UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

This course introduces students to the myths, mysteries, frauds, and fantasies of archaeology and the human past, such as Atlantis, alien visitations, Stonehenge, pyramids, astronomical alignments, pre-Columbian visits to the North American continent, anachronistic artifacts, and outright hoaxes. These claims - some real, some false, some misunderstood, some intriguing - will be examined closely to see how well the explanations use evidence and how valid the assumptions are that uphold them. Students will learn how to critically evaluate these claims in their empirical, political, historical, and cultural contexts as well as try to understand the agendas, personalities, motives, and politics behind some o f the more unsupportable claims.