ARCHA-MIN - Archaeology (Minor)
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Program Overview
Archaeology is the study of human societies through their material remains. Archaeology is a discipline that offers direct access to the experiences of a wide range of people in numerous cultures across the globe. Increasingly, archaeology bridges past and present societies through the study of the human heritage and its role in contemporary societies. Stanford's Archaeology program provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to the material remains of past societies, drawing in equal parts on the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
The Archaeology curriculum draws on faculty from a wide range of University departments and schools. To complete the requirements for the minor, students must take courses from the offerings of the program and from the listings of other University departments. The program culminates in a minor in Archaeology.
A minor in Archaeology can complement many majors, including but not limited to Anthropology, Applied Physics, Art & Art History, Classics, Earth Systems, East Asian Languages & Cultures, Engineering, Geological & Environmental Sciences, History, and Religious Studies.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
To minor in Archaeology, students must complete at least 27 units of relevant coursework comprised of:
Core | 10 Units
Methods & Skills | 2-5 Units
Theory | 5 Units
Electives | 10 Units
Students may design their own path through the Archaeology minor from scratch or select from one of the four pre-designed tracks and start from there. Tracks are comprised of courses that complete the minor. Each track is designed with different interdisciplinary majors in mind to appeal to students. Please note that while your Archaeology minor will be noted on your diploma, the track will not.
The electives are broken down into emphasis categories below allowing students to identify courses based on their varied interests in archaeology, and students may choose courses from multiple emphasis categories.
Heritage: Courses for students interested in understanding the roles and reception of past material culture in present-day societies and cultures, navigating tensions that emerge within local, national, and international governments/communities, and exploring how heritage work can contribute to healing and reconciliation.
Biological & Environmental Archaeology: Courses for students interested in understanding how humans lived and interacted with their surroundings and the environment.
Archaeological Science & Technology: Courses for students interested in how the sciences and technologies applied to material culture help us understand past societies.
Materiality & Society: Courses for students interested in the relationship and interaction between humans, their objects, and the societies they built together.
Regional: Courses for students interested in a particular region of the world such as the Americas, Mediterranean, Asia/East Asia, and Africa.
Select any combination of the core courses to complete the requirement. All courses must be taken for a letter grade and have a minimum passing grade of B.
course (Introduction to Archaeology) is recommended as a course. Many upper-level courses in Archaeology require this course as a prerequisite.
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To fulfill the Methods & Skills component, students must take courses on archaeological Methods & Skills, 2-5 units.
Methods & Skills courses may include archaeological formation processes, botanical analysis, cartography, ceramic analysis, dating methods, faunal analysis, geographic information systems, geology, geophysics, genetics, osteology, remote sensing, soil chemistry, and statistics, among other topics.
Courses taken to fulfill the Methods & Skills component cannot be used to satisfy any other degree requirement. A course can only be applied to one degree component.
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Students must take five units from any course designated explicitly as Theory. Courses in this area may include archaeological, art-historical, sociocultural, historical, and material culture theory.
Courses taken to fulfill the Theory component cannot be used to satisfy any other degree requirement. A course can only be applied to one degree component.
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Students must complete 10 units of Electives on regions, themes, or other areas of interest. They are encouraged to do so by consulting with their faculty advisor and the Archaeology SSO to design a course plan.
The electives are broken down into emphasis categories below allowing students to identify courses based on their varied interests in archaeology, and students may choose courses from multiple emphasis categories.
Heritage: Courses for students interested in understanding the roles and reception of past material culture in present-day societies and cultures. Navigating tensions that emerge within local, national, and international governments/communities and exploring how heritage work can contribute to healing and reconciliation.
Biological & Environmental Archaeology: Courses for students interested in understanding how humans lived and interacted with their surroundings and the environment.
Archaeological Science & Technology: Courses for students interested in how the sciences and technologies applied to material culture help us understand past societies.
Materiality & Society: Courses for students interested in the relationship and interaction between humans, their objects, and the societies they built together.
Regional: Courses for students interested in a particular region of the world such as the Americas, Mediterranean, Asia/East Asia, and Africa.
Non-ARCHLGY courses can be used to fulfill this requirement with the prior approval of the Archaeology curriculum committee and Archaeology Center director. Please contact the Archaeology student services officer for more information on this petition process.
Courses taken to fulfill the elective component cannot be used to satisfy any other degree requirement. A course can only be applied to one degree component.
Heritage courses are for students interested in understanding the roles and reception of past material culture in present-day societies and cultures. Navigating tensions that emerge within local, national, and international governments/communities and exploring how heritage work can contribute to healing and reconciliation.
- 2242332
- 2215021
- 2207381
- 2263831
- 2263821
- 2164762
- 2246512
- 2229753
- 2209192
- 2242546
- 2137381
- 2165521
- 2120713
- 2252794
- 2254111
- 2237022
- 2145732
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- 2264102
- 2244181
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Law (Cultural Resource Management), Community Engagement & Relationships, and Museum Collections
Biological & Environmental Archaeology courses are for students interested in understanding how humans lived and interacted with their surroundings and the environment.
- 2158032
- 2147263
- 2230482
- 2184703
- 2158063
- 2179103
- 2137762
- 2137371
- 2149241
- 2234811
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- 2264112
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Bioarchaeology, Zooarchaeology, Paleoethnobotany, Food Archaeology
Archaeological Science & Technology courses are for students interested in how the sciences and technologies applied to material culture help us understand past societies.
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- 2214962
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- 2206545
- 2145762
- 2137371
- 2116951
- 2149241
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ArcGIS, Lithics, XRF Analysis
Materiality & Society courses are for students interested in the relationship and interaction between humans, their objects, and the societies they built together.
- 2158032
- 2215002
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- 2230482
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Food and Foodways, Agriculture, Human Settlement, Trade, Archaeology of Colonialism, Gender, Power, Disease
African regional courses are for students interested in that particular region of the world.
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American regional courses are for students interested in that particular region of the world.
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- 2233512
- 2254142
- 2164762
- 2246512
- 2255622
- 2110985
- 2256262
- 2233691
- 2244181
Asia/East Asia regional courses are for students interested in that particular region of the world.
- 2263821
- 2109333
- 2120713
- 2249603
- 2240052
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Mediterranean regional courses are for students interested in that particular region of the world.
- 2255792
- 2223802
- 2149122
- 2208041
- 2206545
- 2145762
- 2229671
- 2237022
- 2256001
- 2145732
- 2264102
- 2173002
- 2130991
- 1127651
- 2054782
- 1095332
- 2011831
Complete 2 Core Archaeology Courses
- 2147261
- 2184703
- 2158063
- 2137762
- 2149241
- 1095521
- 2158032
- 2230482
- 2179101
- 2137371
- 2220441
- 2145732
- 2264112
Complete 2 Core Archaeology Courses
- 2054782
- 1095332
- 2011831
- 2206545
- 2174091
- 2233871
- 2211821
Note: ARCHLGY 233 is a graduate-level class requiring instructor permission to enroll.
- 2173632
- 2255252
- 2145762
- 2046082
Complete 2 Core Archaeology Courses
- 2011831
- 1095332
- 2054782
- 2165521
- 2206545
- 1101201
- 2046082
- 2173632
- 2234543
- 2014593
- 2157021
- 2130991
- 2120713
- 2164762
- 2246512
- 2252794
Complete 2 Core Archaeology Courses
- 1095332
AND 2054782
- 2165521
- 2011831
- 2259101
- 2259111
- 2259121
- 2259131
- 2259141