Pseudo Archeology

For this assignment, you will write a short paper evaluating a specific pseudoarchaeological case study as presented in the media. You’ll also choose and discuss three recent academic articles in which archaeologists address that topic, and conclude with a thoughtful comparison between the ways in which pseudoarchaeologists and archaeologists evaluate data and present their findings. Feel free to think creatively.

The paper will be approximately four to five pages, and I expect its organization to look something as follows: introduction, thorough paragraph describing your pseudoarchaeological case study (as presented in a tv show, internet website, or such – please cite your source), three very thorough paragraphs each summarizing/discussing one academic journal article that presents real archaeological data related to your topic, and a conclusion presenting what you’ve learned. Must use Google Scholar. The paper should be approximately four- to- five pages in length, double-spaced with one-inch margins, in 12-point Times New Roman font. Points will be deducted for failure to follow formatting instructions.

– If you use direct quotations from your articles, you need to cite them in-text. For example, the following quote would be cited as follows: “These challenges focus on understanding the dynamics of cultural processes and the operation of coupled human and natural systems, recognizing that humans—mediated by culture—both affect and are affected by their natural environments” (Kintigh et al. 2014:879).

– Put the full references for each of your three articles at the end of your essay in a References Cited section. I do not care which format you use, as long as all of the necessary information is included (author, date published, journal, article title, volume, issue, page numbers, etc.), and as long as your formatting is internally consistent. As archaeologists we frequently use American Antiquity style, instructions for which can be found online.