Historical Archaeology Minor

Co-coordinator: Julie Solometo
Email: solomejp@jmu.edu
Phone: (540) 568-6171

Co-coordinator: Gabrielle M. Lanier
Email: laniergm@jmu.edu
Phone: (540) 568-3615

Program Description

The minor is designed for students interested in the sub-field of historical archaeology, a discipline that integrates the research interests and methods of archaeology and history. The minor is designed to complement existing majors in anthropology and history, and it may also be of interest to students in art history and public administration. While guided by the theoretical underpinnings of history and anthropology, the minor in historical archaeology is field- and research-oriented. Students enrolling in the program should anticipate courses that require significant effort outside of the classroom.

Minor Requirements

Two courses (six credits) may be double-counted between the minor and the student's major.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
ANTH/HIST 331	Historical Archaeology	3
ANTH 494	Field Techniques in Archaeology	4
HIST/ARTH 396	History Beyond the Classroom: Public History	3
Subtotal		10
Electives
Choose three of the following courses. Of these, one course must be chosen from the history/anthropology options and one must be from the geology or geography options. ¹		9
ANTH 410	Spatial Analysis for Social Research
ANTH 455	Archaeology: Methods of Analysis and Interpretation
HIST/ARTH 394	Introduction to Museum Work
HIST/ANTH/ARTH 492	History from Things: Material Culture
HIST/ARTH 493	Historic Preservation
GEOL 430	Environmental Soil Science (2, 2)
GEOL 442	Field Geophysics
Subtotal		9
Capstone Research Course
The personalized capstone course can take place over one or two semesters and will require the student to work closely with a faculty advisor. The project will require the student to define a research topic, establish a theoretical and methodological base for the project, gather data, interpret the results and prepare an appropriate statement of findings.
ANTH/HIST 496	Research Thesis	3
Subtotal		3
Total Credits		22

¹: Access to geology and geography courses is competitive and will require some computer experience.