Archaeological Science, a one-semester CMRAE undergraduate subject, is open to enrollment by students from all CMRAE universities. Commonly, 15 faculty members, all specialists in their fields, from at least 6 CMRAE institutions present lectures that follow an intellectual format designed by the Center’s Program Committee.
Half the semester focuses on reconstructing time, place, and human ecologies in prehistory, taking a close look at the natural environment in which people lived and the ecologies of human-environmental interactions. The other half considers ancient materials technologies developed by specific societies to transform natural materials to items of material culture.
The subject relies heavily on the presentation of case studies to anchor anthropological context while developing rigorous discussion of pertinent science and engineering approaches to issues framed within the human sciences.