SMU Archaeology Course: Introductory Notes and Framework

Instructor Introduction and Course Context

Mike Adler, archaeologist and SMU faculty member for 34 years; has run the Taos campus for 15 years; currently teaching back on main campus; has chaired the department and served on many committees; expresses enthusiasm for SMU and for the students.
Praises students: this is the smartest class at SMU; expects continued improvement each year; acknowledges student curiosity and diversity of backgrounds.
Acknowledges many students have little to no formal training in archaeology or anthropology; sets expectation that material may be foreign at first and that is normal.

Course Aims and Core Questions

Central question: how do we use the past, and how have others used the past? By use, means create, manufacture, change, interpret, and, in some cases, misuse the past.
The past is powerful and often misunderstood as simply history; emphasis on how interpretation, data gathering, and context influence our understanding.
The course will guide a trapeze through various case studies showing how the past influences the present, and how those in control of the present influence the future.
The past is not a fixed fact; it involves interpretation and data collection, and different people may interpret the same data differently.

The Present, Past, and Future: Theoretical Framework

The idea that control of the present shapes the past and future; those who shape today’s narrative have a large say in why things are the way they are today.
The course will explore how different communities, nations, and institutions interpret the past to justify political and economic agendas.

Archaeology in Anthropology: Methods, Ethics, and Perspectives

Archaeology is a subdiscipline within anthropology; there are no perfectly agreed-upon foundational assumptions; approaches vary.
Some methods are fixed or constrained (e.g., carbon-14 dating) — the premise of data collection cannot be changed, even if data interpretation can be improved.
Emphasizes ethics across all disciplines; ethics are framed in the course and drawn from a textbook known for strong case studies that remain relevant.
Emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration; anthropology inherently borrows from many fields to study human diversity through time.
Acknowledge that people’s own identities, family histories, and cultural backgrounds shape their understandings of ethics and behavior.

Ethics, Textbook, and Multidisciplinary Approach

The course employs an ethics framework and uses an older textbook because it contains durable, relevant case studies.
Archaeology borrows from multiple disciplines and often involves integrating diverse perspectives to study human variation.
The instructor emphasizes critical thinking and respectful disagreement as essential learning tools.

Heavy Topics: Nation-Building, Identity, and Ethnic Cleansing

The course will explicitly address difficult topics such as nation-building, national identity, and ethnic cleansing, including how concepts of others have been used to justify exclusion or harm.
These discussions will be integrated into readings, case studies, and writing assignments.

The Field, Museums, and Public History

The archaeologist as a “garbage man of the past”: analyzing material remains left by others to understand past peoples.
Museums play a central role in shaping public understanding of the past; questions arise about what ends up in museums and how display and veneration have changed over time.
The relationship between museums and (often colonial) acquisitions, looting, and the handling of contested objects is a key theme.
The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is used as a concrete example; students will write a paper on an object from the DMA, exploring its age, provenance, and acquisition history.
A DMA curator, Michelle Rich, is highlighted as a thoughtful advocate for ethical display and consideration of looting and provenance.

Field Trips, Regions, and Personal Experience

The instructor has worked in different regions, notably the American Southwest (Pueblo communities such as Hickory’s Pueblo in Taos, NM) and Northern South America; also has experience in Jordan and the Nabatean Kingdom at Petra.
Petra, Jordan is highlighted as a bucket-list site; the instructor describes excavations and a personal experience living with Bedouins for about a week.
Emphasizes a balance between interest in the Old World (e.g., Nabateans) and substantial experience in the New World (Native American groups in the U.S.).
Office location: upstairs in the ERY Hall (not a traditional classroom); office hours are posted, and students are encouraged to email or call to set up meetings.

Course Logistics and Structure

No exams or quizzes; the course emphasizes writing and discussion as the primary modes of assessment.
Fridays are reserved for discussion and writing; students should bring pencil and paper; prompts will guide group discussions and note-taking; rough drafts will be produced from these discussions.
Students may revise rough drafts with AI assistance (e.g., ChatGPT) but must be the authors of their final drafts; AI should not replace personal, original writing for final submissions.
The instructor has experience using AI tools and warns about AI hallucinations, especially with specialized archaeological topics; final drafts must reflect the student’s own thinking and personalization.
Students are encouraged to think critically, acknowledge different interpretations, and use writing as a means to map ideas and perspectives.
Acknowledges flexibility in scheduling and attendance; instructors are willing to accommodate family or work-related constraints.
There is a focus on low-stress learning, with an emphasis on discussion, writing, and reflection rather than testing anxiety.

