Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

Concentration Requirements

Breadcrumb

Concentration Requirements

The undergraduate concentration in Archaeology and the Ancient World provides students with an opportunity to explore the multi-faceted discipline of archaeology, and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to engaging with the ancient world.

While the core focus of Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown University is archaeology and art of the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt and the Near East, this concentration encourages students to reach beyond this geographic area, to engage with Brown’s many strengths in history, epigraphy, art, ethics, engineering, religious studies and the sciences – to name just a few.

Concentration Tracks

The concentration, with its three distinct but overlapping tracks, is intended to allow students flexibility in structuring their own path through this diverse field of study. All three tracks begin with the same foundation. Students are then expected to experiment with and define their own areas of specialty, establishing expertise in topics such as cultural heritage, archaeological theory, or materials analysis, or in particular regions or time periods. The concentration is also designed to allow students to build progressively upon what they have learned, moving from introductory courses to upper-level seminars.

It is expected that, in completing the requirements for this concentration, students will incorporate courses that offer new perspectives on the complex dynamics of social inequity, exclusion, and difference, and which encourage engagement with the community – both by enrolling in classes designated as Race, Power, and Privilege (RPP) or Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR), and through other classes that explore similar themes. Research opportunities, through summer fieldwork, internships, museum experience, or independent study projects, are strongly encouraged.

Within this concentration, the three tracks are:

  • Archaeology and the Ancient World: the most flexible of the concentration tracks, allowing students to explore any region or time period, and to develop their own areas of focus, such as museum studies, ethics and politics of the past, engineering and materials analysis, cultural heritage, or environmental studies.
  • Classical Archaeology: for those interested chiefly in the ‘classic’ civilizations of the Mediterranean (especially Greece and Rome), as well as for those interested in both earlier (prehistoric) and later (medieval) periods in that geographic region.
  • Egyptian and Near Eastern Archaeology: for those interested chiefly in the cultures of Egypt and the ancient ‘Near East’ – Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia – from prehistoric through Islamic times.

Required Courses by Track

All formally cross-listed courses, regardless of home department, can be considered ARCH courses and can fulfill the relevant concentration requirement(s). There is no limit on the number of cross-listed courses that can count toward the completion of a concentration. Also, students who are doing a double concentration are allowed up to two courses that are also counted toward (i.e., overlap with) their second concentration to fulfill Archaeology concentration requirements.

(Concentration Declaration Form Code: ARAN)

The student must take a total of 10 courses, including:

  • Two introductory courses providing an overview of archaeology’s two central aspects: field methodologies, and art history:
    • 1) One introductory course in archaeological methodology and/or scientific approaches (preferably, ARCH 0100 Field Archaeology in the Ancient World or ANTH 0500 Past Forward: Discovering Anthropological Archaeology; or a course that addresses similar methodological/scientific topics, which must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Appropriate courses could include, for example, ARCH 1900 The Archaeology of College Hill).
    • 2) One introductory course in ancient art history (for example, ARCH 0030 Art in Antiquity: An Introduction, ARCH 0150 Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology and Art, ARCH 0520 Roman Art and Architecture, or appropriate other courses with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies).
  • Two introductory courses in the core geographical focus of the Joukowsky Institute: Classical/Mediterranean archaeology and Egyptian/Near Eastern archaeology:
    • 3) One introductory ARCH course in Egyptian or Near Eastern archaeology, art, and/or architecture (for example,  ARCH 0440 Archaeologies of the Ancient “Middle East”, ARCH 0600 Archaeologies of the Muslim World, or ARCH 1625 Temples and Tombs: Egyptian Religion and Culture).
    • 4) One introductory ARCH course in Classical or Mediterranean­ archaeology, art, and/or architecture (for example, ARCH 0230 Myriad Mediterraneans: Archaeology, Representation and Decolonization, ARCH 0270 Troy Rocks! Archaeology of an Epic, or ARCH 0420 Archaeologies of the Greek Past).
  • Two courses, of any level, that reach beyond the Institute’s core region, to other parts of the world and other theoretical or methodological topics:
    • 5) One ARCH course, of any level, that focuses on a part of the world other than Mediterranean, Egyptian, or Near Eastern (for example, ARCH 0160 Buried History, Hidden Wonders: Discovering East Asian Archaeology, ARCH 0330
      Archaeology Under the Volcano, or ARCH 0335 Archaeology of the Andes).
    • 6) One ARCH course, of any level, that focuses on a particular thematic or theoretical topic pertaining to archaeology (e.g., ARCH 0315 Heritage In and Out of Context, ARCH 0755 Engineering and Technology in the Ancient World, or   
      ARCH 1774 Microarchaeology).
  • The remaining four required courses are deliberately flexible, in order to allow students to explore a particular archaeological interest, region, or theme in more depth. Students are encouraged to use these upper-level courses to define a particular core specialty or track, such as a focus on archaeological theory, museum studies, archaeological ethics, materials analysis, cultural heritage, or climate change, as a just a few of the many possible examples:
    • 7-8) Two additional ARCH courses, on any aspect of archaeology and art, at the 1000 level (or above) (for example, ANTH 1720 The Human Skeleton,  ARCH 1792 The Archaeology of Slavery, or ARCH 1870 Environmental Archaeology).
    • 9-10) Two non-ARCH courses which either relate to the study of the ancient world or to the discipline of archaeology. Outside courses are chosen with the approval of the Concentration Advisor from appropriate 1000 level (or above) offerings in other departments such as, but not limited to: Anthropology, Classics, Egyptology and Assyriology, Environmental Studies, Geological Sciences, History, History of Art and Architecture, Religious Studies. One term of language study, in any relevant (usually ancient) language, may also be counted toward this requirement.

