Borders of archaeology WNHS-AR-BAja
This course will explore the margins of archaeological discourse by teaching the students the benefits of interdisciplinary research in dealing with topics on the margins of Archaeology subject.
The two main topics will be dealt with this course:
1) The archaeology of the third Reich, in particularly exploring the potential and dangers of approaching this subject based on sites in Poland. This is a particularly pressing case as at a time when the last witnesses to this traumatic period are passing away the physical destruction of the remains of the Nazi presence in Poland is increasing do to the unprecedented surge in the residential and economic development of both cityscapes and the countryside. In particular, LIDAR data allows us to access the areas which still have the archaeological potential to inform us about this heinous episode. The remains in question include evidence for urban and landscape planning, evidence for ceremonial and funeral structures, the physical remains of the concentration and death camps, and finally the sites of military conflict all of which contribute to a thick description of a period which is slipping from remembered trauma to historically (patchy) documented past. First attempts have been made to establish an archaeology of this period in Poland and neighbouring countries whose impact and is fraught with ethical and ideological issues will be critically assessed in this lecture series.
2) The archaeology of Renaissance and Reformation, also focussed on sites in Poland and its periphery. Combining information from historical, iconographical and religious studies with the results of archaeological excavations makes it possible to provide a “thick description” of the 16th century between the Elbe and Vistula basin. Above all archaeology can describe the impact that the momentous changes that accompanied the Reformation and the emergence of post-medieval social and political structures had on the material culture of the times. In particular as they reflect the lifeways of common people. We will be exploring specific sites but also certain types of artefacts such as decorated pottery and tiles to probe this fascinating epoch on the border-zone of traditional archaeological scholarship.
Student activity / workload in hours:
Participation in lectures: 30 hours
Preparation for lectures and exam: 60 hours
Total hours: 90 hours = 3 ECTS
(in Polish) E-Learning
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Student:
- will have an in-depth knowledge of the complex nature of culture as well as its complexity and historical variability of its meanings,
- will have an in-depth knowledge of social phenomena occurring in communities of various types, types of social ties and the relationship between social structures.
Assessment criteria
Lectures are conducted in the form of e-learning in MS-Teams.
Conditions for completing the classes:
1. active participation in classes (possible two absences, the third - even excused, requires additional written work).
2. exam with a multiple choice questioner based on images from these lectures at the end of term
Conditions for obtaining a specific grade:
- 2 - student has no basic knowledge about borders of archaeology in presented aspects,
- 3 - student has basic knowledge about borders of archaeology in presented aspects,
- 4 - student has deepened knowledge about borders of archaeology in presented aspects and is able to formulate opinions and discuss a given topic,
- 5 - student has deepened and detailed knowledge about borders of archaeology in presented aspects and is able to formulate opinions and discuss a given topic.
Practical placement
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Bibliography
Literature:
Bernbeck, R. 2018, An Emerging Archaeology of the Nazi Era. Annual Review of Anthropology 47(1), 361-376.
Kola A. 2000. Bełżec: The Nazi Camp for Jews in the Light of Archaeological Sources: Excavations 1997-1999. Council for the Protection of Memory of Combat and Martyrdom.
Kola, A. 2001, ‘Badania archeologiczne terenu byłego obozu zagłady Żydów w Sobiborze. Przeszłość i Pamięć’, Biuletyn Rady Ochroni Pamięci Walk i Męczeństwa 4, 2001, 115-12
Gilead, I., H. Haimi and W. Mazurek 2009, Excavating Nazi Extermination Centres. Present Pasts, Vol. 1, 10 -39.
Gilead, I. 2016, , Archaeology of Holocaust.
Pawlicka-Nowak, L. 2004. Archaeological Research in the Grounds of the Chełmno-on-Ner Former Extermination Center. In: Chełmno Witnessses Speak. Konon/Lódz : The District Museum of Konin, 2004. 42 – 67.
Sturdy Colls, C. 2012 ‘Holocaust archaeology: archaeological approaches to landscapes of Nazi genocide and persecution’, Journal of Conflict Archaeology 7, 2012, 70-104.
Golden J. Rembering Chełmno Archaeology 2003, 50 – 54.
The history of archaeological research at the site of the former Kulmhof extermination camp, "Human Remains and Violence An Interdisciplinary Journal", Volume 6 (2020): Issue 1 (Jul 2020).
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: