Archaeology Minor - Courses, Interim, and Advising

Required Courses: two

IDIS 240 Introduction to Archaeology (3). A classroom introduction to archaeology with emphasis on archaeological theory, field work methods, artifact processing and data interpretation. The course is designed to introduce students to the theoretical concepts of archaeology, participation in field work and the critical reading of archaeological reports in both Old World and New World archaeology. It serves as a prerequisite for IDIS 340, Field Work in Archaeology. Mr. B. de Vries.

Anne Albers makes a note about excavation in an Area R.19
Anne Albers makes a note about excavation in an Area R.19, Umm el-Jimal, Jordan.

IDIS 340 Field Work in Archaeology. (3-6). Offered in conjunction with field work done by Calvin faculty and qualified field schools of other universities. (See, for example, Umm el-Jimal, Jordan.) Summer. An on-site introduction to archaeological field work designed to expose the student to the methodologies involved in stratigraphic excavation, typological and comparative analysis of artifacts, and the use of non-literary sources in the written analysis of human cultural history. Prerequisites: IDIS 240 and permission of the instructor. Mr. B. de Vries. For information contact Mr. B. de Vries.

Elective Courses: four

Students may select a coherent sequence of four courses appropriate to their major and to their plans for further study with the approval of an advisor in the minor program. Sample programs in Old World Archaeology, New World Archaeology, and specialized fields such as Architectural Drawing in Archaeology are available.

Language requirements for advanced work in archaeology vary. There are no language requirements for the archaeology minor, but students should consider plans for future work and study in completing college language requirements. For Old World archaeology, the best modern language choice is either French or German, while Spanish is useful for New World archaeology.

Art Electives

ART 101 Art History I ART 241 Asian Art
ART 201 Architectural History I ART 243 Art of the Americas
ART 250 Introduction to Drawing/ART 300 Intermediate Drawing ART 245 African and Oceanic Art
ART 256 Introduction to Photography/ART 356 Advanced Photography ART/HIST 393 Museum Studies

Science Electives

BIOL 323 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy GEOG 221 Cartography/222 Geographic Information Systems
BIOL 346 Plant Taxonomy GEOG 320 Introduction to Cultural Geography
CPSC 141 Computing and Databases GEOL 151 Introduction to Geology
CPSC 153 Computing with the Internet GEOL 152 Historical Geology
ENGR 101 Introduction to Engineering Design
ENGR 103 Architectural Communication and Concept Design
 GEOL 311 Geomorphology
GEOL 313/BIOL 313 Paleontology
GEOL 314 Stratigraphy

Classics, Languages, Sociology, Religion and Theology Electives

CLAS 221 Classical Art and Architecture SOC 253 Intercultural Communication
REL 311 History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel SOC 303 Anthropology of Religion
REL 321 Intertestamental Judaism SOC 308 Demography and World Population Problems
SOC 153 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  
Two courses in ancient languages applicable to the archaeological culture studied

History Electives

HIST 231 Ancient Near East HIST 241 Sub-Saharan Africa to 1600
HIST 232 Hellenistic and Late Antique Near East HIST 245 East Asia to 1800
HIST 235 Early South Asia HIST 261 Classical History
HIST 238 Latin American History HIST 338 Mexico and the Americas
ART/HIST 393 Museum Studies

Interim

One Interim course with archaeological focus, such as interim to Greece, Rome, Jordan-Palestine, Museum Studies, etc. Interested students should consult a member of the Archaeology Minor Committee for off-campus opportunities.

Supervision and Advising

The group minor in archaeology is administered by an interdepartmental committee, the Archaeology Minor Committee. The members of the committee in 2007-08 are B. de Vries (History), program coordinator; K. Bratt (Classics), R. Stearley (Geology), K. Pomykala (Religion and Theology), H. Luttikhuizen (Art), and T. VandenBerg (Sociology).

Interested students should consult a member of the Archaeology Minor Committee for selection of the specific courses for the minor.