Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

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.

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