Research Writing Seminar in Anthropology: Bones of Contention

The looting of sculpture, pottery, tablets, and other priceless items from the National Museum of Iraq in 2003 created an international uproar and sparked a critical debate about the ownership, display, and sale of ancient artifacts. Should museums such as the Met in New York or the British Museum in London purchase antiquities that might be subject to conflicting claims of ownership? For that matter, should museums return, or repatriate, objects already in their collections? Should individual countries be held responsible for governing their own antiquities laws, or should an international body such as the United Nations be in charge? In this course, students will compose short essays that consider their own positions on the issues as well as those of museum directors, archaeologists, antiquities dealers, private collectors, and the looters themselves. Emphasis will be placed on the development of written dialectical skills through drafting, peer review, and critical reading. (Part 2 of 2 part Critical Writing Sequence for LPS BA candidates)