ANTH 334 - African Atlantic Archaeology

Credit Hours: 4
Frequency of Offering: Offered in alternate years, usually in the spring semester

The course begins with an overview of the idea of the Atlantic World and its formation beginning with European oceanic exploration. This is followed by an examination of West African trade networks, settlements and politics at the time of European contact. Students examine the realignment of different trade networks in West Africa following the establishment of Europeans at various points on the coast, and colonial settlements and the emergence of the plantation economy involving enslaved communities in the Americas. The course addresses specific questions tied to contact, identity formation and socio-economic interactions from the perspective of Africa and Africans in the Diaspora, drawing on historical archaeological sources. Students who previously took this as a topics course, ANTH 352, may not take again for credit.