Material Culture (339-0-1)

Instructors

Kristin Landau
Kristin Landau is an anthropological archaeologist with primary research interests in the political economy and collaborative practices. She directs an ongoing excavation project at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Copan, in western Honduras, about the political and economic relationship between city center and everyday life in an urban neighborhood. In completing her dissertation project, she also worked with a group of indigenous high school students and will continue to involve local people in the course of scientific research. She is also excited for the opportunity to teach undergraduate students in the US, and integrate evidence-based best practices for learning and assessment into her courses.

Meeting Info

University Hall 118: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Material culture refers to all physical, tangible parts of our world. From food to clothing and buildings and so much more, we live in a world of material objects and places. Our material world can have a huge impact on our lives but can also sometimes can go unnoticed by people. In this course we will examine the importance of material culture in human life past and present. We will ask, how can objects shape our world? Can objects have agency? And how can material objects teach us about human social worlds? We will approach the topic of material culture from anthropological, archeological, and multidisciplinary perspective to examine the broad significance of material culture for people. Bringing in perspectives from various disciplines that come together in the emerging field of material culture studies, we will explore the materials that surround and are made meaningful through their mobilization in human social worlds.

Class Materials (Required)

Articles and book chapters will be available as PDF files on Canvas

Class Attributes

Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area