Theoretical Trends in Archaeology
Code: 106853 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeology | OB | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Jordi Cortadella Morral
- Email:
- jordi.cortadella@uab.cat
Teachers
- Rafael Mico Perez
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
To provide students with basic training in the concepts, theories and explanatory hypotheses about past societies that are derived from archaeological studies, students must have prior knowledge of Prehistory and History in general, from Ancient to Contemporary.
Objectives and Contextualisation
- Search, select and manage information autonomously both in structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized publications) and in information distributed on the network.
- Acquire skills for the critical analysis of archaeological texts, identifying and historically contextualizing the problems raised and the theoretical and methodological resources used to resolve them.
- Recognize and put into practice the following skills for teamwork: commitment to the same, habit of collaboration, ability to join in problem solving.
- Debate based on the specialized knowledge acquired in an interdisciplinary context.
Learning Outcomes
- CM05 (Competence) Innovatively apply the theoretical and methodological procedures of archaeology to society's demands.
- CM06 (Competence) Recognise the ethical and social implications of the different approaches and theoretical proposals of archaeology to adapt the analysis to the demands of democratic values and practices without ideological manipulation.
- CM07 (Competence) Propose a theoretical and methodological conceptualisation of archaeology that is consistent with inclusive and non-sexist perspectives of the past.
- KM07 (Knowledge) Recognise the structure of archaeology as a science both on a theoretical (epistemological and ontological) and methodological level based on its theoretical diversity and the main current debates.
- KM08 (Knowledge) Identify the contributions of disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, economic theory, geography, epistemology and the philosophy of science to archaeological theory.
- KM09 (Knowledge) Recognise the main androcentric biases in archaeological accounts and, specifically, in the ontological categories of social studies to develop inclusive analysis that incorporates relevant issues in relation to women.
- SM07 (Skill) Apply the logical structure of archaeology as a science to identify the processes that support its main reasoning in order to be able to analyse the processes of inference and generation of archaeological information and offer one's own views.
- SM08 (Skill) Synthetically explain the main explanatory proposals of the past from the different theoretical schools of archaeology, assessing both strengths and weaknesses.
Content
The theoretical guidelines and methodological structure of the archaeological discipline will be presented and the historical development of archaeology from its origins to the present will be critically reviewed.
1. Archaeology and the ancient world.
2. The medieval, modern and enlightened paradigms.
3. Evolutionism, diffusionism, particularism and functionalism.
4. The historical-cultural school: general principles.
5. The historical-cultural school and chronocultural typologies.
6. Processual archaeology (New Archaeology) and the project of a scientific archaeology.
7. Postmodern thought and post-processual archaeologies: critical perspectives and interpretative claims.
8. Historical materialism and archaeology: approaches from V. G. Childe to the present.
9. Emerging proposals and perspectives in archaeology.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Theoretical classes | 40 | 1.6 | CM05, CM06, KM08, KM09, CM05 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Practical classroom seminars | 20 | 0.8 | CM07, KM07, SM07, SM08, CM07 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Individual or group work and study | 78 | 3.12 | CM06, CM07, KM09, SM07, CM06 |
The subject consists of theoretical classes and seminars.
- In the theoretical classes, the central contents of each of the topics will be introduced, relating the different theoretical currents with their historical context and the problems they try to solve.
- In the seminars, team work will be carried out to analyze theoretical applications in the practice of archaeology.
Note: 15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the calendar established by the center/degree, for the students to complete the surveys to evaluate the performance of the teaching staff and to evaluate the subject/module.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery of work | 50 | 0 | 0 | CM05, CM06, KM08, KM09 |
| Presentation of work and classroom debate | 20 | 10 | 0.4 | CM07, KM07, SM07, SM08 |
| Theoretical tests | 30 | 2 | 0.08 | CM06, KM07, KM09, SM08 |
The subject will be assessed through individual and/or group work, public presentations and written tests.
The assessment system is organised into 3 modules, each of which will have a specific weight assigned to the final grade:
- Assignment submission module: in this module the work presented during the course will be assessed.
- Public presentations and classroom debates (seminar) module.
- Written test module to reinforce the understanding of technical vocabulary and theoretical models. This module will be restricted to reassessment.
