10 Analysis Essay Topics on the Archeological Record

10 Analysis Essay Topics on the Archeological Record While the field of archaeology can sometimes feel bone dry and difficult to write about, you’d be surprised how many interesting things there are to say about the archaeological record. With a little help on which facts to include in your essay writing, you’ll be inspired in no time. In this first guide, we include ten facts on the archaeological record that could be incorporated into an analysis essay, as well as the sources from which these facts are drawn. An essay is only as strong as the facts that it incorporates, so by using this guide you’ll be well on your way to an effective analysis essay. Our second guide outlines 20 topics for an analysis essay on the archaeological record, giving you ideas for how to weave together the facts included below. We also provide a sample essay on the archaeological record in order for you to see a model of how these different topics could be organized into a full analysis essay. Our third and final guide provides a set of instructions and tips for creating an analysis essay on the archaeological record. With help on the actual academic structure of your analysis essay, producing an outline and a full-length essay will come much more easily. So let’s get started! Here are ten verified facts on the archaeological record. The archaeological record includes anything that people have created or modified. This record is used in order to study past cultures and recreate to the best of our ability the lives that people lived in those past cultures and the conditions in which they lived those lives. The knowledge gained from studying the archaeological record gives us the opportunity to appreciate, preserve, and collectively share our common human heritage. The archaeological record, generally speaking, consists of the artifacts, residues, and other general remains of past cultures that have been discovered by archaeologists. More specifically, as is noted by famed archaeology professor Brian Fagan,2 the archaeological record often consists of those things that have been discarded or otherwise abandoned: garbage, scraps, litter, and anything that has been worn out, broken down, or left. Those things that were prized and used heavily often leave no remains. Archaeology attempts to discover past human culture. This refers to the characteristics specific to a particular civilization at a particular time, including the behaviors, beliefs, norms, and living style of that specific social group. The archaeological record cannot discover this directly, and instead represents what is called material culture.1 The material culture of a particular people group, in the absence of written language, is the best approximation we have of the culture of past human societies. As described in a 2013 book by professor Gavin Lucas called Understanding the Archaeological Record,3 there is currently a theoretical divide on how we should consider the truthfulness of the archaeological record. On one side sit the so-called â€Å"naà ¯ve empiricists,† who claim that the archaeological record is constituted purely by those things that have remained from past cultures and is truth given to archaeologists to discover. On the other side sit the â€Å"social constructivists,† who claim that that the archaeological record is a construction that archaeologists have created that may not necessarily represent the truth. As mentioned above, the archaeological record is generally defined as the historical legacy of those material things that people have acted upon. However, as argued in an article by Michael Water and David Kuehn,4 the archaeological record is also shaped by the same forces that act upon the landscape itself. Processes like erosion, severe weather, plate tectonics, natural disasters, and many other geological forces are constantly at work on the information preserved in the archaeological record. The archaeological record is always suspect to contamination and vandalism, whether intentional or accidental. According to an article published online,5 in various Middle Eastern countries it is becoming common practice to loot historically relevant sites and sell those items that are found for profit. Professional looters in the Americas are often referred to as â€Å"pot hunters.† Vandals who take pleasure in destroying valuable things are also in part responsible for the destruction of parts of the archaeological record. As described above, archaeology is best described as the study of the archaeological record. Therefore, any occupation dedicated to understanding the archaeological record falls under the professional heading of â€Å"archaeology.† However, in a quasi-experimental study published by archaeologist Ryan Sneiderman,6 it was demonstrated that a large percentage of people do not understand what archaeologists do, associating their work with fictional characters such as Indiana Jones. Addressing the idea that professional archaeologists do not live the life that characters like Indiana Jones portray in the movies, researchers Amy Ollendorf and Ian Burrow published a review of demographic information on professional archaeologists who joined the Register of Professional Archaeologists.7 Their results demonstrated that Registered Professional Archaeologists granted licensure from the years 2010-2012 included individuals from over 60 different fields of study, and were employed in a variety of different professions falling under the broad categories of private, academic, and