Archaeology

The Interdepartmental Major in Archaeology

Center website: https://archaeology.columbia.edu

Office location: 965 Schermerhorn Extension

Office contact: archaeology@columbia.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Hannah Chazin, hc2986@columbia.edu

Center for Archaeology Administrator: Tiffany Pinnock, tp2837@columbia.edu

 

The Study of Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the material conditions inhabited and acted upon by people in the past and present. As an academic discipline, archaeology has come to mean many things to different generations of scholars, yet all approaches share in common a focus on the physical remains of the past and on the interpretive acts that enliven these remains and are challenged by them. Investigation of the past through the study of material remains is entangled with historiography, politics, and individual and collective memory, and is implicated in the production of present-day communities and identities. At Columbia, archaeology is a multidisciplinary field practiced by faculty and students in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. 

Archaeology is everywhere! Students and faculty at Columbia have done archaeological fieldwork and research program around the world, including: Argentina, Peru, Central America, the North American Southwest, New York City, upstate New York, the UK, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Yemen, Israel, Palestine, Armenia, and Madagascar. Archaeologists at Columbia also work with professionals at a wide range of institutions in New York. Among the institutions at which students in particular programs may conduct research, or work on internships, are the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, the National Museum of the American Indian, the New York Botanical Garden, and the South Street Seaport Museum.

The inter-departmental major in archaeology is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to take archaeology classes from a wide range of departments at Columbia and Barnard, including Anthropology, Art History, Classics, EALAC, History, EEEB and others. Students can put together a major that reflects their particular interests. This major has a strong focus on lab and field skills, as well as on questions of interpretation and theory.

Interdepartmental Major in Archaeology

Interdepartmental Minor in Archaeology

Interdepartmental Concentration in Archaeology

Student Advising

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Hannah Chazin, hc2986@columbia.edu

Consulting Advisers

Students should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Archaeology to discuss the major, minor, or concentration and for help with planning a course of study and selecting classes. 

Students interested in archaeology should sign up for the archaeology list-serv, for announcements about courses, events, and summer research opportunities: https://listserv.cuit.columbia.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=ARCY-UND&A=1

Advising events such as open houses and welcome events, as well as Friday Open Lab hours will be announced on the listserv.

Other information about advising and the major and minor can be found on the CCA’s website: 

https://archaeology.columbia.edu/undergraduate/major/

https://archaeology.columbia.edu/undergraduate/minor/

Enrolling in Classes

Majoring or minoring in archaeology does not require any prerequisite coursework.

Requirements for enrolling in specific archaeology courses will vary by department and instructor. 

Preparing for Graduate Study

Students interested in pursuing graduate study in archaeology or other disciplines that include archaeologists are encourage to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies or other archaeology faculty at Columbia and Barnard. 

Requirements and preparation for graduate study in archaeology are discipline-specific and vary between archaeology, art history, anthropology, classics, and other regional studies departments and programs. Some programs of study may require language training and language courses may be counted as part of the “related courses” for the major.

 

Coursework Taken Outside of Columbia

Coursework in fulfillment of a major or minor must be taken at Columbia University unless

explicitly noted here and/or expressly permitted by the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the program. Exceptions or substitutions permitted by the Director of Undergraduate Studies should be confirmed in writing by email to the student.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement credits are not accepted towards the major or the minor in archaeology.

Barnard College Courses

Courses taken at Barnard are treated as part of the available curriculum and count towards the major/minor, as long as they meet the relevant criteria to count towards the major/minor. 

Transfer Courses

When students transfer to Columbia from other institutions, their coursework at their previous institution must first be considered by their school in order to be evaluated

for degree credit (e.g., to confirm that the courses will count toward the 124 points of credit that every student is required to complete for the B.A. degree). Only after that degree credit is confirmed, departments may consider whether those courses can also be used to fulfill specific degree requirements toward a major or minor.

Up to two courses for the major may be fulfilled with transfer credit. 

Students are allowed to apply 1 course (up to 4 credits) of transfer coursework to the minor. 

For both the major and the minor, students may undertake a fieldwork course (usually done in the summer) that offers credit through another university and that will be counted towards the program of study, separately from any prior transfer courses.

