Lectures: Latin 2 Monday 11am-12noon, Carslaw 373 Thursday 10am-12noon
Lecturer: Associate Professor Roland Fletcher
Fisher Stack 289
Telephone 9351 7813
Consultation Times: see door of Fisher Stack 289
The purpose of this unit of study is to provide an overview of
the development of human society from 15,000 BP to the present
day in terms of the impact of the material component of human
behaviour on community life.
In the past twenty-five years archaeology has begun to redefine
the nature of being human. An intense, creative debate about the
material things which are an integral part of human existence
has begun to suggest that they played a profound role in the way
we are human, and are fundamental to the workings of human society.
Aims
Textbook and Learning
The textbook is Fletcher R.J. 1995. The Limits of Settlement
Growth. A theoretical outline. The textbook provides a guide
to the theoretical component of the course and outlines the substnative
argument which is developed in the lectures.
You do not have to work directly on the content of the theoretical approach. However, you are expected to use the proposed approach to help recognise the problems with current standard social explanations.
The administration office for Archaeology is in the Main Quadrangle,
next to the Philosophy Room (behind the Jacaranda tree). The locked
box where you submit your projects and essays are in the foyer
of the office, as are the mailboxes for the staff where you can
leave messages and items if necessary.
Essays and projects will be returned through the Archaeology office
on or about the return date. You will be advised if there is any
delay with the return of essays.
ARPH2003 notices are in the corridor off the foyer of the McLaurin
Hall stairs. Any important changes to the unit of study will also
be posted there.
The lecturer and course co-ordinator Associate Professor Fletcher
is available for consultation at his office, Room 289 in Fisher
Stack, at designated times during the week. His office is accessed
through the porch in the side of Fisher stack facing across to
the Edgeworth David Building.
The consultation times will vary each week. so please check for
the appropriate times. Consultation sessions are usually about
15 minutes long but you can sign in for longer. Please ensure
that you sign in either the day before you propose to see the
co-ordinator or as early in the morning as possible.
You are always welcome to call in at short notice, especially
if you need advice on personal emergencies. Please remember however
that an academic has many obligations and I cannot always be in
my room. You can also leave a voice mail message, send an email
or leave a note in Asssociate Professor Fletcher's mail box.
With any message always leave a contact phone number.
The Archaeology Ombudsman is Dr Ian Johnson, Director of the Archaeological
Computing Laboratory, just down the corridor from the Archaeology
Office, Phone 9351-3142. If you have a hassle, first try to solve
it with Associate Professor Fletcher. If that doesn't work, please
see Ian.
Satisfactory completion of ARPH 2003 is defined as 85% attendance
at lectures and tutorial classes and the attainment of an overall
grade of 50% (marks for all types of assessment are added together).
We encourage you to acquire or improve your computer competence
and literacy. Essays are prefered in word processor form.
Your work in ARPH 2003 will be assessed by four assignments. These
can either essays or projects in the following combinations.
1) Two essays each worth 25% Total 50%
Two projects each worth 25% Total 50%
2) Three essays each worth 25% Total 75%
One project each worth 25% Total 25%
3) Four essays each worth 25% Total 100%
You can choose which combination to use. You are
also encouraged to develop your own essay and project topics in
consultation with the lecturer. Or you can choose the essay topics
provided in this outline.
Essays and projects are to be handed in by placing them in the
slot in the foyer of the Archaeology Office by the Due
Date specified in this outline. They will then be marked
by the Return Date specified in this outline. The
return date is when lecturers are committed to having assignments
which were handed in on time, marked and ready for return
to students. The return date also marks the date after which that
assignment will not be accepted for marking, except by decision
of the Examiners' Committee at the end of the semester.
At the end of semester the marks are added and the staff then
meet to determine the department's recommended mark. We deal with
all sorts of troubles, especially late essays, taking into consideration
medical certificates and letters asking for special consideration
(see below - Extensions). We pay special attention to failures
and borderline cases. The marks and our recommendations are then
passed on to the Faculty of Arts for entry on to your record.
One of the skills valued in Sydney University graduates is their
ability to manage time and meet their obligations by the due date.
This outline is designed to help you manage your time by telling
you what work you are asked to hand in when. Late written work
is penalised at the rate of one percent (1%) of the total possible
mark for the assignment per weekday. An extension of time may
be granted provided application has been made at least 24 hours
before the Due Date. Please supply all copies of
medical certificates to the Archaeology office.
