This course will focus on material culture, broadly defined. We will do so from a variety of perspectives with an emphasis on the place of material culture in the constitution of human society, past and the present. Our definition of material culture will be broad, including texts and artefacts. 

This course will both introduce you to academic discussions and to interdisciplinary and cross-cultural case studies that illustrate how individuals and communities interact with material culture. These case studies will draw on disciplines allied to Public History including historical archaeology, cultural resources management and museum studies.