Study Abroad Courses

Classes taken abroad through Columbia‐led programs (i.e., those administered by Columbia’s Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement and taught by Columbia

instructors) are treated as Columbia courses, equivalent to those taken on the Morningside Heights campus. If they are not explicitly listed by the department as fulfilling requirements in the major or minor, the DUS will need to confirm that they can be used toward requirements in the major/minor.

Classes taken abroad through other institutions and programs are treated as transfer credit to Columbia, and are subject to the same policies as other transfer courses. There will be a limit on the number of courses taken abroad that can be applied to the major/minor, and they must be approved by the DUS.

Summer Courses

Students doing summer field school courses that are affiliated with other universities need to get pre-approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students will need to provide a syllabus for the course prior to approval and will need to submit their transcript after completion of the course. See the section on “Transfer Courses” for more detailed information. 

Summer courses at Columbia are offered through the School of Professional Studies. Courses taken in a Summer Term may be used toward requirements for the major/minor only as articulated in department/institute/center guidelines or by permission of the Director(s) of Undergraduate Studies. More general policies about Summer coursework can be found in the Academic Regulations section of this Bulletin.

 

Undergraduate Research and Senior Thesis

Undergraduate Research Courses

The interdepartmental major encourages students to explore the wide-range of field and laboratory methods used by archaeologists. Think like an Archaeologist (UN2028), one of required introductory courses, introduces students to the basics of archaeological research and methods. 

Students majoring in archaeological can take a wide range of courses to fulfill the field 

Work/internship and laboratory class requirements – and should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies about the available courses and individual research interests. 

Senior Thesis Coursework and Requirements

Writing a senior thesis is optional, but recommended for students who are interested in pursuing a graduate degree or who want to be eligible for departmental honors. 

Thesis topics should be discussed with a faculty adviser during the junior year, allowing time for planning, research, and travel during the following summer. In the senior year, students may register for two semesters of senior thesis study with their adviser (e.g., ANTH 3997 or AHIS 3997–3998), to cover the writing of the thesis, the final draft of which must be submitted by March 25th.

Undergraduate Research Outside of Courses

Most semesters the Columbia Center for Archaeology runs open lab hours on Fridays, where students can drop in and volunteer on faculty and graduate student research projects. Announcements about the open lab will be circulated on the archaeology listserv: https://listserv.cuit.columbia.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=ARCY-UND&A=1

Students interested in summer fieldwork opportunities and internships in archaeology should sign up for the archaeology listserv: https://listserv.cuit.columbia.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=ARCY-UND&A=1

Or visit: https://archaeology.columbia.edu/undergraduate/fieldwork/

Information about funding for fieldwork and internships can be found here: https://archaeology.columbia.edu/resources/funding-opportunities/

 

Departmental Honors and Prizes

Department Honors

To be considered for departmental honors, majors must:
1. Have grade point average of at least 3.6 in major courses 

2. Completed an honors thesis or equivalent project of high quality

Academic Prizes

The Ralph and Rose Solecki Award is given in honor of the eminent Columbia archaeologists. The Award is given to a student, chosen by the faculty, who has made a significant contribution to the life of the archaeological community at Columbia and/or Barnard in the preceding year. The Solecki award is usually made to a graduating student, but it is open to all students in archaeology regardless of their status. 

The award comes with a small sum of money intended for books.

Other Important Information

The Archaeology program at Columbia is housed in the Center for Archaeology and taught by faculty who come from a range of different backgrounds. The interdepartmental major/minor in archaeology was developed as a truly interdisciplinary approach to archaeology, taking advantage of the full scope of archaeological expertise on offer at Columbia University. 

In addition, it is also possible to study archaeology as part of majoring in Anthropology or Art History, among other options. 

