This course provides an in-depth examination of the major social and historical theories which have informed archaeological approaches to the study of the past. The course is anchored around four major themes: social identity, landscapes, power, and economics. These themes anchor our discussion of core theoretical texts, including the works of Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Michel Foucault, Max Weber, Pierre Bourdieu, Frederick Barth, and Adam Smith. Within each three-week thematic module, we will take a genealogical approach which explores the intellectual origins of contemporary frameworks like post-colonialism, ethnogenesis, resistance, cultural landscapes, behavioral ecology, world systems theory, and object biographies. Ultimately, through a combination of archaeological case studies and theoretical readings, this seminar will provide students with a rich understanding of the broad range of frameworks that underpin contemporary archaeological research and the unique problems inherent in archaeological efforts to represent and interpret the material record.