Syllabus ANTHROPOLOGY 482: ARCHAEOLOGY OF IRELAND THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME Fall Semester 2002: MW 1:30 - 2:45 pm

Instructor: Dr. Ian Kuijt
Class Location: Flanner 425
Office: Flanner 617
Office Hours: Wednesday 3:00 - 5:00 pm Office phone number: (219) 631-3263
Email: Ian.Kuijt.1@nd.edu (best way to get a hold of me outside of class)

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COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course examines the cultural and historical trajectory of the Archaeology of Ireland through a series of richly illustrated lectures, organized chronologically, that trace cultural, social, and technological developments from the Neolithic through Viking periods. Integrated with this lecture series, and running concurrently on alternate days, will be a series of seminar and discussion classes focused upon a number of Anthropological and Archaeological issues related to the each of these periods of time. This includes the emergence of the unique systems of food production in the Neolithic, conflict and warfare between Bronze Age communities, and the development of systems of metallurgy in the Iron Age. Other classes will touch upon the topics of regionalism and identity and contact at different periods of time, mortuary practices and ritual, and discussion of village life in ring forts during the Bronze Age. In addition to normal class work, this course will involve traveling to Ireland for the entirety of fall break 2002.

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READINGS
Herity, M., and G. Eogan 1996 Ireland in Prehistory. Routledge, New York.
Supplimental readings available on reserve.

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ENROLLMENT AND PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE
The class will have an enrollment of 12+1 students. The major prerequisite for this course will be Anthropology 327: Fundamentals of Archaeology. It is critical that students have a basic understanding of the methodological and analytical foundations upon which archaeological interpretations are developed, provided in Anthropology 327 Fundamentals of Archaeology, in order to successfully understand the Archaeology of Ireland as a geographically and culturally defined case study. In rare cases, such as previous experience and course work at another University, the instructor will make an exception. In all cases enrollment is dependant upon completing enrollment forms on time and receiving permission of the instructor (see attached form). The applications should be turned in to D. Pribbernow (room 611 Flanner Hall) by 4:00 pm, Monday April 8, 2002. Late applications and e-mail applications will not be accepted. Successful selection is dependant upon the number and quality of the applications for the class, previous experience of students, and the strength of individual student applications and their academic record. Students accepted into the class will be notified via e-mail by 4:00 pm, Tuesday, April 9, 2002. At this time these students will be e-mailed an individual authorization code to so that they can register for the Anthropology 482: Archaeology of Ireland.

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FALL BREAK 2002 ARCHAEOLOGY OF IRELAND EDUCATIONAL TOUR

Tenative Schedule

2002 Tour Page

For 2002 the major foundation to the Archaeology of Ireland course will be an educational tour of select heritage sites in Ireland during fall break. This will involve departing from Chicago the morning of Friday Oct. 18, 2002 and returning to Chicago on the evening of Sunday October 27, 2002. This educational tour of the Archaeology of Ireland is funded by the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts and the Keough Institute for Irish Studies. Funding from these Institutes will cover return airfare from Chicago to Ireland, rental for two vans for transportation while in Ireland, and all accommodation and subsistence costs for 12 students for the duration of the educational tour. This funding does not cover personal expenses, such as film, medicine and gifts. This tour will directly and intimately involve students in the fascinating culture and archaeology of Ireland by having them travel to some of the key representative archaeological sites (please see attached tentative itinerary and overview list of sites). During this period of time students will be exposed to a number of the most important Irish archaeological sites, which represent many of the major cultural developments in the prehistory and history of Ireland. The itinerary for this trip focuses on a group of highly select heritage sites around Dublin and Limerick. Using Dublin as a central base for the first 3 days, students will visit Newgrange (county Meath), one of the finest passage tombs in western Europe; Trim Castle, the Bronze-Iron Age ceremonial enclosure at Dún Ailinne (Kildare); the extensive ruins at Tara (Meath); and the Late Bronze Age / Iron Age hill forts of Rathgall and Brusselstown (Wicklow), which are locate in the greatest concentration of hill forts in all of Ireland (see Table 1 and 2). After this students will travel to Limerick, where they will visit the Iron Age hill fort of Moughaun (Clare); the Neolithic Crannóg settlement of Lough Gur (Limerick); and the interpretive heritage site of Crannóg (Clare), which includes full-scale reconstructions of a Neolithic crannog, and an Iron Age Cachel with souterrain. Students will also visit the Aran Islands, touring several of the important archaeological sites on Inishmore Island. Visits to each of these archaeological sites will form a central aspect to the teaching of this class, and these experiences will form the foundation of individual class projects and exercises that will occur in the second half of the semester.

