| Anthropology
3300: Archaeology in North America
Spring 2003, 10:30 - 11:45 am T, R (Old Main 304)
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Course
description:
Anthropology
3300 will introduce you to the prehistoric cultures of North America,
beginning with the earliest occupants of the continent around
13,000 years ago (or maybe earlier, as you'll see), and ending
in the recent historic past. Course topics will include archaeological
method and theory; the peopling of North America; hunting and
gathering adaptations through time; origins of agriculture across
the continent; the rise of complexity in the midwestern, eastern
and southwestern United States; and contact between Native Americans
and Europeans. The course is organized chronologically (oldest
to youngest) and geographically (west to east), although both
organizational strategies are adhered to only generally. Unfortunately,
people-past, as now-adopted such a bewildering array of adaptational
strategies that maintaining any organizational strategy is a challenge!
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Program
learning goals & assessment
The
USU Anthropology program has identified learning goals to help
guide students through coursework in the discipline. Specific
goals that Anth 3300 will help you reach include the following:
- Attaining
depth in a subfield of anthropology (archaeology)
- Gaining familiarity
with the cultures of a major world region (North America)
- Applying
methods specific to an anthropological sub-field (archaeology)
- Communicating
effectively in written and oral forms
- Conducting
library research using modern methods
- Using a computer
for research and writing
- Thinking
critically about issues requiring a synthesis of perspectives
from the humanities and the sciences
Exams and writing assignments for Anth 3330 will help me assess
your progress toward these learning goals. Exams will evaluate
the scope of your understanding of prehistoric North American
cultures as presented in lectures, reading, and class discussions.
A substantial research/writing assignment will provide you with
the opportunity to (a) explore a particular archaeological problem
in more depth than is possible in the classroom; (b) develop your
library and computer research skills; and (c) improve your writing
skills. Your classroom participation is an important assessment
tool as well. Your comments and questions will help me identify
anthropology program goals that are being met by the class, and
those that may require further attention on my part. Your comments
will also afford you the opportunity to practice expressing yourself
orally, and me with the means to evaluate whether or not your
critical thinking skills improve over the course of the semester.
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Required
textbook (available in the bookstore)
None-all
readings will be on electronic reserve.
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Assistance
& ADA
I strongly encourage you to ask questions and make comments in
class, by e-mail, or during my office hours. I am happy to help
you in any way that I can. If you have a disability that may require
classroom assistance or other accommodations, please see me as
soon as possible during my office hours so that we can make whatever
arrangements are necessary to help you succeed in the course.
Alternative format print materials, large print, audio, diskette
or Braille may be made available through the Disability Resource
Center as necessary.
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Course
grading
A (100 - 93%); A- (92 - 90%); B+ (89 - 87%); B (86 - 83%); B-
(82% - 80%); C+ (79 - 77%); C (76 - 73%); C- (72 - 70%); D+ (69
- 67%); D (66 - 60%); F (= 59%)
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Course
requirements
-
Mid-term exam (100 points)
-
Final exam (150 points)
-
Research paper topic proposal (20 points)
-
Research paper (100 points)
-
Attendance and participation (100 points)
Mid-term and final. Both the mid-term and final
will be in-class exams, and both will consist of objective (e.g.,
multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank) and subjective (short-answer
and/or essay) questions. One-hundred points of the final exam
will mirror the mid-term in covering only material from the second
half of the semester. However, the final exam will also include
two essay questions (worth 25 points each) that will require you
to synthesize material from the entire course.
Research
paper topic proposal. As enumerated below, you will write
a research paper on a North American archaeological topic of your
choice. On January 30, 2003, you will turn in a one to two-page
write-up of your proposed topic. The write-up should include a
statement of your research problem (we will discuss "research
problems" in class so you understand what they are), and
an annotated list of at least five sources you will incorporate
into your paper. An annotation is a summary, typically a paragraph
long, of the content of a source.
Research
paper. You will compose an 8 - 10 pp. research paper,
to be submitted at the beginning of class, April 17, 2003 (see
late paper policy, below). Your paper must adhere to the following
criteria. For every requirement that you violate, you will lose
5 points. Please use the following as a check-list before you
hand in your final draft, so that you don't lose points for picky
stuff. You want your paper content to determine your grade! Should
you have trouble setting margins, adding page numbers, or with
any aspect of your research, I'll be glad to help you during my
office hours.
