Charles Houck

Dr. Houck is an amazing professor who really knows his stuff about archaeology and Mesoamerica in particular. If there were more classes taught by him, I would definitely take them without hesitation. He has a super personality, is very generous and understanding, while at the same time he expects enough from you to make you work for your grade. Would recommend his classes to anyone. My only teeny-tiny beef would be that I would like to see him interact with the class a little more during the lecture or take us on a field trip... to the Yucatan... or Reed's Gold Mine. But that's all. Other than that - superduper guy.

Mr. Houck is great. New World Arch. is fun, interesting and most importantly, taught by Mr.Houck. I hate that this man doesn't teach more archaeology classes at UNCC. He is a far-cry better than Dr. Levy will ever be. His tests can be a bear, and due to his crazy schedule, he can sometimes be sparse on campus, but you'll forgive him for it. My overall opinion is that he really cares about what he does, and you get to reap the benefits of it by taking his classes.

This field project was a good experience. The one take home final was fairly long especially for the amount of time we had. The reading material was not very interesting and so it was hard to get through (he didn't select the text though - apparently it is a department standard). All in all I am really glad I took it. We learned excavation techniques and basic surveying. The field notebooks we kept were the best part - well that and lunch.

If you are interested in the prehistory and archaeology of the new world from Alaska down to the tip of South America then you should take this class. Dr Houck is a all around nice guy whose specialty is Mesoamerica. He knows this topic inside and out and his lectures are interesting and meaty. He is also a decent human being and gives you lots of help. His tests are long but he is generous in grading. This class will give you so much information that you just can't believe it. Some students took tons of notes and some took no notes at all and everybody did fine. Just show up and listen.