Archaeology

Archaeology is one of anthropology's major subfields. Students at U of M are encouraged to explore archaeology through individual coursework, summer field work, and internships. Many of these experiences are offered through the Earth Sciences Department. To facilitate undergraduate training in archaeology, the Anthropology and Earth Sciences Departments coordinate to provide a double major covering the physical, methodological, and cultural aspects of the field.

Earth Sciences/Anthropology Double Major

University of Memphis undergraduates choosing a career in archaeology are presented with a unique opportunity to gain critical learning experiences in both earth sciences and anthropology. Students should work with their advisors to identify their interests early. With careful course selection, students can earn a double major in a 120 credit hour/four year curriculum.

The double major in Earth Sciences and Anthropology begins early with students satisfying General Education and BA requirements, many of which are options shared between the disciplines. Many classes contribute towards a degree program that makes for well-educated and well-rounded archaeologists. For example, students taking ANTH 1100 and ANTH 1200 (common for both anthropology and earth sciences majors) satisfy the six credit-hour GenEd social sciences requirement. Students taking ESCI 1020 and ESCI 1103 (also common for students in both majors) satisfy the eight credit-hour GenEd natural sciences requirement. Earth Sciences and Anthropology now share many cross-listed upper-division classes. These cross-listed classes 'double dip' and count towards major degree requirements for both majors.

Advising

Advising is the key to success of a double major, and students following this track are encouraged to seek advising in both departments. Advisors can use the UMDegree channel and email to coordinate their work with each student. 

Coursework

The following list is intended as a rough guide or roadmap for double majors; it is not a complete listing of all courses that may be of interest to archaeologists. Students should consider using ESCI and ANTH courses to fill General Education requirements wherever possible. Courses should be selected based on interest, availability, and individual consultation with departmental advisors.

ESCI Courses

All students must take ESCI 1020 (4) and ESCI 4515 (3). The Geoarchaeology concentration  (36 hours) also requires the following courses: ESCI 1103 (4), 2301 (4), 4202 (4), 4270, 4301, 4325, 4350, 4352, 4521; and six upper division hours as approved by advisor.

Core:

ESCI 1020* (Landforms)
ESCI 4515 (Geographical Information Systems)

Geoarchaeology-Specific Requirements:

ESCI 1103* (Humans and Environment)
ESCI 2301 (Fundamentals of Archaeology)
ESCI 4202 (Geomorphology)
ESCI 4521 (Quantitative Methods)

Cross-listed courses:

ESCI/ANTH 4270 (Ancient Human Society/Environmental Change)
ESCI/ANTH 4301 (Archaeology of North America)
ESCI/ANTH 4325 (Archaeological Field and Lab Techniques)
ESCI/ANTH 4350 (Archaeology of Collapse)
ESCI/ANTH 4352 (Old World Archaeology)
ESCI/ANTH 4680 (Applied Archaeology and Museums)(not required for the Geoarchaeology concentration)

Anthropology Courses:

All students must take ANTH 1100, ANTH 1200, ANTH 3200, and ANTH 4065. The anthropology major requires a total of at least 30 credits in ANTH courses, at least 6 of which must be at the 4000 level. Note that the cross-listed courses above count toward both majors.

Core:

ANTH 1100* (Biological Anthropology and Prehistory)
ANTH 1200* (Cultural Anthropology)
ANTH 3200 (People and Cultures of the World)
ANTH 4065 (Anthropological Theory)

Other electives:

ANTH 3282* (American Communities)
Other electives to reach 30 hours total

* fills a General Education requirement