ANTH 382 - Archaeology of the Anthropocene

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as ENST 382) The Anthropocene marks a unique and separate geological moment that has been brought on by unprecedented anthropogenic levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Popularly understood as global warming and climate change, this sharp rise in destructive environmental effects caused by human industry contributes to cultural instabilities. Archaeologists are well suited to investigating these contemporary phenomena by emphasizing their historical, social, and ecological traces that resonate and become legible when the materiality comes into view. Drawing on theories and methods of scholars who interrogate the unique materiality of the present, this seminar examines political, cultural, and community stakes as well as the promises of archaeological research that are not just of the present, but for it. Ryan Rybka.

Recommended: ANTH 130 or 235.

One 3-hour period.

Course Format: CLS