(Concentration Declaration Form Code: ARAN, Track Code: CLSS)

The student must take a total of 10 courses, including:

  • Two introductory courses providing an overview of archaeology’s two central aspects: field methodologies, and art history:
    • 1) One introductory course in archaeological methodology and/or scientific approaches (preferably, ARCH 0100 Field Archaeology in the Ancient World or ANTH 0500 Past Forward: Discovering Anthropological Archaeology; or a course that addresses similar methodological/scientific topics, which must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Appropriate courses could include, for example, ARCH 1900 The Archaeology of College Hill).
    • 2) One introductory course in ancient art history (for example, ARCH 0030 Art in Antiquity: An Introduction, ARCH 0150 Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology and Art, ARCH 0520 Roman Art and Architecture, or appropriate other courses with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies).
  • Two introductory courses in the core geographical focus of the Joukowsky Institute: Classical/Mediterranean archaeology and Egyptian/Near Eastern archaeology:
    • 3) One introductory ARCH course in Egyptian or Near Eastern archaeology, art, and/or architecture (for example,  ARCH 0440 Archaeologies of the Ancient “Middle East”, ARCH 0600 Archaeologies of the Muslim World, or ARCH 1625 Temples and Tombs: Egyptian Religion and Culture).
    • 4) One introductory ARCH course in Classical or Mediterranean­ archaeology, art, and/or architecture (for example, ARCH 0230 Myriad Mediterraneans: Archaeology, Representation and Decolonization, ARCH 0270 Troy Rocks! Archaeology of an Epic, or ARCH 0420 Archaeologies of the Greek Past).
  • One course, of any level, that reaches beyond the Institute’s core region, to other parts of the world and other theoretical or methodological topics:
    • 5) One ARCH course, of any level, that focuses on a part of the world other than Mediterranean, Egyptian, or Near Eastern (for example, ARCH 0160 Buried History, Hidden Wonders: Discovering East Asian Archaeology, ARCH 0335 Archaeology of the Andes, or ARCH 1490 The Archaeology of Central Asia: Alexander in Afghanistan, and Buddhas in Bactria) or focuses on a particular thematic topic pertaining to archaeology (for example, ARCH 0770  Archaeology of Eating and Drinking, ARCH 1515 The Fair Sex: Female Body and Sexuality in the Ancient World, or ARCH 1710 Architecture and Memory).
  • The remaining five required courses are intended to encourage students to explore an aspect or region of Classical archaeology in more depth:
    • 6) One course in ancient Greek or Roman history (such as CLAS 1210, CLAS 1220, CLAS 1310, CLAS 1320).
    • 7) One course in either Ancient Greek or Latin, at a level beyond the first year of study (such as GREK 0300, GREK 0400, LATN 0300, or LATN 0400).
    • 8-9) Two courses in Mediterranean (prehistoric, Greek, Roman, medieval) archaeology and art, at the 1000 level (or above) (for example, ARCH 1125 Building an Empire: The Sacred and Civic Architecture of Ancient Rome,  ARCH 1155 Cities, Colonies and Global Networks in the Western Mediterranean, or ARCH 1765 Pandemics, Pathogens, and Plagues in the Greek and Roman Worlds)
    • 10) One non-ARCH course which either relates to the study of the ancient world or to the discipline of archaeology. Outside courses are chosen with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies from appropriate 1000 level (or above) offerings in other departments such as, but not limited to: Anthropology, Classics, Egyptology and Assyriology, Environmental Studies, Geological Sciences, History, History of Art and Architecture, Religious Studies.

