Cultural Resources Archaeology: Syllabus

Syllabus

Course Description: Introduction to the practice of public archaeology in the United States: historical and legal background; federal, state, and local programs; archaeology and Native Americans; contract archaeology; survey, evaluation, and mitigation projects; professional employment in U.S. cultural resource management.

Course Goals:

1. Analyze and evaluate the historical and legal contexts for cultural resources archaeology in the United States.

2. Appraise the nature, strengths, and weaknesses of U.S. cultural resource management at the federal, state, and local levels; among Native American tribes; and on private lands.

3. Evaluate the business of cultural resources archaeology.

4. Design archaeological proposals, budgets, and research plans for cultural resource archaeology projects.

5. Evaluate the quality of Phase I, II, and III archaeological reports.

6. Assess the status and prospects of professional careers in cultural resources archaeology.

Texts:

Black, Stephen L. and Kevin Jolly, Archaeology by Design. Archaeologist's Toolkit 1. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003).

Carmichael, David L. et al., Excavation. Archaeologist's Toolkit 3. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003).

Collins, James M. and Brian Leigh Molyneaux, Archaeological Survey. Archaeologist's Toolkit 2. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003).

Federal Historic Preservation Laws. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources Program (1993).

Hardesty, Donald L., Barbara J. Little, Assessing Site Significance: A Guide for Archaeologists and Historians. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press (2000).

King, Thomas F., Cultural Resource Laws & Practice: An Introductory Guide. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press (1998).

King, Thomas F., Federal Planning and Historic Places: The Section 106 Process. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2000).

Neumann, Thomas W., Robert M. Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology: An Introduction. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press (2001).

Thomas, David Hurst, Skull Wars:Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity. New York: Basic Books (2000).

Requirements: Come to each class having read the assigned readings and prepared to discuss them. You will present brief oral reports periodically on topics assigned by the instructor. You will also complete one research project during the semester; this may be either a group project or an individual project, as determined in consultation with the instructor. Grading will be based on the research paper (35%), class oral presentations (30%), and class participation and preparation (35%).

Class Topics and Readings

1. Introduction: Cultural Resources Archaeology in the United States
(two-week module)

Introduction to the course; archaeology and cultural resource management as public interests; how cultural resource archaeology is organized in the United States.

Readings:

M. Ramos and D. Duganne, “Exploring Public Perceptions and Attitudes about Archaeology,” Harris Interactive, Inc. for the Society for American Archaeology. Feb. 2000. Available at http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/pubs/harris/index.htm [HTML] and http://www.saa.org/pubEdu/nrptdraft4.pdf [PDF].

William D. Lipe , “A Conservation Model for American Archaeology,” The Kiva 39, no. 1–2 (1974): 213–243.

Charles R. McGimsey III and Hester A. Davis, eds., The Management of Archeological Resources: The Airlie House Report. Special Publication of the Society for American Archaeology (1977).

Francis. P. McManamon, “The Protection of Archaeological Resources in the United States: Reconciling Preservation with Contemporary Society," in Francis P. McManamon and Alf Hatton, eds., Cultural Resource Management in Contemporary Society: Perspectives on Managing and Presenting the Past. London: Routledge (2000), 40–54.

Neumann and Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology, 1-26.

Ricardo J. Elia, "U.S. Cultural Resource Management and the ICAHM Charter," Antiquity 67 (1993): 426-438.

2. Historical Survey of U.S. Preservation Legislation

Beginnings of the preservation movement in the United States; history of national legislation pertaining to archaeology and preservation, from the Antiquities Act of 1906 to the present; the birth of cultural resources archaeology.

Readings:

• Text of Antiquities Act of 1906.

• Text of Historic Sites Act of 1935.

Fowler, Don D., “Conserving American Archaeological Resources,” in D. Meltzer, D. D. Fowler, and J. A. Sabloff, eds., American Archaeology Past and Future: A Celebration of the Society for American Archaeology 1935–1985. Washington: Smithsonian Institution (1986), 135–162.

Neuman, Loretta, "The Politics of Archaeology and Historic Preservation: How our Laws are really made," in G. S. Smith and J. E. Ehrenhard, Protecting the Past. Boston: CRC Press (1991), 41–46.

Patterson, Thomas C., “The Political Economy of Archaeology in the United States,” Annual Review of Anthropology 28 (1999): 155–174.

3. ARPA and the Federal Archaeology Program

History and background of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act; its provisions and regulations; organization of preservation at the federal level; role of the National Park Service and other federal agencies.

Readings:

• Text of Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, as amended.

J. M. Fowler, "The Federal Government as Standard Bearer," in R. E. Stipe and A. J. Lee, eds., The American Mosaic: Preserving a Nation’s Heritage. Washington, D.C.: US/ICOMOS (1987), 35–80.

King, Cultural Resource Laws & Practice, 197-199.

Francis P. McManamon, "The Protection of Archaeological Resources in the United States: Reconciling Preservation with Contemporary Society," in F. P. McManamon and A. Hatton, eds., Cultural Resource Management in Contemporary Society (2000), 40–54.

