ANT 340 South American Archaeology  

1. This course guide is to help ANT 340 students to conduct library research for their term paper assignment.
2. Online Indexes provides the links of online databases that your can use to find journal articles and other materials for your topics.
3. Books introduces you to use CMU Libraries' catalog and other catalogs to get books.
4. References is a quick access to general overview of topic.
5. Your professor requires Chicago style for the term paper. The Chicago style guide listed under Citing References gives some commonly used examples. The complete book of the Chicago manual is in the library at the reference desk.

"Many of these topics are broad, so that you may need to narrow your focus within the wider area. It is important, however, that you indicate how your narrower topic fits within a broader theoretical area or framework; e.g., what are the broader theoretical implications of or controversies involved in the topic? Bring together different approaches, perspectives, or points of view used by authors/archaeologists. If authors do not identify their perspective, you may step back and recognize what the author is really doing. Give opposing interpretations where possible, describe these, and critique them if you can (tell why). Look at a topic/problem from a theoretical point of view, indicate the method and evidence used to resolve it, and give interpretations drawn from the evidence used. Try to evaluate these aspects (are there alternatives not considered? Are there problems authors themselves  recognize?). CITE YOUR SOURCES (AUTHOR, YEAR, PAGE)." - Dr. Sergio J. Chavez

1. How to make a research focus? Try to find a work that is interesting to you. Use this work as a starting point. Check the references/bibliography of this work and this strategy citation chaining.
2. How to look for an article that contains a theoretical perspective, method, and evidence of a study?
3. How to blend your own thoughts into your interpretations and discussions.