From Indiana Jones to Agatha Christie, archaeology and archaeologists are disproportionately well represented in big budget films, and are recurrent subjects in some genres of fictional writing. This course focuses on ideas of archaeology presented in popular culture and will appeal to archaeologically-interested students of film, anthropology, and literature, as well as archaeology students. It is a course in archaeology that deals with the depictions of archaeology by and for non-archaeologists and the implications of those depictions; and it looks at the insights that film and fiction dealing with archaeology might provide about the operation of popular culture. Lectures include film and film commentary.

Students evaluate the filmic representations of archaeology by presentations and participation in tutorials and on-line bulletins (15%), a brief film review (15%), a detailed film review (20%) and 3,000 word essay (50%).

4 contact hours per week (3 hour block each week for film viewing and lecture and a separate 1 hour tutorial). Students will normally spend an additional 4 hours per week in study.

Any courses to the value 12 units or more.