Archaeologies of Sustainability and Collapse (385-0-1)

Instructors

Melissa Rosenzweig
1812 Hinman #304
Office Hours: Mondays, 1:00 – 3:00 pm or by appointment. Room 304, 1812 Hinman

Meeting Info

ANTHRO Sem Rm 104 - 1810 Hinmn: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This course is a seminar that uses archaeological case studies from the past to interrogate human-environment relationships across time and space, including the present and the future. The emphasis here will not be on learning environmental archaeology methods. Instead, we will be focusing on how archaeologists think about key environmental concepts, including climate change, sustainability, and resilience. We will discuss examples of "failure" and "success" in the long history of human-environment interactions, and see if there's room for nuance along the way. We will also use this course as an opportunity to consider how archaeology can contribute to current environmental sustainability and environmental justice efforts. Prior coursework in archaeology is not required to appreciate this class or do well, but would be helpful.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to: • Articulate keys issues of sustainability and collapse as a socio-environmental phenomenon. • Grasp the development of understanding societal sustainability and collapse through the lens of archaeology. • Apply perspectives in environmental archaeology to contemporary environmental debates. • Use environmental archaeology to evaluate real world environmental problems. • Communicate clearly and effectively about human-environment interactions.

Evaluation Method

Reading Responses, Student Presentation, Final Paper

Class Materials (Required)

Available via Canvas

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area