Interdisciplinary Archaeology Minor

This interdisciplinary minor introduces students to the global importance of archaeology and its value as a form of scholarly inquiry. The requirements are designed to meet two chief aims:  to give students an understanding of the methods and findings of archaeology and to give them experience of actual fieldwork.  There is a one-semester prerequisite before the student may be admitted into the minor; it may be fulfilled by taking any of three courses:  ANTH 240, ARTH 200, or CLAS 180.  One upper-level course (cross-listed as ANTH 305, CLAS 305, and ARTH 305), required of all students in the minor, incorporates lectures by faculty from different units and provides an overview of the array of methods and approaches in the field while demonstrating their interrelationships.  The wide scope of contemporary archaeology is also reflected in the supporting courses, which are located in eight different departments and five different colleges.  Each of these courses draws a substantial portion of its evidence from archaeology or provides basic scientific background and training in techniques useful to the archaeologist, such as remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

After the one-course prerequisite has been met, the minor requires a minimum of 15 credits and consists of the following three elements:

1) A required 3-credit, 300-level course, Archaeological Methods and Practice, cross-listed as ANTH 305 , CLAS 305 , and ARTH 305, to be offered once each year. 

2) 3 to 6 credits in approved courses offering fieldwork experience.  There are many options at UMCP, including historical archaeology courses in ANTH that do not require travel abroad.  Study-abroad programs at other institutions would have to be approved in advance by a UMCP faculty member with the appropriate specialization.

3) 6 to 9 credits in supporting courses involving subject matter that includes a significant focus on archaeology (in, e.g., ARCH, ANTH, ARTH, CLAS, HIST, JWST, LARC, RELS).  A list of approved courses will be maintained by the faculty steering committee and made available to students interested in the minor.  The list will be updated as course offerings change.

Some upper-level courses that count toward the minor may have their own specific prerequisites.  As required for all minors, at least 9 credits overall must be in courses at the 300 or 400 level.  The grade point average in the minor must be at least 2.0 and no grade below C- can be counted toward the minor.  A maximum of 6 credits may be counted toward both the minor and the student’s major.  A maximum of 6 credits earned at other institutions may be counted toward the minor.

Please contact Dr. Maryl Gensheimer, Assistant Professor of Roman Art and Archaeology, for information. gensheim@umd.edu or 301-405-1489.