Paper requirements:
- A minimum
of 8 references (the heavier on scholarly books and journals
the better)
- No more
than 2 web citations
- No more
than 1 popular magazine (e.g., Discover, National Geographic)
citation
- 8 -
10 double (not space-and-a-half, not triple) spaced pages
- 1-inch
margins (be careful-many default margin settings are 1.25")
- 12 (not
10, not 14) point font
- Paper
contains an introduction, body and conclusion
Spell- and grammar-checked; have a friend or family member
proofread your paper
- Page
numbers at the bottom of the page, center or right position
Attendance and participation. Participation and
attendance count for a lot in this class. Readings are heavy (on
average, 20 - 40 pages per class). If you don't read, or if you
fail to come to class and/or engage in discussion, you will not
succeed in the course. To ensure that you do read and participate,
you will earn 100 of your total points for the class just by showing
up and being part of the learning equation. This doesn't mean
that you need to speak during every class period, but it does
mean that you must be actively present (e.g., nodding and clearly
following along; not sleeping or reading the newspaper), and you
must demonstrate that you have completed assigned readings.
To
gauge your attendance, I will require you to sign-in periodically
to class by placing your signature next to your name on a class
list I circulate (if you are concerned about privacy, please speak
with me during the first week of class to make alternative arrangements).
Anyone forging a signature, or having a friend forge their signature,
will be subjected to the "academic dishonesty" policy
outlined below. Missing more than two classes during the semester
will result in a loss of attendance and participation points-the
more classes you miss, the more points you will lose. Repeatedly
failing to engage in discussion or read assignments will also
result in point loss.
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Classroom
policies
Missed
exams. If you know that you will miss an exam, you must
notify me about this prior to your absence. Even if you are bed-ridden
by illness, you must still contact me to explain the situation
prior to your absence. If you follow this protocol, you may make
up the exam at a time that is convenient for both of us. If you
fail to follow this protocol, you will not be permitted to make
up the exam. Note: You may notify me of your impending absence
by phone or e-mail, but be advised that both my voice mail and
e-mail indicate the time of your message. I recommend using e-mail
and keeping a copy of the sent message as proof that you notified
me of your pending absence in a timely fashion.
Late paper topic policy: Late paper topic proposals
will not be accepted. Be aware that if you turn in a final paper
on a topic that I neither saw nor approved, your ultimate paper
grade will suffer (in addition to the loss of the 20 points for
the topic proposal itself).
Late (and early) paper policy: I will not grant
extensions for research papers, nor will I accept late papers.
You have all semester to plan your time-please do it wisely. I
will, however, read and comment on drafts of papers turned in
at least a week prior to the final paper deadline. Having me read
a draft, and then incorporating my comments into your final product,
may be highly beneficial to your grade.
Tardiness. Late arrivals are distracting to me
and other students. If you cannot arrive on time, do not come
to class. If you arrive late, I will note this. Excessive tardiness
will result in a penalty in your attendance and participation
grade.
Classroom etiquette. During class time, do not
talk to others, allow your cell phone to ring, snap your gum,
read the newspaper, or engage in other inconsiderate activities.
If your behavior disturbs your colleagues or me, I will ask you
to leave, and I will deduct points from your final grade.
Academic dishonesty. Cheating on any exam, quiz
or lab-or engaging in any form of academic dishonesty as outlined
in the USU honor code-will result in a grade of "F"
for the course.
Student privacy. In compliance with the Family
Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA), the Anthropology department
maintains the confidentiality of students' records. However, because
Anth 3300 is a large class and presents challenges when it comes
to taking attendance and returning student papers, I will circulate
a waiver to allow me to circulate class lists and return your
exams and assignments in ways that may not perfectly preserve
your privacy (e.g., passing graded exams around as I lecture).
The waiver is optional, and I will accommodate students who prefer
to have their work returned directly to them, or prefer not to
be listed on sign-in sheets circulated to monitor attendance.
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Syllabus
| Date |
Topic |
Reading* |
| Jan.
7 |
Introduction
to course & archaeology |
None |
| Jan.
9 |
Brief
history of archaeology |
Ashmore
and Sharer, Ch. 2 |
| Jan.
