Course Description
This class will explore theories and concepts of maritime material culture and the various approaches used by archaeologists and historians to connect material culture with the human experience aboard boats, ships and ashore in maritime communities. We will survey archaeological literature relating to a variety of material culture case studies. Students have hands-on opportunities to catalog, identify, analyze, and research collections of maritime artifacts. These collections range from typical maritime artifacts such as cannon, anchors, and shipwreck cargo collections to larger maritime artifacts like watercraft or structures like lighthouses. There will also be a focus on management issues and challenges such as storage, curation, and exhibit options both digitally and within museum settings. The class will be a seminar format with discussions related readings and laboratory and fieldwork, in addition to student and instructor presentations on a variety of topics related to the course content. There may be optional fieldtrips on weekends to visit museums and study maritime material sites in North Carolina. Assignments include an artifact documentation portfolio, designing and populating a class website, poster, and writing a journal article.