Writing, AI, and Academic Integrity

AI is framed as a tool to assist with writing, research, and idea generation, not as a substitute for original authorship.
Students are urged to personalize their work with experiences and insights that AI cannot replicate, e.g., first-hand field observations, course discussions, and professor feedback.
There is awareness of AI’s evolving landscape; SMU does not currently use a standardized AI plagiarism checker; “HopiLeaks” and other tools exist but are not universally adopted.
Students are encouraged to learn about AI capabilities and limitations and to use AI ethically to enhance, not replace, their own thinking and writing.

Research Project, Sources, and Provisional Guidelines

The course includes a substantial research project focused on museum objects and their provenance.
Initial prompt was in Canvas; there is flexibility around the required type of sources, but recommended practice is to rely on the course readings available as PDFs in Canvas, and to supplement with credible sources.
Readings: two core books provided to the class as required readings, available online in PDF format.
Internet sources should be used judiciously; recommended cap is around 25\% of sources from the web to ensure quality and reliability.
The web is valuable for locating primary sources and linking to additional materials, but students should verify provenance and accuracy, since AI can hallucinate references.
The DMA-based paper asks students to select an artifact from the indigenous arts of the Americas, investigate its acquisition history, provenance, and the collectors involved; provide a narrative of how the object came to the museum, and address ethical considerations surrounding its restoration or display.
Students may visit the DMA in person or rely on online resources; the DMA’s object descriptions are available on their website, though information about acquisition may be incomplete, requiring archival or archaeological sources to fill gaps.
The term looting is defined as grave robbing, stealing artifacts for personal or financial gain, or related practices; students should address looting and the impact on archaeological sites and communities.
Possible field trip dates include September 20, with adjustments for campus events like football games; the instructor will coordinate with the DMA curator and other stakeholders to secure access.
Additional potential field trip: a Dallas-based private collection (Harlan Crow) and his Iron Skillet repository; scheduling depends on room availability and campus events.

Provisional Schedule and Practicum in the Classroom

Reading load is intentionally moderate in order to leave time for discussion and writing exercises;
Students should complete readings before class to participate meaningfully in discussions.
Friday sessions will emphasize prompts, group work, and collaborative writing; these raw writings will serve as the basis for papers.
Students will draft a rough outline or two-page draft for each reflection paper, which will be commented on by instructors (Ali and others) before submission of the final draft.
Reflection papers are designed to develop skills in provenance, convenience, and integrity and to demonstrate critical thinking about ethics in archaeology.
There are two reflection papers that will be graded after the final drafts are submitted; instructors will provide ample time between drafts.

Logistics of the Classroom and Learning Environment

The room has some acoustical challenges; even when air conditioning is off, the noise can make hearing difficult.
If the furniture is arranged awkwardly, students are allowed to rearrange it for comfort during the lecture (to a reasonable degree).
Power outlets are limited in the middle of the room, but wall outlets are available for laptops and other devices.

Final Note and Invitation to Engage

Questions are welcome; the instructor emphasizes accessibility and a commitment to helping students participate fully in coursework.
The course aims to provide a robust foundation in archaeology as a discipline within anthropology, with an emphasis on ethical considerations, critical thinking, and the real-world relevance of studying the past for understanding present and future human societies.
The instructor’s guiding message: education is a privilege that requires active participation, and the teaching team is here to support students in their learning journey.

Quick References from the Instructor’s Personal Sketches

Petra, Jordan is identified as a landmark and central to the instructor’s persona and experience; Nabatean-era tombs and edifications are mentioned as illustrative of past cultures.
Hickory’s Pueblo near Taos, NM, represents the instructor’s local fieldwork and a connection to Indigenous American communities.
The lecture skims across themes of exploration, fieldwork, and the balance between ancient and modern worlds, with a strong emphasis on ethical stewardship and responsible scholarship.

Closing Remarks

The instructor signs off with a simple, forward-looking message: see you on Wednesday, inviting continued participation and curiosity.