Required)
None
Class Materials (Suggested)
None
Class Notes
Any student who would like further info on the course content is welcome to email Prof. Johnson (matthew-johnson@northwestern.edu) to request a copy of the 2021 syllabus.
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Graduate Students.