~~ Introduction to World Prehistory ~~
Soc/Anth
1110 (Core 6)
Spring
2003
Room: OH 204
TTh
10:00-11:15
Professor: Dr. Michael L. Galaty (galatml@millsaps.edu)
Office: SH 343
Phone: Ext. 1387
Office
Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00, or by
appointment
Contents:
Class Description
Liberal Arts Abilities
Class Policies
Required Texts
Assignments
Course Schedule
This class is designed to introduce
you to the world’s prehistory and to the anthropological field of
archaeology. It is meant to appeal to
both non-majors and potential majors alike.
The world’s past
is wondrously interesting and exciting (an evening spent watching the Discovery
channel is proof of this!), and we will seek to capture that spirit as we tour
the Earth’s ancient places and encounter long-dead peoples. We begin with the human family’s earliest
appearance approximately 4-5 million years ago in Africa and, through the
course of the semester, will travel down winding historical paths to modern
times. Along the way we will encounter
numerous archaeological mysteries:
What were the Neanderthals like? When did they become extinct and why?
Is there archaeological evidence for a
Biblical flood?
How was Stonehenge constructed and for
what purpose?
Are the events depicted in the Iliad fact
or fiction? Was the Trojan War really
fought?
Who built the Egyptian pyramids, and why?
Did ancient peoples practice human
sacrifice and cannibalism, and if so, why?
These are just a
few of the many questions we will address as we work together to unravel
humanity’s complex past, perhaps thereby also learning something about the
present and our future.
This Core 6 course is designed to
present you with new ideas and perspectives and to help in your development of
Liberal Arts abilities.
1. Communication skills will be developed
through regular in-class discussions.
Writing is an important part of this course, and will be used both
during class and in take-home assignments.
You will also be asked to make one in-class presentation, thereby
communicating your ideas to a larger group.
2. Various types
of reasoning will be asked of you.
This course is designed to encourage us to evaluate theories and ideas about
the past and to learn how data are used to describe cultures and support
hypotheses about past events. The course
also asks you to reflect on a number of important issues. What is archaeology and how is it used? What are the differences between pre-history
and history? Is it possible to know and
understand the past and past human behaviors?
Can we answer with any certainty questions we have about the past and
past events? The in-class exams will
cover facts and concepts, while take home assignments are designed to help you
to understand archaeological methods. We
will also emphasize development of the ability to do comparative analysis,
looking at the similarities and differences in the culture areas under study.
3. Quantitative thinking is approached
indirectly as we evaluate the methods used by prehistorians in the analysis of
the archaeological record. We will look
at sampling strategies, typological analysis, and how statistics are used to
reconstruct the past. We cannot
understand prehistory without examining the use of quantitative methods. Some of this will be addressed in
archaeological simulation exercises.
4. This course
should help you to develop historical
consciousness by focusing on the human past in areas across the globe. We will emphasize our connections to the past
and George Santayana’s warning will be daily with us, “Those who do not know
their past are doomed to repeat it.”
5. The class
will examine art, crafts, architecture, early writing, and the growth of aesthetics in several culture
areas. Comparing and contrasting these
aspects of culture will make us aware of why things become judged as
aesthetically pleasing and what purposes a sense of aesthetics serves in
culture.
6. The ability
to value and make decisions about data, theories and interpretations is one of
the primary goals of this course.
Examining the past from a cross-cultural perspective asks us to see both
the relativity of culture as well as its universality.
7. Finally, the
use of global and multi-cultural perspectives is one of
the most important themes we will recognize throughout the course. In studying the ancient world, you will come
face to face with people who lived different lives and held very different
beliefs (in some ways) than do you.
Archaeology, as
a science, also allows us to implement and practice the scientific method, as
you will do when working on your group project.
The steps in the scientific method are as follows: develop a testable
research question; derive hypotheses; test, often through experimentation;
collect, analyze, and interpret results; draw conclusions; replicate (not
always possible in archaeology).
Finally, you
will find that archaeology is strongly characterized by its
multi-disciplinarity. It is a field that
draws from and depends upon many other fields.
Whether you plan to major in biology or chemistry, art history or
computer science, you can potentially appreciate and contribute to
archaeological research: a biologist can help with an excavation’s analysis of
skeletal remains, a chemist can analyze an artifact’s chemical composition to
determine its origin, an art historian can study stylistic differences in
ancient works of art, and a computer scientist can design software to
investigate site structure and distribution—all right here at Millsaps! Archaeology is truly amazing in its breadth.
The due dates provided below are deadlines
and not guidelines. All papers and
projects must be turned in no later than the assigned due date. Those given to me late, should I choose to
accept them, will be downgraded by one half letter grade per day overdue. You cannot make up an exam without a medical
excuse or other information that makes it clear you had a valid reason for
missing. No work will be accepted
following the final exam date.
Furthermore, tardiness is disruptive and will not be tolerated. Late arrival will count against your class
participation grade. Should you choose
to sleep in class, I will wake you up and ask that you leave.
You have all pledged to abide by the
Millsaps Honor Code. I expect that you
will respect the Code, especially with regard to issues of plagiarism. During the course of the semester, as you
work on various writing assignments, if you have any questions at all about
plagiarism, come talk to me. Better to
be safe than sorry.
