CAMS 440W is a writing-across-the-curriculum upper-level archaeology course on various topics in the broad field of Classical and Mediterranean archaeology. The selected topic will emphasize interdisciplinary themes, such as comparative state formation, societal collapse, gender in the ancient world or the socio-economic and cultural development of a society or region and its interaction with other Mediterranean, Near Eastern and North African cultures. Students will learn of major publications in the field of study, and how to conduct searches of the previous archaeological literature and the related literary record. As one requirement, students will complete a research paper on a topic related to the theme of the course that semester. The sequence of writing assignments is designed to allow students to develop a project, to search for related publications, to develop a proposal, and to revise drafts of the final paper. The course is also intended to provide students with a practical background in Classical and Mediterranean archaeology that will help prepare them for archaeological fieldwork, for the interpretation of archaeological publications, and, as relevant, for utilizing the literary and/or epigraphic record for interpreting archaeological evidence. Those considering enrolling in this course may obtain information about the specific topic by asking the faculty member listed as teaching the course or the Undergraduate Officer in the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies.