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BOSTON UNIVERSITY – archaeology program

  1. Institution Name:
    Boston University
  2. Department Title:
    Archaeology Program
  3. Faculty in Historical Archaeology:
    1. Elia, Ricardo J. (Ph.D., Boston 1982; Assoc Prof. Archaeology) Archaeological heritage management, ethics in archaeology.
    2. Metheny, Karen B. (Ph.D., Boston University 2002, Senior Lecturer in Gastronomy, Lecturer in Archaeology)
      historical archaeology and anthropology, archaeology and anthropology of food; ethnography, oral history, sensory perspectives, experimental archaeology, food mapping and visualization techniques; historical landscapes, New England foodways, industrial and working-class households and communities, and gender, ethnicity, and identity
  4. General Statement:
    Boston University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers an M.A. in Archaeology through the Archaeology Program and a Ph.D. in Anthropological Archaeology through the Department of Anthropology (see following entry). The Archaeology Program specializes Archaeological Sciences and Archaeological Heritage, highlighting global, comparative archaeology, especially the study of urban societies and the critical role that archaeologists play in understanding the human past through material culture as well as in addressing issues of archaeological heritage in the present. Research in ethnobotany, zooarchaeology, computer facilities, including a GIS lab, are available. The Stone Science Library houses extensive holdings in anthropology, archaeology, and remote sensing. Relevant courses include Archaeology of Colonial America; Archaeology of Post-Colonial America; Industrial Archaeology; Oral History and Written Records in Archaeology; Approaches to Artifact Analysis in Historical Archaeology; Archaeology of the Age of Exploration; Pots and Pans: The Material Culture of Cookery and Dining; Archaeology of Boston; Archaeology and Colonialism; Archaeology of the Viking Age, Archaeological Administration, Ethics, and the Law; Paleoethnobotany; Contemporary Theory in Archaeology; and Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology. Related departments and programs include: Anthropology, American and New England Studies, Preservation Studies, History of Art and Architecture (which offers a Certificate in Museum Studies), the Center for Remote Sensing, and the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology (CMRAE) based at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Degrees offered are B.A. and M.A. in Archaeology (for Ph.D. see BU Anthropology).
  5. For More Information Contact:
    Prof. Catherine West, Director of Graduate Studies in Archaeology (fall 2021): cfwest@bu.edu. On-line forms and applications available at  http://www.bu.edu/cas/academics/graduate/; Web page: http://www.bu.edu/archaeology/.