Note that if you are challenged with
a learning disability it is your responsibility to register as such with
Student Services and to inform me of any allowances granted by the college,
especially in terms of test-taking.
To participate effectively in class,
you must do all of the reading assignments.
Keep up with your reading. In
fact, read ahead if possible and take detailed notes. Information from the text and videos, as well
as from lecture and discussion, is all fair game when it comes to exams.
A portion of your grade in this
course will come from class participation, so you must regularly attend. Be prepared for class discussions. Many archaeological concepts are best
appreciated and understood through discussion and debate, so I will actively
engage you with questions during class time.
As a result, a portion of your final grade (see below) will be based on
attendance. You will be allowed two
unexcused absences for the semester before your grade begins to suffer.
Finally, if we use terminology
during class that you do not understand, be sure to ask for clarification. My email address has been provided
above. Feel free throughout the course
of the semester to contact me via email anytime you need to. If something is unclear to you in the reading
or if you have a comment or suggestion, email.
I check it almost every day. You
should also feel free to drop by my office or make an appointment to meet with
me, if necessary.
Images
of the Past, by T.
Douglas Price and Gary Feinman. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2001. Third Edition.
Adventures
in Fugawiland: A Computer Simulation in Archaeology, by T. Douglas Price and Anne B.
Gebauer. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield,
2002. Third Edition.
(Note that Fugawiland comes with a software package
and computer simulation. You must
purchase a new copy of the text and computer program.)
Two articles (by
Zimmer and Feder) have also been placed on reserve in the Millsaps-Wilson
Library. You are required to
photocopy these and bring them to class.
Class
preparation and participation, including attendance: 40 points (or 12% of 330 total possible
points).
Two homework
assignments: 2 pages each, 20 points a
piece, 40 points total (or 12% of grand total).
Mid-Semester
Exam. This will test you on concepts and
issues surrounding our study of prehistory and archaeological methods: approx. 3 pages, 50 points (15%).
Group Research
Project. This assignment will be
completed in small groups. You will be
expected to undertake an archaeological experiment of some sort and to prepare
a class presentation (15 minutes) of the results of your investigation. You will choose your project from a list of
those suggested by me, and your presentation should be multi-media,
incorporating text, slides, the Internet, drama, and/or interactive exercises
that engage your fellow classmates. For
those of you who want more guidance in producing a multi-media presentation, we
can certainly schedule a training session at the library. Each person will also be asked to turn in a
five-page written report of results: 5
pages, 100 points (30%). This paper
could be submitted to your writing portfolio.
Fugawiland. Each of you must complete the Fugawiland computer simulation
exercises, contained within your Fugawiland
workbook. This must be done alone, and
will be turned in during the final exam period.
23 worksheet pages, including a two-page essay, 100 points (30%).
Note that we
will talk in more detail about each of these assignments as they approach.
Week One (Jan 14/16).
What is archaeology?
Reading Assignment: Syllabus;
Images, Chapter 1, pps. 519-20
Homework
Assignment #1: Your assignment is to find a wepage on the
Internet devoted to an archaeological subject that you consider to be
fraudulent. You must evaluate the
author’s claims and discuss in what ways the archaeology described is
misguided, mistaken, or misrepresents the facts. Does the author have a hidden agenda? 2 pages, 20 points, due Tuesday, January
21st.
Week Two (Jan 21/23).
Understanding the past: myths and legends versus science
Reading Assignment: Reserve Reading #1, Feder
Week Three (Jan 28/30). How old is it?
Reading Assignment: Reserve Reading
#2, Zimmer; Images, pps. 25-31, 42-43
Week Four (Feb 4/6/11).
Humanity’s earliest prehistory
Film: Neanderthal
Weeks Five-Six (Feb 13/18/20).
The Agricultural Revolution
Reading Assignment: Images, Chapters
5-6
Film: Return of the Ice Man
Homework
Assignment #2: This
assignment will require you to create a mock archaeological assemblage, which
will be exchanged with a partner. You
must then describe and interpret your partner’s assemblage. What past activity is indicated by the
archaeological evidence? 2 pages, 20
points, Part 1 due Tuesday, February 25th, Part 2 due Tuesday
March 4th.
Week Seven (Feb 25/27). Archaeological methods: survey and
excavation
Week Eight (Mar 4/6).
“Group Project” planning (March 4) and Mid-Term Exam (March 6)
Weeks Ten-Eleven (Mar 18/20/25/27).
Old World civilizations
Reading Assignment: Images, Chapters
10-11
Film: Iraq: The Cradle of Civilization
Week Twelve (Apr 1/3).
Archaeological methods: analysis and interpretation
Reading Assignment: Fugawiland, pps.
39-58
NOTE: you should all plan
to attend the Millsaps “Nova Series” presentation by Jane Goodall the evening
of April 8th.
Week Fourteen (Apr 15/17).
New World civilizations
Reading Assignment: Images, Chapters
7-9
Week Fifteen (Apr 22/24).
Class presentations (project reports due)
Final Exam: Tuesday, April 30th,
2:00 pm—turn in Fugawiland