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This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Minor in Archaeology

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Undergraduate Programs in Archaeology

A minor in Archaeology provides an introduction to the study of the material cultures of past societies. It can complement many majors, including but not limited to Anthropology, Applied Physics, Art and Art History, Classics, Earth Systems, Geological and Environmental Sciences, History, and Religious Studies.

To minor in Archaeology, the student must complete at least 27 units of relevant course work, including:

  1. Core Program (10 units), consisting of:
    1. Gateway: ARCHLGY 1. Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology (5 units)
    2. Capstone: ARCHLGY 103. History of Archaeological Thought (5 units; Writing in the Major)

    ARHCLGY 1 is recommended as a first course, and many of the upper-level courses in archaeology require this course as a prerequisite. Students should normally take the capstone course in their final year of course work in the minor.

  2. Archaeological Skills (2-5 units): archaeological skills include dating methods, faunal analysis, botanical analysis, ceramic analysis, geology, geophysics, soil chemistry, remote sensing, osteology, genetics, statistics, cartography, and geographic information systems. The course(s) must be selected from either section in the list above.
  3. Theory (5 units): topics include archaeological, art-historical, sociocultural, historical, and material-culture theory. The course(s) must be selected from the list given above.
  4. Area of Concentration (10 units): in consultation with their faculty advisers, students choose an area of concentration in archaeological research. Concentrations can be defined in terms of time and space such as small-scale societies or the archaeology of complex societies, or in terms of research problems such as new world archaeology or Mediterranean archaeology. An area of concentration should provide both breadth and depth in a specific research area. Courses must be selected from the list above. Students are encouraged to design their own area of concentration, with the prior approval of both the student's faculty adviser and the program director.

Students must complete the declaration process (both the planning form submission and Axess registration) by the last day of the quarter, two quarters prior to degree conferral (for example, by the last day of Autumn Quarter if Spring graduation is intended).

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