You will write a 2-4 page critique of the archaeology depicted in the popular media (a movie, episode of TV show, novel, role-playing game, etc.).
The media you review must:
• include archaeology as a significant theme
• include an archaeologist as a main character
• be fictional, and not factual (not, for example, a documentary)
Acceptable sources for the Critique Essay include:
Films with lots of archaeology: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Timeline, etc.
Films with some archaeology: Alien vs. Predator, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, Lara Croft: Cradle of Life, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, National Treasure, Out for a Kill, Secret of the Andes, Stargate, Unearthed, Werewolf, etc.
Books: A Thief of Time (Hillerman), Murder in Mesopotamia (Christie), The Source (Michener), A Rumour of Bones (Connor), He Shall Thunder in the Sky (Peter), etc.
(Avoid sources that are simply about the past or prehistory, like the film 10,000 BC, as those have facts to critique but not archaeology to critique. Ask me if you are uncertain about your choice.)
In your Critique Essay, provide the following:
1) The title of the work……………………………………………………………………………. [2 points]
2) The approximate year in which it is set (e.g, today or 1920s)…………………….. [2 points]
3) A BRIEF description of the archaeologist character(s)……………………………… [4 points]
4) A BRIEF description of the plot……………………………………………………………. [4 points]
(I recommend you limit your discussion of the first 4 items to one page or less, in order to make your
critique at least a page long.)
5) Your opinion on how this work affects the public perception of archaeology and looting, if this is helpful for modern archaeology, and why…………………………………………… [6 points]
6) Other critique information, such as:…………………………………………………….. [12 points]
*Was the archaeology at all realistic?
*What, if anything, was performed as scientific archaeologists actually do it?
*Were fieldwork or labwork performed? Were they accurately depicted? How so?
*Was the archaeological work ethical? Why or why not?
*What is your opinion of the creator’s knowledge of scientific archaeology? Why?
7) Proper grammar and spelling……………………………………………………………… [10 points]
(An entry with no errors will get all 10 points, while each error will cost 1 point up to a maximum of 10 points.)
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