Lee Newsom's Courses
Paleoethnobotany
This course is a survey of the fast-developing field of paleoethnobotany (also known as archaeobotany), the study of the interrelations between people of the past and plants. The general goal of the course is to promote understanding of the vital interplay between human societies, with their diverse systems of belief and resource use, and the plants that surround them. The course begins with a historical overview of the field of paleoethnobotany, followed by sessions that introduce some of the fundamental concerns, laboratory and field methodologies. This leads to a series of weekly topics that emphasize laboratory sessions examining the various categories of plant remains and subareas of specialization within paleoethnobotany. The latter half of the course is focused on theory and interpretation, and, in general, issues central to and/or addressed by paleoethnobotany as a subdiscipline of anthropology, including environmental reconstruction, paleonutrition and diet, agricultural origins, economic systems, and more. Prerequisite: 3 credits in anthropology or plant biology.
Objectives:
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To foster appreciation for the basic skills and concepts of paleoethnobotany.
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To teach students how to recover, sort, identify, interpret, and report plant remains of all types from archaeological sites.
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To survey the various approaches and applications of modern paleoethnobotanical research.
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To stimulate thinking about plant-human interrelations in view of the long-term perspective and historical context that archaeology offers.
**This course should benefit those who seek to pursue paleothnobotany as a career and/or who may direct projects that involve paleoethnobotanists.
Environmental Archaeology (forthcoming)
This class is a survey of the fast-developing field of environmental archaeology that encompasses archaeology, the earth sciences, botany, and zoology. Environmental archaeologists apply techniques and insights obtained from these sciences to questions concerning the relationships among humans, cultural systems, and the natural world, as reflected in the archaeological record. The general goal of the course is to promote understanding of the dynamic interplay between human societies and the biotic resources that surround them. We begin with a general overview of the field of Environmental Archaeology and its three primary subareas of research: earth sciences (geoarchaeology, archaeopedology, geomorphology), paleoethnobotany (or archaeobotany), and zooarchaeology. Subsequent sessions emphasize basic concerns and methodologies (laboratory and field) according to each subarea, with individual laboratory examples designed to provide hands-on experience with the various categories of remains and analytical techniques. A number of issues central to and addressed by environmental archaeologists using plant, animal, and mineral data sets and working within the larger discipline of archaeological anthropology are considered throughout the course. Prerequesite: 3 credits in anthropology.
Objectives:
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To foster appreciation for the transdisciplinary knowledge necessary for successful research in this
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field, and to introduce basic skills and concepts integral to Environmenal Archaeology.
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To teach students how to recover, sort, identify, interpret, and report biotic remains from archaeological sites.
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To stimulate thinking about human and environment interrelations in view of the long-term perspective and historical context that archaeology offers, and about human societies and environment that is anthropologically and ecologically well-informed and integrated.
**This course should benefit those who wish to pursue some aspect of Environmental Archaeology as a career and/or who may eventually direct projects that involve various specialists.
Environmental Archaeology (forthcoming):
Students are introduced to the fundamentals of wood anatomy and the diversity of woody tissues.
The course begins with an overview of basic xylem structure, ultrastructure, and development. This is followed by a series of sessions concerning gymnosperms (softwoods) and angiosperms, including monocotyledons, e.g., palms and bamboo, as well as major temperate and tropical hardwoods (dicotyledons). Topics of special interest include ancient woods and wood identification; juvenile wood and related phenomena; ecological and functional variation, including roots, branches, reaction wood, lianas, and >anomalous= structure, growth habit, habitat, and forest structure, as well as the effects of altitude and latitude on woody tissues. Also considered are natural disasters and other external phenomena in relation to wood anatomy, including the fast-developing fields of dendroclimatology and dendroecology.