4. Federal Mandates: NEPA and NHPA
(two-week module)

The National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; SHPOs and THPOs; the National Register of Historic Places; the Section 106 process.

Readings:

• Text of National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• Text of National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. 36 CFR Part 800. Protection of Historic Properties; Final Rule. Federal Register, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2000 (77698-77739).

King, Cultural Resource Laws & Practice, 35-58.

King, Federal Planning and Historic Places, 11-100.

Neumann and Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology, 27-46.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form (1991). Available at
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/publications/bulletins/nrb16a/

5. State and Local Programs

The State Historic Preservation Offices; state statutes, regulations, policies pertaining to archaeological resources; the SHPO as reviewing agency; city, municipal, and local archaeology programs; protecting sites on private lands.

Readings:

Elizabeth A. Lyon, "The States: Preservation in the Middle," in The American Mosaic (1987), 81–112.

Neumann and Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology, 49-52.

G. E. Andrews, "Historic Preservation in the Private Sector," in The American Mosaic (1987), 208–234.

Susan L. Henry, Protecting Archaeological Sites on Private Lands. U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (1993).

6. Native Americans and CRM
(two-week module)

Challenge and controversy in Native American archaeology; federally recognized and non-recognized tribes; tribal historic preservation programs; NAGPRA and the treatment of Native American human remains.

Readings:

• Text of Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990.

David Hurst Thomas, Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity, chaps. 1–17.

J. Watkins, "Responsibilities of archaeologists to non-archaeological interest groups," in M. J. Lynott and A. Wylie, eds., Ethics in American Archaeology. 2nd revised edition. Washington, D.C.: Society for American Archaeology (2000), 40-44.

Alan S. Downer, "Archaeologists-Native American Relations," in N. Swidler, et al., Native Americans and Archaeologists: Stepping Stones to Common Ground (Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira), 23-34.

Begay, Richard M., "The Role of Archaeology on Indian Lands: The Navajo Nation," in N. Swidler, et al., Native Americans and Archaeologists: Stepping Stones to Common Ground (Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira), 161-166.

Rebecca Tsosie, "Indigenous Rights and Archaeology," in N. Swidler, et al., Native Americans and Archaeologists: Stepping Stones to Common Ground (Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira), 64-76.

7. The Business of Archaeology

Cultural resource archaeologists in the public and private sectors; archaeological contracts, scopes of work, and budgets.

Readings:

Stephen L. Black and Kevin Jolly, Archaeology by Design. Archaeologist's Toolkit 1. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003), 53-65.

John H. Jameson, Jr., John E. Ehrenhard, and Wilfred M. Husted, "Federal Archeological Contracting: Utilizing the Competitive Procurement Process," Archeological Assistance Program, Technical Brief No. 7, August 1990.

8. Phase I Identification Surveys
(two-week module)

How archaeologists locate archaeological resources; historic contexts; frameworks for classification and evaluation; Phase I archaeological survey methods; research designs and Phase I proposals.

Readings:

James M. Collins and Brian Leigh Molyneaux, Archaeological Survey. Archaeologist's Toolkit 2. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003).

King, Cultural Resource Laws & Practice, 219-231.

Neumann and Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology, 57-122, 185-210.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, "Archaeology and Historic Preservation; Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines," Federal Register, vol. 48, no. 190, pp. 44716–44723.

9. Phase II Evaluation Surveys
(two-week module)

Evaluating sites once they are found; research designs for Phase II archaeological surveys; the question of significance; taking the raw data of the Phase II archaeological survey and deciding if the site is significant in a CRM context.

Readings:

Neumann and Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology, 123-158.

Donald L. Hardesty and Barbara J. Little, Assessing Site Significance: A Guide for Archaeologists and Historians. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2000).

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (1991). Available online at http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/publications/bulletins/nrb15/

10. Phase III Mitigation/Data Recovery

Avoiding adverse impacts to significant sites; excavating and analyzing significant sites; realizing a site's potential through data recovery.

Readings:

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, "Recommended Approach for Consultation on Recovery of Significant Information from Archeological Sites" (1999). Available at http://www.achp.gov/archguide.html

Stephen L. Black and Kevin Jolly, Archaeology by Design. Archaeologist's Toolkit 3. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003), 67-126.

David L. Carmichael et al., Excavation. Archaeologist's Toolkit 3. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira (2003).

Neumann and Sanford, Cultural Resources Archaeology, 159-210.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register Bulletin: Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Archeological Properties (2000). Available at http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/publications/bulletins/arch/

11. CRM Archaeology as a Career

Summation for the course; careers and prospects in cultural resource archaeology; professional organizations.

Readings:

Lynott, Mark J. and Alison Wylie, eds., Ethics in American Archaeology. 2nd revised edition. Washington, D.C.: Society for American Archaeology (2000).

Zeder, Melinda, The American Archaeologist: A Profile. Walnut Creek, CA: 1997, 45-115.