The Archaeology of Gender (U00197)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-AGender

This course proposes to examine critically some of the biased and essentialist assumptions about gender held by archaeologists which have shaped, and continue to shape, scholarly and popular perceptions of the past. At the same time, it aims to demonstrate some of the ways in which current gender-based approaches can shed important light on the social relations and socio-economic complexities of past cultures by engaging in a comprehensive review of theory and methods in gender studies developed in the social sciences during the past twenty years. Specific case study examples will be drawn from cultures of the ancient Mediterranean region, and in particular from the prehistoric civilizations of Cyprus and the Ancient Near East.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Archaeology 2A and 2B Visiting students must have prior study providing general background in prehistoric or proto-historic archaeology.

? Costs : None.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Archaeology, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	11:10	13:00	Room 1.F01, Old High School	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	11:10	13:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Timetable is arranged annually.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Critical awareness of the normative gender structures in modern western society and the effects of presentist views of gender upon the interpretation of archaeological evidence of past cultures. Understanding of gender as a culturally constructed rather than biologically determined social category, and an appreciation of the importance of contextual evidence for interpreting gender roles in archaeological investigations of the past. In-depth analysis of current approaches to theory and methods in the archaeology of gender and their application to particular prehistoric cultures and periods of the ancient Mediterranean region.