NOTE: Pressure of academic or other work will not be accepted
as a reason for lateness.
There are 3 acceptable grounds for extensions:
1) Illness attested by a medical certificate, or by an attendance certificate from the University Counselling Service. The extension allowed normally equals the number of days attested on the certificate.
2) Accidents, family problems, and other personal disasters. It may be necessary to let the Co-ordinator know (in confidence) the nature of the problem, but not the details.
3) Administration. Occasionally there have to be changes made
in timing or other arrangements for the unit of study. The staff
member responsible normally consults the students involved. The
staff member documents any such alterations by placing a notice
on the noticeboard. If any such changes can be substantiated as
affecting a student's capacity to meet a deadline, the student
MAY have grounds for an extension.
If you have a problem which requires confidentiality or
privacy, please discuss the matter with whoever you feel is appropriate,
eg Co-ordinator, Archaeology Ombudsman, Dean of Arts, etc. The
professional services of the University Health Service (9351 3484)
and the University Counselling Service (9351 2228) are very helpful
and are highly recommended.
A few students suffer prolonged illness or misadventure during
the semester and thereby are prevented from completing their work.
Such students should submit a medical certificate and explanation
via the Student Centre. These are often distressing cases to have
to consider but you should remember that a medical certificate
cannot be a substitute for an education. A poor examination result,
following prolonged illness and the inability to attend classes
and submit essays may have to be taken as an indication that the
student should discontinue or fail and have the opportunity to
repeat the unit of study in better circumstances. The Department
and the Faculty have procedures for taking such matters into account.
If you believe that sickness has adversely affected your work
in general, submit a doctor's certificate to the Student Centre
and to the other departments in which you are studying.
Extensions for Essays
Extensions must be sought from the Lecturer. Extensions of up
to two weeks may be granted on the basis of an interview or written
request. If you need an extension of more than two weeks, or
suffer medical or other problems, you should submit medical certificates
or other documentation.
Late essays, handed in without these permissions, may not be
accepted for assessment.
If you feel that illness has affected (directly or indirectly)
the quality of your work and may want to submit a medical certificate
and an explanation via the Student Centre for us to take into
account at the end of the year.
Under no circumstances can an essay be received for assessment
on or after the return date.
Extensions for Projects
A maximum extension of one week is permitted but only if your
projects are accompanied by an appropriate medical certificate.
Other late projects will not be accepted.
Under no circumstances can a project be received for assessment
on or after the return date.
Lectures
Week 1 23-27 July Introduction
Week 2 30 July-3 Aug Comprehending the past
Week 3 6-10 Aug The Role of the Material
Week 4 13-17 Aug The Interaction-Communication model
Week 5 20-24 Aug NO LECTURES
Week 6 27-31 Aug Mobile communities
Week 7 3-7 Sept Large mobile communities
Week 8 10-14 Sept The I-C model and the prerequisites for sedentism
Week 9 17-21 Sept Large agrarian based non-urban communities
Mid-semester recess 24 Sept to 30 Sept.
Week 10 1-5 Oct Prerequisites for agrarian urbanism
Week 11 8-12 Oct The formation of agrarian urban communities
Week 12 15-19 Oct Giant pre-industrial cities
Week 13 22-26 Oct The I-C model and industrial urbanism
Week 14 29 Oct- 2 Nov Summary and overview
Assessments
Assignment 1 Due Date 23 Aug Return Date 11 Sept
Assignment 2 Due Date 20 Sept Return Date 16 Oct
Assignment 3 Due date 18 Oct Return date 6 Nov
Assignment 4 Due date 15 Nov Return date 27 Nov
You should use the essays and projects either to broaden your world-wide knowledge of archaeology and/or to increase your expertise in a specific region and period and/or consider a theoretical issue in some detail.
Throughout the semester you can complete TWO projects, ONE for
each submission date. You are to choose the topics for your projects
in consultation with the Co-ordinator of the unit of study.
You need to make these decisions promptly.
A list of the descriptions of the types of projects will be
handed out in the second week of the semester. Projects are essentially
illustrative and use diagrams more than text.
Each project submitted must have a cover sheet from the
back of this outline attached and filled in. Put the project in
the assignment box by 5.00 p.m. on the Due Date. Projects
can be collected on or after the Return Date from
the Archaeology office.
Please ensure that each project is stapled to a cover sheet.
Write your name on each project.
