Undergraduate Program

Fall Term Schedule

Fall 2025

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
ATHS 163-1 Introduction to Art & Architecture of South Asia Nader Sayadi TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM
This course is a survey of courtly art and monumental architecture in South Asia from 2500 BCE to the present. It spends some time exploring where, when, why, and for whom these examples of art and architecture were made to understand what they mean in their historical and geographical contexts. This course is also designed to help improve students’ “visual literacy” by looking at the art and architecture of South Asia. Students will develop their analytical skills by comparing and contrasting formal, spatial, and material aspects of artifacts and structures in discussions during the lectures and assignments at home. They will also develop their critical thinking and research skills through weekly readings and semester research projects. By the end of the course, students will not only have a clear sense of South Asian art and architecture in Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic contexts but will also be able to “see” and perceive objects and buildings of their multicultural world in a different light. Location (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)
ATHS 223-1 Aztecs and Their Ancestors Stefanie Bautista TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM
This course is a survey of Mesoamerican archaeology that is meant to introduce students to the archaeological and ethnohistoric study of ancient Mesoamerican cultures that includes Olmec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Zapotec, Tlaxcallans, Aztecs, and Maya, among others. Topics that will be covered in this course include the first settling of Mesoamerica, the origins of agriculture, the development of social complexity, the rise of cities, and the emergence of large-scale states culminating in the Aztec. Special attention will be paid to how these societies adapted to the diverse ecology of Mexico and Central America. Location (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)
ATHS 256-01 Pottery Analysis in Archaeology Stefanie Bautista TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
The objective of this course is to show students how the study of ancient ceramic technology can help archaeologists reconstruct the social, economic, and ritual practices of prehistoric societies. Especially for those ancient societies that have no written record, pottery is often the only and most ubiquitous material culture that is available to help archaeologists reconstruct these past practices. Pottery analysis, therefore, is a skill almost all archaeologists must learn to better understand the past. The goals of this course are threefold: 1) Expose students to the diversity of scientific techniques (e.g. petrography, XRF, INAA) used by archaeologists that study ancient ceramic technology; 2) Demonstrate how these techniques, and their results, are used to address broader anthropological research questions about past societies; and 3) Teach students the basic techniques for describing, drawing, and analyzing as well as making pottery using hand-building methods. The course will meet twice a week for lecture and discussion in a seminar-style room. Additionally, a laboratory will be required to specifically focus on pottery analysis methods. Location (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)
ATHS 393-2 Senior Thesis – 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed through the instructions for online independent study registration. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
Tuesday and Thursday
ATHS 256-01 Pottery Analysis in Archaeology Stefanie Bautista
The objective of this course is to show students how the study of ancient ceramic technology can help archaeologists reconstruct the social, economic, and ritual practices of prehistoric societies. Especially for those ancient societies that have no written record, pottery is often the only and most ubiquitous material culture that is available to help archaeologists reconstruct these past practices. Pottery analysis, therefore, is a skill almost all archaeologists must learn to better understand the past. The goals of this course are threefold: 1) Expose students to the diversity of scientific techniques (e.g. petrography, XRF, INAA) used by archaeologists that study ancient ceramic technology; 2) Demonstrate how these techniques, and their results, are used to address broader anthropological research questions about past societies; and 3) Teach students the basic techniques for describing, drawing, and analyzing as well as making pottery using hand-building methods. The course will meet twice a week for lecture and discussion in a seminar-style room. Additionally, a laboratory will be required to specifically focus on pottery analysis methods.
ATHS 223-1 Aztecs and Their Ancestors Stefanie Bautista
This course is a survey of Mesoamerican archaeology that is meant to introduce students to the archaeological and ethnohistoric study of ancient Mesoamerican cultures that includes Olmec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Zapotec, Tlaxcallans, Aztecs, and Maya, among others. Topics that will be covered in this course include the first settling of Mesoamerica, the origins of agriculture, the development of social complexity, the rise of cities, and the emergence of large-scale states culminating in the Aztec. Special attention will be paid to how these societies adapted to the diverse ecology of Mexico and Central America.
ATHS 163-1 Introduction to Art & Architecture of South Asia Nader Sayadi
This course is a survey of courtly art and monumental architecture in South Asia from 2500 BCE to the present. It spends some time exploring where, when, why, and for whom these examples of art and architecture were made to understand what they mean in their historical and geographical contexts. This course is also designed to help improve students’ “visual literacy” by looking at the art and architecture of South Asia. Students will develop their analytical skills by comparing and contrasting formal, spatial, and material aspects of artifacts and structures in discussions during the lectures and assignments at home. They will also develop their critical thinking and research skills through weekly readings and semester research projects. By the end of the course, students will not only have a clear sense of South Asian art and architecture in Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic contexts but will also be able to “see” and perceive objects and buildings of their multicultural world in a different light.