Archaeol Before the Bible · Anthropology
This class delved into archaeological artefacts from the prehistoric Levant and taught me how to challenge traditional forms of archaelogical thinking (or mainstream ways of thinking in general). There are so many things about "humanity" that we assume are fundamentally true across time and place; however, this class dismantles the constraints of imposed colonialist views and really encourages everyone to think , guess, empathize, imagine, and re-imagine. Also, Professor Boyd has a really great cat in the background.
Archeology from Paleolithic, Epipaleolithic, and Neolithic societies around the Levant, some biblical archeology, and archeological and anthropological theory.
I learned a lot about the racial biases of archaeologists and how they manifest in their work. I also gained more concrete information about important archaeologists and sites in the Levant.
Overview of archaeology in the Levant with a focus on pre-Biblical times and the work of several European archaeologists such as Dorothy Garrod.
Critical perspectives on prehistory in the Levant
So much about different archaeological sites and their characteristics according to the time period which the remains are from, even had a guest speaker who is an artist inspired by some of the archaeological digs! So cool to see her inspiration take form in art. Focuses on SW Asia (ie Israel, Palestine, etc).
So much in every subject the course provided
Anthropology minor student, just taking whatever classes interest me the most.
Such a good teacher and TA, the work is very fair, and the class is so interesting.
I would definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in prehistory archeology (and wants to focus in on a fairly tight study area of the Levant/Southwest Asia--modern day Palestine, Israel, Syria, etc) even if you are not interested in archeology I think this could be an interest course to take--but know that it is very focused on the physical material remains and your papers will be specific to the time period. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2022 Course: ANTHUN3007_001_2022_1-ARCHAEOLBEFORETHEBIBLE : ANTHUN3007_001_2022_1 - ARCHAEOL BEFORE THE BIBLE Instructor: Brian Boyd