For ARPH2003 you must write a total of two essays. You may either
choose the essay topics on which you want to work or you can choose
from the list of topics below.
You have to write essays on topics of your choice. These must
be discussed with the Co-ordinator, who will tell you whether
or not the proposed topics are feasible and acceptable, and will
advise you about bibliographic resources. This may require you
to put rather more effort into obtaining the necessary literature
than occurs for specified essays. You are encouraged to include
illustrations in whatever format suits you, eg photocopies, computer
graphics, drawings. Assessment will include some emphasis on presentation.
A relevant bibliography of at least 10 items is required.
Each essay submitted must have a cover sheet from the back
of this outline attached and filled in. Put the essay in the assignment
box by 5.00 p.m. on the Due Date.
Please ensure that each essay is stapled to a cover sheet.
Write your name on each essay.
Essay 1. Due 23 August
Write an essay on ONE of the following topics
2) What is the problem with ethnographic analogy?
3) What is the romantic- rationalist debate in archaeology?
Essay 2. Due 20 September
Write an essay on ONE of the following topics
1) What is the relevance of the I-C model for understanding the nature of mobile communities?
2) Outline the I-C model and review its critical differences from standard social theory.
3) Define sedentism
Write an essay on ONE of the following topics
1) Outline the Interaction-Communication model and comment on its potential use in archaeology.
2) Review the growth and decline of a city of your choice in the context of the I-C model.
Essay 4. Due 15 November
Write an essay on ONE of the following topics
3) Appraise the nature and future of industrial urbanism from
the perspective of the I-C model.
Less than 50: Fail. Talk to a member of academic staff to find out what went wrong.
50: Just a pass, but we're probably being kind. See if you can work out what went wrong, then talk to a staff member.
51-54: Work of acceptable standard.
55-59: Work of satisfactory standard. You are doing alright.
60-64: Work of considerable merit but not of Honours standard. You are doing alright.
65 and over: Work is good enough for you to think of yourself as a good student. Get a few marks like this and you should think of doing special entry units of study in Archaeology and consider doing Honours.
65-69: Competent work demonstrating potential to complete Honours. You have the ability to do well in Archaeology.
70-74: Highly competent work demonstrating clear capacity to complete Honours
successfully. You are doing well in Archaeology.
75-84: Work of a superior standard. Keep going as you are. Definitely do Archaeology!
85-100: Truly excellent work. Keep going as you are. Definitely
do Archaeology!!
We prefer all essays to be prepared for presentation using a word
processor. While this is not compulsory you should bear in mind
that an increasing number of students present work in this form
as a matter of course. Quality of presentation does have some
value. Reading poor handwriting is very trying! You should also
bear in mind that computer literacy for graduates is rapidly becoming
a basic competence for professional employment and is one of the
goals of the University Strategic Plan.
Please provide your essay double spaced and with wide margins
so that comments can be inserted easily and clearly. References
should preferably be in Harvard form but this is not mandatory.
Components: There are at least four major components in
the content of undergraduate archaeological (and probably other)
essays
1. to outline and follow a significant line of argument
2. to support this by one or more sets of evidence or sources
3. to assess and evaluate critically the arguments presented
4. to identify and discuss the issues involved
Signposting your argument: The primary framework and direction
of your essay is fundamental. It is essential not to lose sight
of the point of what is being argued. Rather than subheadings,
think of using signpost sentences every two or three paragraphs
- succinct sentences which spell out how material just presented
or about to be presented relates to the main line of the argument.
Description of selected data: Description of some selection
of archaeological evidence is usually an essential component of
an archaeology essay. In many ways this is the most difficult
part of the essay, the art lying in selecting whatever parts of
the total archaeological site description are going to be most
pertinent to your line of argument. You will always have a word
limit, requiring selection: think out what are the excavated features
most relevant to what you want to develop.
Citing sources for opinions, quotations, evidence: Each
major step in your discussion which involves - as it should -
the published data or statements of current or past archaeologists
and scholars requires a reference to the place where readers may
consult this material for themselves. This can be cited either
as in-text references (Deetz 1963: 180), often called the Harvard
system, or as footnotes or endnotes using a running number system.
Either way, the authors referred to should be cited by a consistent
abbreviation plus date and page reference (say, Deetz 1963: 180).
These citations need to be linked to a bibliography which gives
full bibliographical details for each work cited, in alphabetical
order of author.