government cultural resource management. Given the fragility of the archaeological record described above, archaeologists actively work towards ensuring the safety and preservation of sites that hold parts of the archaeological record. In a 2000 article, William Lipe,8 an anthropologist at Washington State University, argued that the conservation of major archaeological sites is necessary to prevent the illegal excavation and misappropriation of antiquities. Lipe argued that laws and governing bodies should be put in place to balance the economic interests that incentivize the destruction of sites central to the archaeological record. The artifacts and materials that represent the archaeological record differ widely on their age, location, size, and state of preservation. Different branches of archaeology are necessary for dealing with different parts of the archaeological record. Each branch may utilize different research techniques, may take interest in different time periods, and may represent different groups of scholars and archaeology professionals. These branches include prehistoric archaeologists, historical archaeologists, industrial archaeologists, ethno archaeologists, environmental archaeologists, experimental archaeologists, underwater archaeologists, and other branches defined by a particular time period.1 We hope these facts help you nail your assignment. Make sure to also check our guide on how to write an analysis essay on the archaeological record. References: Education Department, AIA (n.d.). Archaeology 101. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from https://www.archaeological.org/pdfs/education/Arch101.2.pdf Fagan, B. M. (1994).  Quest for the Past: Great Discoveries in Archaeology. Waveland Press Inc. Lucas, Gavin. (2012). Understanding the Archaelogical Record. Cambridge University Press. Waters, M. R., Kuehn, D. D. (1996). The Geoarchaeology of Place: The Effect of Geological Processes on the Preservation and Interpretation of the Archaeological Record.  American Antiquity, 483-497. Ojibwa, B. (2015, January 11). The Archaeological Record. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from dailykos.com/story/2015/11/1/1443070/-The-Archaeological-Record Seidemann, R. M. (2013). Maybe Indiana Jones Isn’t So Bad After All.  SAA Archaeological Record, 23. Ollendorf, A. L., Burrow, I. C. (2013). The Register of Professional Archaologists.  SAA Archaeological record, 40. Lipe, William D. (2000). Conserving the In Situ Archaeological Record. Conservation: The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter 15(1):17-20.

What Implicit Bias Means and How It Affects Behavior

What Implicit Bias Means and How It Affects Behavior An implicit bias is any unconsciously-held set of associations about  a social group. Implicit biases can  result in the attribution of particular qualities to all individuals from that group, also known as stereotyping. Implicit biases are the product of learned associations and social conditioning. They often  begin at a young age, and most people are unaware that they hold them. Importantly, these biases do not necessarily align with personal identity. Its possible to unconsciously associate positive or negative  traits with one’s own race, gender, or background. The Implicit Association Test Social psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Tony Greenwald first coined the term implicit bias in the 1990s. In 1995, they published their theory of implicit social cognition, which asserted that  individuals social behavior and biases are largely related to unconscious, or implicit, judgments. The term grew in popularity in 1998, when Banaji and Greenwald developed the well-known Implicit Association Test (IAT) to confirm their hypothesis. The IAT test assessed the strength of unconscious biases through a computer program. Subjects were asked to observe a screen that displayed a  series of faces from different racial backgrounds and a series of positive and negative words. Researchers told the subjects to click on the positive words when they saw a face from racial background X, and the negative words when they saw a face from racial background Y. Then, they reversed the association and had subjects repeat the process.   The researchers argued that clicking more quickly meant that the subject had a greater unconscious association. In other words, quickly clicking happy when viewing a certain face meant that the individual had a close unconscious association between the positive trait and the race. A slower click time means that the individual had more difficulty associating that the positive trait with the race. Over time, the IAT has been replicated successfully in multiple subsequent trials, demonstrating its efficacy in proving implicit bias. In addition to racial bias, the test has also been used successfully to assess implicit bias related to gender and sexual orientation. Effects of Implicit Bias Holding an implicit bias towards a particular social group can determine how you treat an individual from that group.  