This blog is written by Vassar students enrolled in introductory archaeology (ANTH 130). Here they post their thoughts on how American archaeology is practiced and how it can be applied to contemporary issues. For the Fall 2022 semester, we will be using three textbooks Archaeology Essentials by Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn, Cahokia: Ancient America’s Great City on the Mississippi by Timothy Pauketat, and Dr. Space Junk vs the Universe by Alice Gorman.

These blog posts will be graded. I will be looking for relatively short posts (400-500 words or 4-minutes of audio or video) that are engaging (not dry technical writing). The posts must play off a concept that was part of the course material for that week but must also be original (don’t just reiterate the class material). All non-video posts should be accompanied by two images or one embedded video. Links must be included for any source material. (I have included links to the two textbooks I mentioned earlier.) And yes, spelling and grammar count.

Students are encouraged to use the course assistant to get feedback on their posts before submitting them here. Be sure to start the assignment early to give her time to read it and provide feedback.

Anyone who isn’t sure what what makes a good archaeology blog post should read some of the older posts. If you are bored by a post, it isn’t a good one. Find one that is interesting and figure out what made it that way.

Good luck and have fun!

-Dr. April M. Beisaw, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Vassar College