14 |
Archaeological
terminology & concepts |
Ashmore
and Sharer, Ch. 4 |
| Jan.
16 |
Archaeological
dating techniques; Discuss paper topic selection &
write-up |
Ashmore
and Sharer, Ch. 7 |
| Jan.
21 |
Peopling
of the New World: who, when |
Dixon,
Ch. 2 |
| Jan.
23 |
Peopling
of the New World:
sites, controversy |
Dixon,
Ch. 3 (read 46-48,
86-89; skim 49-85) |
| Jan.
28 |
Paleoindian:
Clovis |
Fagan,
pp. 85-90; Kelly & Todd 1988 |
| Jan.
30 |
Paleoindian:
Post-Clovis
PAPER TOPICS DUE |
Fagan,
Ch. 5 |
| Feb.
4 |
Archaic:
Arctic and West Coast |
Fagan,
Ch. 8, 10 |
| Feb.
6 |
Archaic:
Great Basin |
Grayson,
pp. 244 - 266 |
| Feb.
11 |
Archaic:
Southwest |
Cordell,
Ch. 4 |
| Feb.
13 |
Archaic:
Plains and Rocky Mountains |
Frison
1998; Husted 2002 |
| Feb.
18 |
NO
CLASS
(Monday classes meet today) |
|
| Feb.
20 |
Archaic:
Eastern Woodlands |
Jeffries
1995; Tucker 1999 Ancient America: Eastern Woodlands (video) |
| Feb.
25 |
MID-TERM
EXAM |
|
| Feb.
27 |
Arctic
(Norton, Dorset & Thule); Discuss McGhee, in press
research-to-date on papers |
|
| Mar.
4 |
Complex
hunter-gatherers of the Northwest |
Ames
1994; Maschner 1991 |
| Ancient
America: The Northwest (video) |
| Mar.
6 |
Plains
villager-farmers |
Schneider
2002 |
| Mar.
11 |
SPRING
BREAK |
|
| Mar.
13 |
SPRING
BREAK |
|
| Mar.
18 |
Fremont
horticulturalists |
Madsen
1989 |
| Mar.
20 |
Origins
of farming in the Southwest |
Cordell,
Ch. 5 |
| Mar.
25 |
Ancient
Puebloans of Chaco Canyon |
Lekson
1997; Lekson et al.
Mystery of Chaco Canyon (video) 1988;
Hoover 2000-2001 |
| Mar.
27 |
Ancient
Puebloan abandonments &
cannibalism |
Billman
et al. 2000;
Dongoske et al. 2000;
Lambert et al. 2000;
Lekson 1995 |
| Apr.
1 |
Mogollon |
Reid
& Whittlesey, Ch. 6 |
| Ancient
America: The Southwest (video excerpts) |
| Apr.
3 |
Hohokam;
Discuss paper write-up |
Reid
& Whittlesey, Ch. 4 |
| Apr.
8 |
Adena
& Hopewell (overview) |
Lepper
2001; Thomas, pp. 124 - 146 |
| Apr.
10 |
Searching
for the Great Hopewell Road
(video) |
Hicks
1999; Lepper 1995 |
| Apr.
15 |
Mississippian
(overview) |
Barker
2002; Brown 1985 |
| Apr.
17 |
Cahokia
and Moundville; PAPERS DUE |
Carlton
& Allen 2000-2001;
Moundville: Journey through Time
(short video) Iseminger 1996;
Knight & Steponaitis 1998 |
| Apr.
22 |
European
contact |
Thomas,
pp. 183 - 230 |
| Apr.
24 |
Wrap-up |
|
| May
1 |
(R)
FINAL EXAM: 9:30 - 11:20 am |
|
*Reading
should be completed by the class period for which it
is listed.
Reading List (full citations)
Ames, K. 1994. The Northwest Coast: Complex Hunter-Gatherers,
Ecology, and Social Evolution. Annual Review of Anthropology
23:209-229.
Ashmore, W. and R.J. Sharer. 2000. Discovering our Past:
A Brief Introduction to Archaeology, 3rd edition. Mayfield
Publishing Company, Mountain View, CA.
Barker, A.W. 2002. Myths and Monsters: Decoding Ritual
Images of a Mysterious Ancient American Religion. Archaeology
55(4):40-45.