Assessment and critique: The third component in this process
is the assessment and evaluation of what is presented. Here your
own common sense and capacity to think come into play: remember
to think about what is left out as well as what is selected for
presentation by your sources.
Identifying issues and new questions: The obvious outcomes,
after assessment of what is presented, are new questions - identifying
the queries which you want to raise after examining all the data
and what people have written to date. If, prompted by your investigation
and your assessment, you are challenged to ask new questions or
seek additional information, go ahead. This is one of the many
ways in which archaeological knowledge advances - and naive questions
have not infrequently led into different insights.
Outlined below is the theoretical proposition which I will be
using to structure this course. The I-C model specifies the behavioural
factors which generate the myriad patterns of human community
behaviour and explains how and why settlement patterns take particular
forms and have distinct, specific histories.
You may find that the theoretical model is useful because it simplifies
understanding the issues involved in studying the behaviour and
community life of a myriad different societies over considerable
timespans. It also clarifies several major conceptual issues in
the analysis of long-term cultural change. I will briefly outline
the model during the lectures and you will have the opportunity
to ask questions about it during the discussion tutorials. You
can also read about the I-C model in "The Limits of Settlement
Growth. A theoretical outline" (Fletcher 1995).
The proposed theoretical model of interaction and communication outlines the basic operational constraints on community life and predicts distinct, large-scale patterns of settlement growth. The model specifies three major classes of behavioural constraint. In a long-term, large-scale perspective they constitute the operational parameters of social life in settlements. The first class of behavioural constraint is an upper limit on tolerable residential density, referred to as an Interaction limit (I-limit). The second class of constraint concerns the limits on the areal extent of a settlement set by the distances over which a communication system can operate adequately. Such a limit is referred to as a Communication limit (C-limit). However, at low residential densities the C-limit constraints do not apply. Communication systems do not delimit the areal extent of dispersed, low density settlements. Below a threshold density, referred to as the Threshold limit (T-limit), settlement extent is almost unconstrained or else is undefinable. But having exceeded a C-limit by dropping below the Threshold limit, such settlements cannot then easily attain densities above the T-limit again. The three classes of behavioural limit form a matrix of the interaction and communication stresses which affect human communities. The stresses can be managed in various ways by material features such as walls, or script systems, which help to control or aid interaction and communication. On the matrix we can therefore plot different kinds of settlement growth trajectories whose outcome depends upon the relationship between residential density, settlement size and the material assemblage available to the occupants. Viable communities have to reside below their appropriate I-limit and the size of compact settlements is generally constrained by the C-limit for the means whereby they communicate. A community may therefore become trapped in a stasis settlement close behind a C-limit because it does not possess the communication systems which could allow a larger, compact settlement area to be sustained. However, if a community in a compact settlement already possesses a new communication assemblage and the potential to regulate interaction stress it can follow a transition trajectory across a C-limit and will possess the potential to generate substantial, sustained settlement growth. The third possibility is a bypass trajectory below the T-limit along which a community drops to a low residential density without employing a new interaction and communication assemblage. Very extensive dispersed settlements may result which have only a restricted capacity for change.
You are required to use specific terminology in this course
in order to present your work in a clear and logical manner. Set
out below is a list of inappropriate, popular terms and confusing
archaeological terms and their replacement(s).
Inappropriate term Replacement term(s)
man (he) humans, people, human
beings (they)
primitive DO NOT USE
Period names eg Upper Palaeolithic USE A TIME SPAN
Age (as in Bronze Age) USE A TIME SPAN
Neolithic ESPECIALLY AVOID
believe(s) argue(s),claim(s) etc.
Ancient DO NOT USE
Evolution USE ONLY FOR BIOLOGY
Evolution (in reference. to culture) development
Stimulus/ stimulate (referring to supposed LOGICALLY INVALID. AVOID
effect of environment on culture)
Response/ respond (referring to supposed LOGICALLY INVALID. AVOID
effect of environment on culture)
Mystery issue, problem, research topic
origin(s) formation, development
Invent(ed)/ invention AVOID EXCEPT FOR
HISTORICALLY KNOWN INDIVIDUALS
Due to lack of evidence I cannot YES YOU CAN!
come to any conclusions (or words
to that effect)
More information needs to be STATE WHAT KIND OF
collected before an opinion can EVIDENCE IS NEEDED?
be proposed
Speculate, speculation AVOID USING THESE
TERMS AS A FORM OF
CENSURE.