What do I want to do?
As many of you know I am no longer a nanny and I was going to be heading back to school in January but things have changed. I will still be going back but it just won't be for a bit. So what is that I want to do now? I want to become a archaeologist. I will be going to school for a major in history and a minor in archaeological anthropology. What does all this mean, well I'll get more in-depth below but needless to say I am very excited to go back to school and start the next chapter of my life.
History Major
Tracing the origins of their discipline to the Ancient Greek scholar Herodotus (fifth century B.C.E.), historians examine the records of the human past, with the goal of understanding change over time. We are particularly interested in establishing cause and effect in the patterns of how society, politics, economies, culture, identity, and thought developed. Traditionally, historians have examined prominent individuals or critical events in politics, warfare, diplomacy, economics and intellectual activity. But in recent decades, the scope of historical study has expanded to encompass a wide range of phenomena and a broad spectrum of society. Women’s roles in history, the daily life of ordinary men and women in the past, and the impact of imperialism and colonialism are just a few of the topics that have come under intense historical scrutiny in recent years. Of particular interest to the current generation of historians are the relationship of the individual to society; encounters between diverse cultures; the dynamics of class, race, and gender; and the expression of power and authority (political, social, or cultural). The study of history has direct relevance on the present. It provides an enlightening perspective on the cultures and societies of the past and on how the ideals, institutions, and issues of today arose and evolved over time. The discipline of History also requires intellectual rigor, and cultivates critical thinking, creative analysis, and both oral and written communication skills. History majors are highly sought after in fields such as law, education, journalism, business, government service, and “public history” (i.e., museums, historical sites, and archives). A History major is also an ideal foundation for graduate study in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Archaeological Anthropology Minor
Archaeology, is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, bio-facts or ecofacts and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. In North America archaeology is a sub-field of anthropology, while in Europe it is often viewed as either a discipline in its own right or a sub-field of other disciplines.
Archaeologists study human prehistory and history, from the development of the first stone tools at Lomekwi in East Africa 3.3 million years ago up until recent decades. Archaeology is distinct from palaeontology, which is the study of fossil remains. It is particularly important for learning about prehistoric societies, for whom there may be no written records to study. Prehistory includes over 99% of the human past, from the Paleolithic until the advent of literacy in societies across the world. Archaeology has various goals, which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past life-ways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time.
The discipline involves surveying, excavation and eventually analysis of data collected to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. It draws upon anthropology, history, art history, classics, ethnology, geography, geology, literary history, linguistics, semiology, sociology, textual criticism, physics, information sciences, chemistry, statistics, paleoecology, paleography, paleontology, paleozoology, and paleobotany. Archaeology developed out of antiquarianism in Europe during the 19th century, and has since become a discipline practiced across the world. Archaeology has been used by nation-states to create particular visions of the past. Since its early development, various specific sub-disciplines of archaeology have developed, including maritime archaeology, feminist archaeology and archaeoastronomy, and numerous different scientific techniques have been developed to aid archaeological investigation. Nonetheless, today, archaeologists face many problems, such as dealing with pseudo-archaeology, the looting of artifacts, a lack of public interest, and opposition to the excavation of human remains.
So why do I want to do this?
The main reason that I want to do this is because I am really interested in history, I always have been but I never had the drive to actually go for what I want to do. I also recently started looking into what else I can do to make my dream a reality, and I realized that archaeology is a perfect addition to my history degree. The reason I want to do archaeology is because it is a really interesting topic and I love looking into different cultures and the history of what has happened, basically what archaeology is. I find history very interesting because for the main reason because learning about history is very fun to look into.
I hope you enjoyed this look into what I plan on doing next and exactly what it is that I am doing. Have an amazing day :)
