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This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Minor in Archaeology

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Archaeology

A minor in Archaeology provides an introduction to the study of the material cultures of past societies. It can complement many majors, including but not limited to Anthropology, Applied Physics, Art and Art History, Classics, Earth Systems, Geological and Environmental Sciences, History, and Religious Studies.

Students must complete the declaration process, including the planning form submission and Axess registration, by the last day of the quarter, two quarters prior to degree conferral; for example, by the last day of Autumn Quarter if Spring graduation is the intended quarter of graduation.

To minor in Archaeology, the student must complete at least 27 units of relevant course work, including:

  1. Core Program (10 units)—
    1. Gateway Course: ARCHLGY 1. Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology (5 units)
    2. Capstone Course: ARCHLGY 103. History of Archaeological Thought (5 units)

    ARCHLGY 1 is recommended as a first course, and many of the upper-level courses in Archaeology require this course as a prerequisite. Students should normally take the capstone course in their final year of course work in the minor.

  2. Archaeological Skills (2-5 units)—

    Archaeological skills include dating methods, faunal analysis, botanical analysis, ceramic analysis, geology, geophysics, soil chemistry, remote sensing, osteology, genetics, statistics, cartography, and geographic information systems. The course(s) must be chosen from the list of courses under Archaeological Skills (requirement 3) in the "Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology" section of this bulletin.

  3. Theory (5 units)—

    Topics include archaeological, art historical, sociocultural, historical, and material culture theory. The course(s) must be chosen from the list of courses under Theory (requirement 4) in the "Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology" section of this bulletin.

  4. Area of Concentration (10 units)—

    In consultation with their faculty advisers, students choose an area of concentration in archaeological research. Concentrations can be defined in terms of time and space such as small-scale societies or the archaeology of complex societies, or in terms of research problems such as new world archaeology or Mediterranean archaeology. An area of concentration should provide both breadth and depth in a specific research area.

    Courses must be chosen from the lists of courses under Area of Concentration (requirement 5) in the "Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology" section of this bulletin. Students are encouraged to design their own area of concentration, with the prior approval of both the student's faculty adviser and the program director.

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