If you are not sure which course of study to choose, make an appointment to talk with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Professors

• Zainab Bahrani
• Terence D’Altroy
• Holger Klein
• Feng Li
• Kristina Milnor (Barnard)
• Stephen Murray
• Esther Pasztory (emerita)
• Nan Rothschild (Barnard, emerita)
• Marc Van De Mieroop

Associate Professors

• Francesco Benelli
• Zoë Crossland
• Francesco de Angelis
• Severin Fowles (Barnard)
• Ioannis Mylonopoulos

Assistant Professors

• Ellen Morris (Barnard)
• Marco Maiuro

Adjunct/Visiting Professors

• Brian Boyd
• Megan O'Neil (Barnard)
• Walter Pitman
• Adam Watson
• Norman Weiss
• George Wheeler

Lecturers

• Clarence Gifford
• Jill Shapiro

On Leave

Guidance for Undergraduate Students in the Department

Program Planning for all Students

Students who entered Columbia (as first‐year students or as transfer students) in or after Fall 2024 may select from a curriculum of majors and minors. The requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and role of majors and minors in those requirements, can be found in the Academic Requirements section of the Bulletin dated the academic year when the student matriculated at Columbia and the Bulletin dated the academic year when the student was a sophomore and declared programs of study.

Students who entered Columbia in or before Fall 2023 may select from a curriculum of majors and minors and concentrations. The requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and the role of majors and minors in those requirements, can be found in the Academic Requirements section of the Bulletin dated the academic year when the student matriculated at Columbia and the Bulletin dated the academic year when the student was a sophomore and declared programs of study.

Because of its interdisciplinary structure, the archaeology major, minor, and concentration can be tailored to students’ individual interests (within the structure of the requirements). A wide variety of courses may be eligible for the major/minor, and students are encouraged to: 

• Consult regularly with the Director of Undergraduate Studies 

• Sign up for the listserv to receive a bulletin with archaeology courses being offered in the upcoming term: https://listserv.cuit.columbia.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=ARCY-UND&A=1

• Use the progress planning tools available on the CCA website

Major: https://archaeology.columbia.edu/undergraduate/major/

Minor: https://archaeology.columbia.edu/undergraduate/minor/

Concentration: https://archaeology.columbia.edu/undergraduate/concentration/

Broadly speaking, classes can count towards the major if they have an archaeological component. This can include:

• Classes that with material culture with an orientation towards the past. This could be architecture, monuments, landscape as well as material that has been excavated or collected during survey. It can also include the recent past, as long as the orientation is material in outlook.

• Any class that reads archaeological theory

• Classes on the history of human evolution or on human skeletal biology

Courses can count as related courses (fulfilling the specific requirements of the major and the concentration) if the student can case that it is relevant to their individual course of study. 

Classes that count as related rather than as part of the major include:

• Classics or history classes that deal only with textual analysis and do not incorporate any study of material objects.

• Geology classes that have no connection with the human past

• Palaeontology

• Classes on primates, ecology, etc.

• Language classes

Student interested in archaeology are encouraged to consider introductory courses in Earth and environmental sciences, environmental biology, and/or chemistry for their Core Curriculum science requirement.

Course Numbering Structure

Course numbering structures will vary by department, so students are encouraged to consult the specific bulletin entry for departments offering specific archaeology courses.

For the purposes of the major, “upper-level courses” generally refers to courses that are 3000-level or higher. Other courses may be approved for this requirement after consultation with the DUS.

Guidance for First-Year Students

First year students are encouraged to take one or two of the introductory classes offered 

each year (ANTH 1007, ANTH 1008, or ANTH 2028). 

Guidance for Transfer Students

Transfer students are encouraged to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies for 

Archaeology to discuss their plan to complete the major/minor and any transfer credits that might be applied. 

Undergraduate Programs of Study

Required Coursework for all Programs

Students interested in the major, minor, and concentration in archaeology should take some combination of the three introductory courses:

THINK LIKE AN ARCHAEOLOGIST (ANTH 2028)

THE ORIGINS OF HUMAN SOCIETY (ANTH 1007)

THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION (ANTH 1008)

Majors: Two of the three introductory courses

Minors: Must take ANTH 2028, and either ANTH 1007 or 1008

Concentration: One of the three introductory courses*

* An additional introductory course can be counted towards the requirement for upper-level courses for the concentration

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Major in Archaeology

The major requires a minimum of 30 points within the major and 9 points of related courses, as follows:

• Two of the three introductory courses (6 points):

ANTH1007    The Origins of Human Society

ANTH1008    The Rise of Civilization

ANTH2028    Think like an Archaeologist

• Two upper-level courses from different regions of the world, planned in consultation with the DUS

• Three additional upper-level courses, planned in consultation with the DUS

• Participation in four to six weeks in Columbia-affiliated field projects, independent study in excavation or other field projects, or a relevant museum internship and/or lab work.*