Billman, B.R., P.M. Lambert, and B.L. Leonard. 2000.
Cannibalism, Warfare, and Drought in the Mesa Verde
Region during the Twelfth Century A.D. American Antiquity
65(1):145-178.
Brown, J.A. 1985. The Mississippian Period. In Ancient
Art of the American Woodland Indians, pp. 93-145. Harry
N. Abrams, New York.
Carlton, J.G. and W. Allen. 2000-2001. Of Mounds and
Mysteries. American Archaeology 4(4):27-33.
Cordell, L. 1997. Archaeology of the Southwest, 2nd
edition. Academic Press, Inc., San Diego.
Dixon, E.J. 1999. Bones, Boats and Bison: Archeology
and the First Colonization of Western North America.
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Dongoske, K.E., D.L. Martin, and T.J. Ferguson. 2000.
Critique of the Claim of Cannibalism at Cowboy Wash.
American Antiquity 65(1):179-190.
Fagan, B.M. 2000. Ancient North America: The Archaeology
of a Continent, 3rd edition. Thames & Hudson Ltd,
London.
Frison, G.C. 1998. The Northwestern and Northern Plains
Archaic. In Archaeology on the Great Plains, edited
by W.R. Wood, pp. 140 - 172. University Press of Kansas,
Lawrence.
Kelly, R.L. and L.C. Todd. 1988. Coming into the Country:
Early Paleoindian Hunting and Mobility. American Antiquity
53(2):231-244.
Grayson, D.K. 1993 The Desert's Past: A Natural History
of the Great Basin. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington,
DC.
Hicks, R. 1999. The Great Hopewell Mystery. Archaeology
52(6):76-78.
Hoover, J.S. 2000-01. A Cultural Affiliation Controversy.
American Archaeology 4(4):34-37.
Husted, W.M. 2002. Archaeology in the Middle Rocky Mountains:
Myopia, Misconceptions, and Other Concerns. Plains Anthropologist
47(183):379-386.
Iseminger, W.R. 1996. Mighty Cahokia. Archaeology 49(3):30-37.
Jeffries, R.W. 1995. The Status of Archaic Period Research
in the Midwestern United States. Archaeology of Eastern
North America 23:119-144.
Knight, V.J. and V.P. Steponaitis. 1998. A New History
of Moundville. In Archaeology of the Moundville Chiefdom,
ed. by V.J. Knight and V.P. Steponaitis, pp. 1-25. Smithsonian
Institution Press.
Lambert, P. M., B.L. Leonard, B.R. Billman, R.A. Marlar,
M.E. Newman, and K.J. Reinhard. 2000. Response to Critique
of the Claim of Cannibalism at Cowboy Wash. American
Antiquity 65(2):397-406.
Lekson, S.H. 1995. Tracking the Movements of an Ancient
People. Archaeology 48(5):56-57.
Lekson, S.H. 1997. Rewriting Southwestern Prehistory.
Archaeology 50(1):52-55.
Lekson, S.H., T.C. Windes, J.R. Stein, and W.J. Judge.
1988. The Chaco Canyon Community. Scientific American
256(7):100-109.
Lepper, B.T. 1995. Tracking Ohio's Great Hopewell Road.
Archaeology 48(6):52-59.
Lepper, B.T. 2001. Saving the Serpent. American Archaeology
5(1):11-13.
Madsen, D.B. 1989. Exploring the Fremont. University
of Utah Occasional Publication 8, Salt Lake City.
Maschner, H. 1991. Emergence of Cultural Complexity
on the Northern Northwest Coast. Antiquity 65(249):924-934.
McGhee, R. In Press. Archaeology, History and the Nature
of Inuit Culture. Draft chapter from The Last Imaginary
Place. Ms. in possession of the author.
Reid, J. and S. Whittlesey. 1997. The Archaeology of
Ancient Arizona. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
Schneider, F. 2002. Prehistoric Horticulture in the
Northeastern Plains. Plains Anthropologist 47(180):33-50.
Thomas, D.H. 1994. Exploring Ancient Native America:
An Archaeological Guide. MacMillan, New York.
Tucker, L. 1999. Rising above the Delta. American Archaeology
3(2):9-15. |
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