Additional Information

Course Number

ANTH 449/549

Course Level

Course Description

The term cultural resource “means data/money to the archaeologist, heritage to the Native American, obstacle/cost to the developer, and legislation to the bureaucrat,” according to David Kamper, writing in the May, 2010, issue of Anthropology News (p. 49). This course addresses all these meanings (and many more) within the context of what it takes to actually do archaeology in today's world. As many as 80% of the people who find jobs in archaeology will work in cultural resource management (Newmann & Sanford 2001), and many archaeologists will work exclusively in CRM for sustained periods of their careers. In the United States, 85% of the money spent on archaeology funds CRM archaeology (Schuldenrein 1998:33). The over-arching goal of CRM is to design and carry out scientific studies under applicable preservation and environmental laws, to conserve cultural resources through avoidance of destruction, and to recover and preserve information through data recovery when destruction is unavoidable. This course will introduce students to the objectives of CRM work and the methods of designing research in the CRM context that will make contributions to our knowledge of the past. We address the myriad considerations modern archaeologists confront in our efforts to carry out archaeological research within a complex legal and ethical framework. We trace how the legal framework for archaeological work in the United States has developed, and how contemporary archaeological research is conducted in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. In this seminar, you will gain a working knowledge of the legal basis for doing public archaeology, and will learn how to use existing regulations and guidance to design and carry out research. [Selection from course description. Please see syllabus for complete course description.]

Syllabus Available

Yes

Notes

Syllabus is made available on the Anthropology department website under their course listings.

Additional tags: cultural resource management; stakeholder communities; NAGPRA; historic preservation; National Register of Historic Places

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
• Appropriate Dissemination of Research
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to Colleagues, Employees, and Students
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to Employers and Clients
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public
• Integrity of Research Methodology
• Maintaining Continuity of Records
• Procedures for Field Survey or Excavation
• Specimen and Research Record Storage

CIfA Codes

• Principle 1: Adherence to ethical and responsible behaviour in archaeological affairs
• Principle 2: Responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment
• Principle 5: Recognition of aspirations of employees, colleagues and helpers in all matters of employment

Keywords & Terms

• Accountability
• Adequate Preparation
• Anti-Commercialization
• Avoid, Discourage, and Report Unethical and Illegal Activity
• Burials and Human Remains
• Conflicts of Interest
• Conservation
• Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
• Consultation/Partnership with Indigenous Peoples
• Culturally Significant and/or Sacred Sites, Objects, and Places
• Employer/Client Relationships
• Environmental Impact and Issues
• Funding, Employment, and/or Compensation for Work
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Indigenous, Tribal, Aboriginal Rights
• Integrity of Research Methodology and Field Procedures
• International Law
• Local, State, Federal, and Tribal Laws
• Looting, Collecting, and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property
• Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
• Ownership
• Preservation of Archaeological Resources
• Professional Qualification
• Professional Relationships and Communication
• Professional Standards
• Protection and Non-Disclosure of Archaeological Sites
• Public Interest, Collaboration, Education, and Outreach
• Repatriation
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis
• Standards of Training and Student/Teacher Responsibilities
• Stewardship

Topics & Issues

• Conservation and Ethics
• Contract Archaeology
• Cultural Resource Management (CRM)
• Destruction of Cultural Heritage
• Development vs. Conservation
• Environmental Issues, Impacts, and Regulations
• Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
• Heritage Management
• Historic/Cultural Resource/Site Preservation
• Legislation and Archaeological Preservation
• National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
• National Register of Historic Places
• Professional Development
• Professionalism and Professional Standards