• One laboratory course in archaeology (or its equivalent in the field), as approved by the DUS)

• A capstone seminar in archaeology, preferably taken in the junior or senior year. World Archaeology (ANTH 3993 – taught alternate years) or a substitute seminar to be decided with the advance approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.** 

• 9 points of related courses, planned in consultation with the DUS

Students majoring in archaeology may choose to write a senior thesis. Thesis topics should be discussed with a faculty adviser during the junior year, allowing time for planning, research, and travel during the following summer. In the senior year, students may register for two semesters of senior thesis study with their adviser (e.g., ANTH 3997 or AHIS 3997–3998), to cover the writing of the thesis.

*    The field, school, project, or internship must be approved in advance by the program advisers, and arrangements should be made in advance with the director of undergraduate studies for credits to be accepted as part of the degree. For more information, see the Center for Archaeology website.

**    Students who are writing a thesis may substitute a thesis seminar for this requirement.

Minor in Archaeology

The minor consists of five courses in total (for a range of 16-19 credits). There are no prerequisites for the minor.

Across the 5 courses required for the minor, students must take courses in at least two different departments. 

Students minoring in archaeology are required to take the introductory method and theory course:

• ANTH2028    Think like an Archaeologist

Students are also required to take one of the other introductory courses:

• ANTH1007    The Origins of Human Society

• ANTH1008    The Rise of Civilization

Students can select three other archaeology courses, in consultation with the DUS, with the recommendation that one of the courses be a 3000-level course or higher.

 

For students who entered Columbia in or before Fall 2023

    Concentration in Archaeology

The concentration in archaeology requires a total of 21 points, within anthropology, art history and archaeology, and other approved departments, with no more than four courses being taken within any single department. 

Requirements for the concentration are as follows:

Any one of the three introductory courses:

• ANTH1007    The Origins of Human Society

• ANTH1008    The Rise of Civilization

• ANTH2028    Think like an Archaeologist

One seminar or colloquium in in the Departments of Anthropology, Art History and Archaeology, Classics, or History, as approved by the program advisers.

Three upper-level courses, two of which must cover different regions of the world

One related course, planned with DUS in accordance with the student’s individual interests and academic goals

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Of Related Interest

Course List

Code	Title	Points
Ancient Studies
ANCS UN3995	The Major Seminar
ANCS V3135	Ancient Novel
ANCS UN3998	DIRCTD RSRCH-ANCIENT STUDIES I
Anthropology
ANTH UN1007	THE ORIGINS OF HUMAN SOCIETY
ANTH UN1008	THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION
ANTH UN3300	Pre-Columbian Histories of Native America
ANTH UN3823	ARCH ENGAGE: PAST IN PUB EYE
ANTH UN3970	BIOL BASIS OF HUMAN VARIATION
ANTH UN3993	World Archaeologies/Global Perspectives
ANTH UN3997	SUPERVISED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH
ANTH GU4147	Human Skeletal Biology I
ANTH GU4200	FOSSIL EVIDENCE FOR HUMAN EVOL
Art History and Archaeology
AHIS UN2601	ARTS OF JAPAN
AHIS W3230	Medieval Architecture
AHIS UN3248	Greek Art and Architecture
AHIS UN3250	Roman Art and Architecture
AHUM UN2604	ARTS OF CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA
AHUM UN3342	Masterpieces of Indian Art and Architecture
AHIS C3997	Senior Thesis
AHIS W4155	Art and Archaeology of Mesopotamia
Classics
CLCV GU4110	Gender and Sexuality In Ancient Greece
Earth and Environmental Sciences
EESC UN1001	DINOSAURS AND HISTORY OF LIFE
EESC UN3010	FIELD GEOLOGY
East Asian Languages and Cultures
ASCE UN1359	INTRO TO EAST ASIAN CIV: CHINA
ASCE UN1361	INTRO EAST ASIAN CIV: JPN
HSEA GU4725	Tibetan Visual & Material History
HSEA W4869	History of Ancient China to the End of Han
History
HIST UN1004	ANCIENT HISTORY OF EGYPT
Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies
AHUM UN2901	MASTERPIECES-INDIAN ART ＆ ARCH