13 Things: Archaeology, material culture, science studies and design ARCH0300
a course with Christopher Witmore cwitmore@brown.edu (office hours: MW 4:30-5:30 or by App.), ably assisted by TA Thomas Leppard thomas_leppard@brown.edu (office hours: Fridays 11-1).

(Well, 4 of 13 is not bad for an image . . . )

Each week explores a different approach to the study of things. Material culture studies, archaeology, science studies, design studies, consumption studies, the sociology of technology, phenomenology, etc.; the course will explore a range of approaches in dealing with 13 things: the wheel, a Neolithic Megalith, an Ancient Greek perfume jar, the castle of Acrocorinth, a watermill, a map, the pocket watch, barbed wire, the light bulb, the blade, the portable radio, the camera, and the personal computer. Placing emphasis on questions of human/thing relations over the long term, the course critically questions the importance of goods, artifacts and stuff for humanity. Designed to appeal to a wide range of students, the course builds a rich toolkit to aid in the ‘unpacking’ of thing from a number of angles. Students are charged with the task of selecting a thing, whether ancient or contemporary, and researching it building on the perspectives encountered in the course.

MWF 1:00–1:50, Watson, Room 116.

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