Implicit biases affect human behavior  throughout society, including in classrooms, workplaces, and the legal system. Effects in the Classroom Implicit bias  affects how teachers treat students in the classroom. Research conducted by the Yale Child Study Center found that black children, particularly black boys, are more likely to be expelled and suspended from preschool for challenging behavior than white children. The research also found that, when primed to look for such challenging behavior, teachers tended to look longer at black children, particularly boys. The results suggested that implicit racial bias affects educational access and achievement in the classroom. Implicit bias results in an effect called stereotype threat, which occurs when  an individual internalizes negative stereotypes about a group to which they belong. Researchers demonstrated this effect through a standardized test study. Black and white college students with similar SAT scores were given a 30-minute college-level standardized test. Half of the students were told that the test measured intelligence, while the other group was told that the test was a problem-solving activity that did not correspond to ability. In the first group, black students performed less well than their white peers; in the second group, black students performance was equal to that of their white peers. The researchers concluded that the first group had been affected by stereotype threat when the researchers stated that the test measured intelligence. Similar results have also been found when comparing female and male performance on math exams. Effects in the Workplace Although explicit forms of workplace discrimination are banned in most developed countries, implicit bias plays a significant role in the professional world. Studies have shown that identical resumes  receive a different number of callbacks depending on the name at the top of the document. Across all industries, resumes with a name commonly associated with black individuals received fewer callbacks than those with names associated with white individuals.  Comparable implicit bias has also been shown in relation to gender and age. Effects in the Legal System Implicit bias has a significant impact on the legal system. Evidence suggests that black defendants are more likely to be treated harshly in the courtroom than white defendants. Prosecutors are more likely to charge black defendants and less likely to offer them plea bargains. Plea bargains offered to white defendants tend to be more generous than those offered to black or Latino defendants. Furthermore, juries are more likely to exhibit bias against defendants of a race different from the racial background of the majority of the jury. IAT tests have shown implicit associations between the words black and guilty. Implicit Bias vs. Racism Implicit bias and racism are related concepts, but they do not have the same meaning. Implicit bias is an unconsciously held set of associations about a particular group. Racism is prejudice against individuals from a specific racial group and can be either explicit or implicit. Implicit bias can lead to implicitly racist behavior, like when a teacher disciplines black children more harshly than white children, but many individuals harbor implicit biases without ever displaying overt racism. By becoming aware of our own implicit biases and actively resisting them, we can avoid perpetuating harmful racist stereotypes and prejudices.   Sources Anselmi, Pasquale, et al. â€Å"Implicit Sexual Attitude of Heterosexual, Gay and Bisexual Individuals: Disentangling the Contribution of Specific Associations to the Overall Measure.† PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 11, 2013, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078990.Correll, Shelley, and Stephen Benard. â€Å"Gender and Racial Bias in Hiring.† Penn Office of the Provost, University of Pennsylvania, 21 Mar. 2006, provost.upenn.edu/uploads/media_items/gender-racial-bias.original.pdf.Greenwald, Anthony G, et al. â€Å"Measuring Individual Differences in Implicit Cognition: The Implicit Association Test.† Journal of Personality and Soclal Psychology, vol. 74, no. 6, 1998, pp. 1464–1480., faculty.washington.edu/agg/pdf/Gwald_McGh_Schw_JPSP_1998.OCR.pdf.â€Å"How The Concept Of Implicit Bias Came Into Being.† NPR, National Public Radio, Inc., 17 Oct. 2016, www.npr.org/2016/10/17/498219482/how-the-concept-of-implicit-bias-came-into-being.Kang, Jerry Bennett, Mark Carbado , Devon Casey, Pamela Dasgupta, Nilanjana Faigman, David D. Godsil, Rachel G. Greenwald, Anthony Levinson, Justin Mnookin, Jennifer.. â€Å"Implicit Bias in the Courtroom.† UCLA Law Review, vol 59, no. 5, February 2012, pp. 1124-1186. ResearchGate,  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256016531_Implicit_Bias_in_the_Courtroom Payne, Keith. â€Å"How to Think about ‘Implicit Bias.’† Scientific American, Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 27 Mar. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/.â€Å"Stereotype Threat Widens Achievement Gap.† American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 15 July 2006, www.apa.org/research/action/stereotype.aspx.White, Michael J., and Gwendolen B. White. â€Å"Implicit and Explicit Occupational Gender Stereotypes.† Sex Roles, vol. 55, no. 3-4, Aug. 2006, pp. 259–266., doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9078-z.Wittenbrink, Bernd, et al. â€Å"Evidence for Racial Prejudice at the Implicit Level and Its Relationship with Questionnaire Measures.† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 72, no. 2, Feb. 1997, pp. 262–274. PsychInfo, American Psychological Association, psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi10.1037/0022-3514.72.2.262.Young, Yolanda. â€Å"Teachers Implicit Bias against Black St udents Starts in Preschool, Study Finds.† The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Oct. 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/04/black-students-teachers-implicit-racial-bias-preschool-study. Guardian Media Group