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TEACHING METHODS AND FOCUS

The teaching methods adopted for the Archaeology of Ireland will be closely linked to the scale of this class. Before traveling to Ireland, the instructor will provide a series of illustrated lectures and lead discussion classes as a foundation for understanding of the overall chronological sequence from the prehistoric to historic periods. This will include students mastering the overall cultural-historical sequence (e.g., the sequence and duration of the Bronze and Iron Ages) of the major periods in question, as well as developing an entrenched awareness of the major cultural developments of these periods of time (e.g., the development of metallurgy in the Bronze Age or the nature of Norman conquest and warfare in the 10-12th centuries AD). Assessment of students' progress towards these goals will be gauged through a series of assignments, a mid-term examination, a map quiz, and a final panel presentation. As is outlined below, there are three assignments: a thematic overview, the development of time period chart, and an overview of one of the archaeology sites being visited by our class this fall. The mid-term exam given in the week before fall break. The map quiz will focus on the geographical location of major archaeological sites for individual periods (as well as those sites to be visited while traveling in Ireland) and will be given in the second half of the term.

While in Ireland, students will be involved in a series of projects. As part of this, individual students will be responsible for preparing in advance 1) a detailed overview (including description of previous archaeological field research, existing architecture, period of occupation, as well as a map of the archaeological site) of a previously identified archaeological site to be visited during the tour, 2) a detailed outline of the importance of a different archaeological site to be visited by the tour and how this compares to other regional sites of the same period, and 3) four chronological chart overviews of the major periods covered in this class. These will be prepared in advance before fall break, and will be collectively combined into a single, double-sided, coil-bound illustrated briefing package to be used by students at each archaeological site visited by the tour. Thus, all students will be in charge of developing and presenting a detailed case study of the descriptive materials and an overview of the regional and cultural importance for two different archaeological sites while on the tour. This will provide students with a detailed consideration of at least two sites to be visited by the tour, as well as developing a broad understanding of the how these cultural materials fit in time and place. This tour will, moreover, expose Notre Dame students directly to the materials and archaeological sites that are discussed in the in-class readings that form the foundation of the cultural-historical sequence from the prehistoric through to historic periods of Ireland, and will serve as the foundation of the in-class papers and projects in the second half of the term. In addition, 2-3 evenings during the tour will focus on exposing students to regional cultural events, including local music, art, and museums. While this list has yet to be finalized, provisionally this will include visiting the National Museum in Dublin, and the archaeological museum at the University of Limerick.

In the second half of the term (once students have returned from fall break), the Archaeology of Ireland class will shift orientation from a lecture to seminar and discussion format. This will include several interrelated projects and assessments. First, groups of students will be in charge of developing a 30-minute presentation that explores one major topic related to the archaeology of Ireland. This can include a wide range of topics such as the links between modern Irish identity and heritage resources, the architecture of Bronze Age hill-forts, or the role of different systems of farming and animal husbandry in the development of the rural landscape of Ireland. Third, in small groups in two classes students will participate in an exercise in peopling of the past. In this project groups are encouraged to develop an imaginary narrative, that is consistent with archaeological data, of fictitious people in the past who used and manufactured a known artifact from one of the heritage sites visited in Ireland. Fourth, in groups of two students will be responsible for developing a major class project that will be presented to the other students in the last week of class. It is expected that students enrolled in the class will participate fully in all aspects of the course.

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GRADING, ASSIGNMENTS, AND GENERAL POLICIES
There are six parts to your grade in this course:
1) Assignment #1a and b: Thematic Overview (20%)
" Content, organization, and illustration (10%)
" Web organization and presentation (10%)
2) Assignment #2: Time Period Chart and Synthesis (5% each, total of 20%)
" Neolithic period, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Medieval period
3) Assignment #3: Site Overview and Description (15%)
" Content, organization, and illustration (10%)
" Web organization and presentation (5%)
4) Map Quiz (5%)
5) Mid-term (20%)
6) Final panel presentation (20%)

Grading, assignments, and general policies
1. As noted earlier, your grade in this course is partially based on three assignments. The three written assignments require students to creatively address a number of complex and challenging research questions, and are designed to provoke students to explore important topics through imaginative and creative means. The overall aim is, to put it plainly, to encourage you to learn more about the Archaeology of the Ireland, further your abilities to solve problems and synthesize readings, and to critically evaluate arguments.
2. If you have a documented learning disability and are authorized to have special arrangements for assignments, please inform the instructor at the beginning of the course, and it is your responsibility to remind the instructor at least one week before the assignment is due. Again, I will do all that is possible to accommodate your needs, but I must be made aware of your needs and concerns as soon as possible. Thank you.
3. I strongly encourage students to meet with me and discuss any concerns or questions they have with their assignment grades. Due to the length of the term, however, these concerns or questions about assignments can only be addressed within a one week period after the assignments have been returned. No grade changes can be made, or even considered, after the first two weeks of the next semester.

More Detail on Assignments

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ANTHROPOLOGY 482: ARCHAEOLOGY OF IRELAND
Fall Semester 2002: MW 1:30 - 2:45 pm