The Assignment:
Historical Archaeology is inherently interdisciplinary and expansive. Bounded largely by time period alone, the subfield discusses themes of persistence and resilience, cultural interaction, collision, and change, immigration and emigration, trade and exchange, purchasing power and poverty, and the materiality of the human narrative in the early modern and modern periods.
Your task for this assignment is to select one (1) theme within historical archaeology about which you want to write. You will need to pick a topic that you can support with peer- reviewed sources, but also one that interests you (as the best research comes from a place of excitement and engagement). The topic is yours to decide and is wide open, provided you can find solid data to support your argument.
Do you want to discuss the way that historical archaeology can shed light on underrepresented communities? Pick one such community and go for it! Are you interested in the way that the subfield can add much-needed data to historical events, about which we previously have oral history and documents (such as famous battles)? Excellent choice! Are you more focused on the way that countries use their archaeological collections or sites to perpetuate or fight certain narratives? Fantastic! These are just a few of the many, many options out there!
Note: If you are unsure of the validity of a source or if you are uncertain about your topic, feel free to email, but please do so with enough time that, should the answer require you to change your direction, you can do so adequately.
The Specifics:
Part One: The Paper (100 points)
Please write a 2 to 3 page research paper (12-pt font [Courier, Times New Roman, Arial],
double-spaced) essay about your topic of choice.
Bear in mind that it must be something that you can efficiently research and then subsequently speak about in class.
Rubric Assistance:
Your paper should indicate the following:
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a) A clear introduction, body, and conclusion
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b) A clear thesis statement
o think of this like a hypothesis.
c) Strong research-based evidence drawn from your references that works to support your thesis statement.
d) A References/ Works Cited Page to support your research within your paper. In total, you should have a minimum of three (3) different references
o Please follow the Chicago Manual for your references and use parenthetical citations in the body of your paper, rather than footnotes.
Part Two: The Presentation (50 points)
Please prepare a 3-minute presentation about your topic on archaeology and contemporary
society.
Rubric Assistance:
Your presentation should indicate the following:
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a) A clear introduction that clearly states your main argument / thesis statement
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b) The main points used in your research paper. Think of this like your summarized “greatest hits” from the larger paper itself. Make sure that you use clear examples.
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c) A clear conclusion that tidies everything up nicely.
Your presentation will also need to have one (and only one) PowerPoint slide, which will be on the projector screen behind you while you give your presentation; use it to help illustrate the key points you are trying to make, but remember – if it is too busy, it will become cluttered and confusing.
Your PowerPoint slide should include the following:
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a) A title representative of your topic
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b) Images representative of your topic (at least two)
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c) Optional: you may include text if you would like, but make sure it is legible in the classroom; fitting too much text on the slide will make it difficult to read what has been written.
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d) Citations for any direct quotes you chose to use or any images that come directly from published (non-open access sources)
Note: This presentation format follows a trend in scholarship right now known as the Three Minute Thesis (abbreviated to 3MT). It is a proven means of presenting information that is distilled down to its most crucial, poignant, and effective points, by causing the presenter to focus on every word, every image, and every minute used in their presentation.