Assistant Professor
Dept. of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology,
Utah State University, Old Main 245F, Logan, UT 84341
Phone: 1 - 435 - 797 - 1496 | Email: bpitblado@hass.usu.edu
Office hours: M 1:30-2:30, W 10:00-11:00, Th 1:00-2:00 Fall 2004
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MeAnthropology
4800: Peopling of the New World
Spring 2004, 10:30
- 11:45 a.m. T, R (Old Main304)
| Anthropology 4800 (Peopling of the New World) will introduce you to the dynamic and controversial domain of the earliest human colonization of the Americas. The course is organized around four key "peopling" debates that have raged for years: why giant Pleistocene mammals went extinct; how and from where the first human immigrants came; when people first arrived in the New World; and if and how ancient human skeletal remains should be studied. You will read about these debates, evaluate evidence related to them, write a paper about one of them, and ultimately debate one yourself in class. The course entails somewhat heavy reading; however, you will find much of that reading to be lively (to say the least)-a reflection of the controversial nature of this field of study. The course also requires a fair amount of writing: two short "reaction" essays and a research paper, help for which will be provided by rhetoric assistants and two visits to the USU library to learn to conduct scholarly research. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the course will require you to think critically about issues. Almost everything we talk about can be-and has been-viewed from many angles. It will be up to you to weigh evidence and come to informed conclusions of your own about the many intriguing questions that constitute the "state of the art." Top...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 4800 will help you reach include the following:
Exams and assignments for Anth 4800 will help me assess your progress toward these learning goals. Exams will evaluate the scope of your understanding of the earliest prehistoric North American cultures as presented in lectures, reading, and class discussions. Reaction essays will help me evaluate the development of your critical thinking and writing skills. 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. In-class debates will allow me to assess your ability to communicate effectively through a formal oral medium. 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 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. Top...
Required textbook (available in the bookstore) None-all readings will be available on electronic reserve. However, there are two texts from which we will work extensively, and both are available from Amazon.com for a reasonable price, should you wish to purchase them. I've listed them on the USU Museum of Anthropology web page (http://www.usu.edu/anthro/museum/amazon.html), from which you can link to Amazon.com. By using this link rather than going directly to Amazon.com, 15% of the proceeds from the sale of the listed books (and 5% of the sale of all books) will be donated to the museum-a way for us to raise much-needed funding. As of this writing (Jan. 7), free shipping is available from Amazon.com on purchases over $25. The citations for the two texts are:
To access the Anth 3310 e-reserve site, follow these steps:
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Assistance
& ADA Course
grading
Reaction essays. You will write two short (2-page) papers that each respond to an assigned reading or readings. The papers do not require you to do additional research, although you may do so if you wish. The goals of the exercises are for you to think critically about your reading and to communicate your thoughts clearly to me. I am not looking for a "book report" reiteration of the reading; rather, I want to hear your intellectual response to the ideas presented therein. A draft of the first essay is due to a rhetoric assistant Feb. 3, and a final draft to the professor Feb. 12. The first essay should focus on the content of reading(s) assigned Jan. 20 - 29. A draft of the second essay is due to a rhetoric assistant March 4, and a final draft to the professor March 23. The second essay should focus on the content of reading(s) assigned Feb. 3 to March 2. Research paper. You will compose an 8 - 10 pp. research paper, to be submitted at the beginning of class, April 15 (see late paper policy, below). You will submit a complete rough draft to a rhetoric assistant on March 30. The paper will focus on one of four key debates about the peopling of the Americas (to be introduced in class):
We will assign topics the first week of class, and roughly ¼ of the class will research and write on each one. Your job is to research and clearly present all sides of the debate, citing scholarly references for each position presented. Your paper must adhere to the following bulleted 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 do not lose points for picky stuff. 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, as will our rhetoric assistants. Paper requirements
Essay and paper draft submission. You will earn up to 25 points apiece for your draft submissions of two reaction essays and a term paper. Rhetoric assistants will assign point values based on the completeness of your draft and the effort that you expended producing it. Oral debate. During the final two regular class periods of the semester (April 15 and 20), we will hold four debates on the topics you wrote about in your research papers. Each topic will be debated by the 25% of the class that wrote about it. The teams will decide who will represent each position and who will speak the parts enumerated below. Each debate team will have half the class period to present their debate. The format will be as follows:
The debates are designed to be the intellectual culmination of what we cover in the course. As such, I expect you to put significant preparation into them. You should meet with your team as many times as necessary to give a competent and polished performance in the in-class debate. Your debate grade (50 points) will be based on the following criteria:
Attendance and participation. Attendance and active participation in this course is imperative. The class is relatively small, so it will be clear to me who has read and is participating and who has not read and is not participating. I may also occasionally circulate sign-in sheets to help me keep track of attendance. Fifty points will be determined by your willingness to attend class, read assignments, and actively engage in class discussions. Top...Missed exams. If you know that you will miss an exam, you must notify me of 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. Late papers: I will not grant extensions for research or reaction papers. Rhetoric associates will not accept late drafts (resulting in a loss of 25 points). Final drafts of all papers will be docked 10 points/day. Note: the definition of "late" is "anytime after the end of class on the day the paper is due." Tardiness. Late arrivals are distracting to me and other students. If you cannot arrive on time-barring an emergency, of course-please do not come to class. 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. 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. I will circulate a waiver to allow me to return your exams and papers in ways that may not perfectly preserve your privacy (e.g., passing graded exams around as I lecture). The FERPA waiver will also allow me to circulate attendance sheets that list your name. The waiver is optional, and I will accommodate students who prefer to have their work returned directly to them and/or not to be listed on attendance lists. Top...
*Reading should be completed by the class period for which it is listed. |