To access the reassessment, it is necessary to have attended all the assessable activities and have passed at least half (cut-off mark: 4 points out of 10).
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
This subject allows the use of AI technologies as an integral part of the submitted work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Bibliography
(the bibliographic list may be expanded when discussing specific topics)
Binford, L. R. (1962), “Archaeology as anthropology”, American Antiquity, 28: 217-225.
Binford, L. R. (1988), En busca del pasado. Descifrando el registro arqueológico. Crítica, Barcelona.
Castro, P.V., Gili, S., Lull, V., Micó, R., Rihuete, C., Risch, R. i Sanahuja, Mª E. (2001), “Teoría de la producción de la vida social. Un análisis de los mecanismos de explotación en el sudeste peninsular (ca. 3000-1550 cal ANE)”, Astigi Vetus, 1, pp. 13-54.
Childe, V. G. (1984), La evolución social. Alianza, Madrid.
Clarke, D. L. (1968), Analytical Archaeology. Methuen, Londres (trad. cast. Arqueología analítica. Bellaterra, Barcelona, 1984).
Courbin, P. (1982), Qu’est-ce que l’archéologie? Payot, París.
Daniel, G. (1986). Historia de la arqueología: de los anticuarios a V. Gordon Childe. Madrid.
Díaz-Andreu, M.; Mora, G.; Cortadella, J. (coord.) (2009). Diccionario histórico de la arqueología en España (siglos XV-XX). Madrid.
Gándara, M. (1981), “La vieja “Nueva Arqueología”, Boletín de Antropología Americana, 3: 7-70.
Gutiérrez Lloret, S., (1997). Arqueología. Introducción a la historia material del pasado. Alicante.
Hempel, C. (1987), Filosofía de la ciencia natural. Alianza, Madrid.
Hodder, I. (1988), Interpretación en arqueología. Corrientes actuales. Crítica, Barcelona.
Johnson, M. H. (2000), Teoría arqueològica. Una introducción. Ariel, Barcelona.
Johnson, M. H. (2006). “Archaeology and theoretical culture”. Archaeological Dialogues, 13: 167-182
Lambert-Karlovsky, C. (ed.) (1989). Archaeological thought in America. Cambridge.
Lull, V. (2005), “Marx, Producción, Sociedad y Arqueología”, Trabajos de Prehistoria, 62 (1), pp. 7-26.
Lull, V. (2007), Los objetos distinguidos. La arqueología como excusa. Bellaterra Ediciones. Barcelona.
Lull, V. (2017), “¿De qué se ocupa la arqueología?”, MARQ – Arqueología y Museos, 8, pp. 9-22.
Lull, V. i Micó, R. 1997, "Teoría arqueológica I. Los enfoques tradicionales: las arqueologías evolucionistas e histórico-culturales", Revista d'Arqueologia de Ponent, 7: 107-128.
Lull, V. i Micó, R. 1998, "Teoría arqueológica II. La arqueología procesual", Revista d'Arqueologia de Ponent, 8: 61-78.
Lull, V. i Micó, R. 2001, “Teoría arqueológica III. Las primeras arqueologías posprocesuales”, Revista d'Arqueologia de Ponent, 11-12: 21-41.
Micó, R. (2006), “Archivos, espejos o telescopios. Maneras de hacer en arqueología”, Complutum, 17, pp. 171-183.
Moro, O. (2007). Arqueología prehistórica e historia de la ciencia. Hacia una historia crítica de la arqueología. Barcelona.
Richard, N. (1992). L’invention de la préhistoire, Une anthologie. París.
Schnapp, A. (1993). La conquête du passé. Aux origines de l’archéologie. París.
Shanks, M. i Tilley, C. (1987), Re-constructing Archaeology. Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Shanks, M. i Tilley, C. (1987), Social Theory and Archaeology. Polity Press, Cambridge.
Trigger, B. G. (1992). Historia del pensamiento arqueológico. Barcelona.
Watson, P. J., Leblanc, S. i Redman, Ch. L. (1974), El método científico en arqueología. Alianza, Madrid.
White, L. (1982), La ciencia de la Cultura. Un estudio del hombre y la civilización. Paidos, Barcelona.
Software
No specialized software
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |