ANT 309 Elements of Archaeology Winter 2012

Research Paper

Approximately 37% (125 points out of 340) of your grade for this class will be based on your research paper. You are allowed to select a topic of your choice for the paper. Papers must be 7-10 double-spaced pages (including references). You can go over 10 pages if you choose, but you cannot go under 7. At a minimum, they must include at least four legitimate scholarly sources (non-web sites). Ideally, a thorough research paper should include more than four. Each paper will be preceded by an annotated bibliography (due Tuesday February 16, worth 20 points) and an outline (due February 22, worth 10 points).

You may select one of two alternative approaches:

Option A

This is a traditional research paper in which you should attempt to summarize pertinent information on a region (perhaps the county you grew up in) or an issue of interest to you. The region or topic should not be so narrow that there is little scholarly information available on it, nor should it be so large that material cannot be summarized in a 7-10 page paper. If you are unsure, please consult with me on your proposed topic.

Option B

The objective of this option is to compare scholarly treatment of a particular topic or region with non-scientific information available from the internet. You must select a topic and then summarize scholarly information on it and any non-scientific information (the wilder the better) that you can get from the web. Your concluding statement should compare the two and try to explain which tyou believe is more accurate and why.

The annotated bibliographic should identify your topic and it should list the reference in the proper bibliographic style, as shown below. Each reference should be followed by a paragraph summarizing the content of the source.

Reference Style:

Journal Article

Arnold, Jeanne E.

1992a Complex Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers of Prehistoric California: Chiefs, Specialists, and Maritime Adaptations of the Channel Islands. American Antiquity 57:60–84.

Article in Edited volume (book chapter)

1992b Cultural Disruption and the Political Economy in Channel Islands Prehistory. In Essays on the Prehistory of Maritime California, edited by T. L. Jones, pp. 129–146. Center for Archaeological Research at Davis, Publication 10.

Book

Bettinger, Robert L.

1991 Hunter-Gatherers: Archaeological and Evolutionary Theory. Plenum Press, New York.

Masters thesis or dissertation

Farquhar, Jennifer M.

2003 Organization of Flaked Stone Technology and Settlement Mobility on the

South Central Coast of California: A Perspective from Diablo Canyon and Point Sal, Unpublished Master’s thesis, Department of Anthropology, California State University, Sacramento.

Unpublished CRM report

Fitzgerald, Richard T.

1998 Archaeological Data Recovery at CA-SLO-1797, the Cross Creek Site, San Luis Obispo County, California, Coastal Branch Phase II Project. Garcia and Associates, San Anselmo, California. Submitted to California Department of Water Resources, Sacramento. Report on file at the Central Coast Information Center of the Historical Resources Information System, Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara.