Kirk Costion, Ph.D.

Residential Faculty - Archaeology

Cultural Science, Philosophy & Religious Studies

Office: SC 14 - Room: SC 65

480-461-7058

Office Hours

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM3:00 PM - 4:00 PM2:00 PM - 4:00 PM3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 

Online

Online

Online

Online

 
By appointmentBy appointmentBy appointmentBy appointmentBy appointment

For office hours I can meet in person in my office or online using Webex Meetings, Zoom, Google Meet, or Cranium Cafe.  To meet virtually you must schedule an appointment with me in advance, to meet in person you do not need to schedule ahead of time just stop by my office.  To schedule a virtual meeting during reguarlly scheduled office hours or at other times please email Dr. Costion at [email protected].  My Webex Meetings "personal room" is one of the primary places where I can meet you for office hours.  This room can be accessed using the following link: https://maricopa.webex.com/meet/kcostion

I will be on campus working in the archaeology lab on Friday afternoons.  I may or may not be avialable to meet by appointment on Friday afternoons depending on how busy I am in the lab.  

 

Profile

I am an Anthropology Faculty member specializing in anthropological archaeology and teach our archaeology courses.  The most popular of these courses are our two Buried Cities & Lost Tribes classes (ASB 222 & ASB 223) which I teach every semester.  I also teach our Archaeological Field Methods course (ASB 231) which involves hands-on field experience excavating at a local prehistoric archaeological site.  Additionally, I regularly work with student volunteers analyzing the archaeological materials that were excavated at our field site.  I went to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh and my dissertation research took place in the Moquegua Valley of southern Peru focusing on the local small-scale village society known as the Huaracane.  Specifically, I investigated Huaracane household and community organization and how the colonization of the Moquegua Valley during the early Middle Horizon impacted Huaracane culture.  In the Andes my research interests include the variation and effects of colonial strategies in the periphery of expansive state societies and reactions by local populations. I am especially interested in how society-wide changes, such as colonization by an outside power impact community and household level organization. In recent years I have also been collaborating with a colleague on the development of graphic models to better analyze and understand ancient cross-cultural interactions.  Locally in Arizona my research with our students at MCC has focused on refuse disposal patterns at an early transitional Classic Period Hohokam trash mound and what these patterns can tell us about household and domestic organization on the margins of one of the largest known Classic Period Hohokam settlements, Sche:dag Mu:val Va'aki (O'odham for Blue Fly's House) (formerly known as Mesa Grande). 

Classes Taught

Spring 2025

ASB222 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: Old World 3 Credits

Introduction to archaeology through discoveries and the researchers who made them. Emphasis on methods of archaeological fieldwork and what these discoveries reveal about humanity, including the nature of archaeological inquiry, the development of human social groups, the changing role of religion in evolving societies, the origins of agriculture, the origins of settled life ways, the rise of cities and complex societies, political strife across different cultures and the forces which tend to fragment societies. Examples drawn from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Global Awareness [G], Historical Awareness [H], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU], Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
26319

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
01/13/2025 – 05/09/2025

Closed

Notes: This is an Online class that does not meet at specific class times. Students are required to have access to a computer or mobile device, and Internet access, unless otherwise specified. Before enrolling in their first online class at MCC, students need to view the online orientation and complete the readiness survey on https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Low-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less.

Class 26319 Students may contact instructor at: [email protected]

ASB223 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: New World 3 Credits

Introduction to archaeology through discoveries and the researchers who made them. Emphasis on methods of archaeological fieldwork and what these discoveries reveal about humanity, including the nature of archaeological inquiry, the development of human social groups, the changing role of religion in evolving societies, the origins of agriculture, the origins of settled life ways, the rise of cities and complex societies, political strife across different cultures and the forces which fragment societies. Examples drawn from North America, Central America, and South America. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Global Awareness [G], Historical Awareness [H], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU], Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
27088
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/14/2025 – 05/09/2025
TuTh
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Class Started

Notes: Low-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less.

27090
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/14/2025 – 05/09/2025
TuTh
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM

Class Started

Notes: Honors Program Only

Low-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less.

Spring Flex Start 2025

ASB222 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: Old World 3 Credits

Introduction to archaeology through discoveries and the researchers who made them. Emphasis on methods of archaeological fieldwork and what these discoveries reveal about humanity, including the nature of archaeological inquiry, the development of human social groups, the changing role of religion in evolving societies, the origins of agriculture, the origins of settled life ways, the rise of cities and complex societies, political strife across different cultures and the forces which tend to fragment societies. Examples drawn from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Global Awareness [G], Historical Awareness [H], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU], Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
26322
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/27/2025 – 05/09/2025
MoWe
12:00 PM – 1:25 PM

Class Started

Notes: Low-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less.

26324

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
01/27/2025 – 05/09/2025

Class Started

Notes: This is an Online class that does not meet at specific class times. Students are required to have access to a computer or mobile device, and Internet access, unless otherwise specified. Before enrolling in their first online class at MCC, students need to view the online orientation and complete the readiness survey on https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Low-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less.

Class 26324 Students may contact instructor at: [email protected]

Degrees & Awards

DEGREES:

-Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, 2009.

-M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, 2005.

-B.A. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, 2001.

GRANTS RECIEVED:

-Curtiss T. & Mary G. Brennan Foundation Grant for Archaeological Field Research in Andean South America & Early Mediterranean Civilizations, 2013.

-National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2006-2007.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

-Society for American Archaeology

-Institute of Andean Studies

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