(Concentration Declaration Form Code: ARAN, Track Code: EGAS)

The student must take a total of 10 courses, including:

  • Two introductory courses providing an overview of archaeology’s two central aspects: field methodologies, and art history:
    • 1) One introductory course in archaeological methodology and/or scientific approaches (preferably, ARCH 0100 Field Archaeology in the Ancient World or ANTH 0500 Past Forward: Discovering Anthropological Archaeology; or a course that addresses similar methodological/scientific topics, which must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Appropriate courses could include, for example, ARCH 1900 The Archaeology of College Hill).
    • 2) One introductory course in ancient art history (for example, ARCH 0030 Art in Antiquity: An Introduction, ARCH 0150 Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology and Art, ARCH 0520 Roman Art and Architecture, or appropriate other courses with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies).
  • Two introductory courses in the core geographical focus of the Joukowsky Institute: Classical/Mediterranean archaeology and Egyptian/Near Eastern archaeology:
    • 3) One introductory ARCH course in Egyptian or Near Eastern archaeology, art, and/or architecture (for example,  ARCH 0440 Archaeologies of the Ancient “Middle East”, ARCH 0600 Archaeologies of the Muslim World, or ARCH 1625 Temples and Tombs: Egyptian Religion and Culture).
    • 4) One introductory ARCH course in Classical or Mediterranean­ archaeology, art, and/or architecture (for example, ARCH 0230 Myriad Mediterraneans: Archaeology, Representation and Decolonization, ARCH 0270 Troy Rocks! Archaeology of an Epic, or ARCH 0420 Archaeologies of the Greek Past).
  • One course, of any level, that reaches beyond the Institute’s core region, to other parts of the world and other theoretical or methodological topics:
    • 5) One ARCH course, of any level, that focuses on a part of the world other than Mediterranean, Egyptian, or Near Eastern (for example, ARCH 0160 Buried History, Hidden Wonders: Discovering East Asian Archaeology, ARCH 0340
      Bad Things: Archaeologies of New World Vices, or ARCH 1490 The Archaeology of Central Asia: Alexander in Afghanistan, and Buddhas in Bactria) or focuses on a particular thematic topic pertaining to archaeology (for example, ARCH 0770  Archaeology of Eating and Drinking, ARCH 1515 The Fair Sex: Female Body and Sexuality in the Ancient World, or ARCH 1710 Architecture and Memory).
  • The remaining five required courses are intended to encourage students to explore an aspect or region of Egyptian/Near Eastern archaeology in more depth:
    • 6-7) Two courses in Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeology and art at the 1000 level (or above) (for example, ARCH 1616 Between Sahara and Sea: North Africa from Human Origins to Islam, ARCH 1620 Conquest to Conversion: The Formation of the Islamic World, ARCH 1630 Fighting Pharaohs: Ancient Egyptian Warfare, or ARCH 1642 Queering Ancient Egypt)
    • 8-9) Two terms of course work in a pertinent ancient language (such as Akkadian, Coptic, Classical Hebrew, Middle Egyptian).
    • 10) One non-ARCH course which either relates to the study of the ancient world or to the discipline of archaeology. Outside courses are chosen with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies from appropriate 1000 level (or above) offerings in other departments such as, but not limited to: Anthropology, Classics, Egyptology and Assyriology, Environmental Studies, Geological Sciences, History, History of Art and Architecture, Religious Studies.

Double Concentration

Students who are doing a double concentration are allowed only two courses from their second concentration to fulfill Archaeology and the Ancient World concentration requirements.

Fieldwork and Study Abroad

Students are strongly encouraged to consider participating in a field project, most typically after sophomore or junior year. The Director of Undergraduate Studies and other faculty members can provide suggestions about how to explore and fund possible field projects. 

Field school courses that provide formal university transfer credit, and official transcripts, can also be considered a form of study abroad and may also be used to fulfill concentration requirements.

Transfer Credit for Fieldwork or Study Abroad

In certain cases, it may be possible for undergraduate students to receive transfer credit for fieldwork experience or courses taken at other universities, in the United States and abroad. For more information, reference the section of the Registrar's website regarding transfer credit for study elsewhere, and the Undergraduate Study Abroad website on Credit Transfer Guidelines and on the Process for Credit Transfer.

Generally, to receive a full credit for fieldwork, students must participate daily in a project sponsored by a college or university for a minimum of four weeks. Upon their return to Brown, students must follow the same the Process for Credit Transfer necessary for other forms of study abroad. After completing the credit request in ASK, it might be necessary to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to discuss whether it would be appropriate to assign credit for an equivalent course at Brown

With the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, up to three successfully completed courses, from relevant and accredited study abroad programs, may be counted towards the concentration requirements. 

Declaring a Concentration

We recommend that all students considering concentrating in Archaeology and the Ancient World meet with Director of Undergraduate Studies Professor Tyler Franconi.

New concentrators should declare their concentration by filling out the online declaration form in ASK. The form can be accessed via the "Concentrations" tab. All students declare a concentration no later than the middle of their fourth semester, before pre-registering for semester five (usually spring semester of sophomore year).

Contacts

If you have questions about the concentration after reviewing the information on this page, or if you are seeking advice on whether specific courses may help to fulfill the concentration requirements, please contact:

Additional Information for Concentrators