I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
VI: Historical and Cultural Studies
Dept/Program
Anthropology
Course #
ANTH 354
Course Title
Prerequisite
3
Mesoamerican Prehistory
None
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
John E. Douglas
9/15/08
4246
john.douglas@umontana.ed
u
Program Chair
John E. Douglas
9/15/08
Dean
Gerald Fetz
III. Description and purpose of the course: General Education courses must be introductory
and foundational. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/gened/GEPreamble_final.htm
Instructor
Phone / Email
For at least 15,000 years, Native Americans lived in “Mesoamerica” (In terms of modern
political boundaries, Central Mexico south and east to neighboring Central American countries,
including Belize, Guatemala, and parts of El Salvador and Honduras). This course covers the
era through the Spanish Conquest that began in A.D. 1519. The prehispanic people in this
region developed into one of the two great centers of political, economic, and social complexity
in the Americas (the other is northwest South America). This means that the Aztecs, Mayans,
their predecessors, along with many less well-know cultures in the region, ultimately organized
into large political states, and, at times, huge empires, with incredible urban centers and their
well-known ceremonial precincts, impressively high population densities, a high degree of
economic specialization and stratified class society, and the requisite technologies, including
highly productive agricultural systems. The are three ways to learn about these substantial and
consequential human experiences: (1) the stories of the Native American from this region,
including written histories from both before and after the Spanish Conquest—this is the only
area in the Americas with indigenous writing systems; (2) inferences from historical and
anthropological observations of Native Americans; and (3) the objects, structures, and
landscapes created by Native Americans from before the Conquest. Informed by the first two
methods, this is a course presenting the third, archaeological, approach to understanding
Mesoamerica before the Conquest. It is taught to a wide range of students—generally, it has
more non-anthropology majors than majors, and counts towards Latin American minor—and it
introduces what archaeologists can infer about the origins, development, causes, and patterns of
the “great tradition” of Mesoamerica. Clearly, the course explicitly addresses the
accomplishment of Native Americans and provides some comparisons with other “early
Civilizations” with the aim of understanding the originality and complexity of Native American
societies.
IV. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Courses teach students how to: present ideas
and information with a view to understanding
the causes, development, and consequences of
historical events; evaluate texts or artifacts
within their historical and/or cultural contexts;
and analyze human behavior, ideas, and
institutions within their respective historical
and/or cultural contexts.
Archaeologists begin with landscapes, sites
and artifacts, and connect these, using
inferences and the scientific method, to past
social organizations and behaviors. That is,
the course looks at how we infer a host of
social parameters from archaeology: How do
we tell the differences between political
control and economic exchanges? How do
we examine class differences using burials
and settlement information? How can we
identify field systems that are a thousand
years old? These inferences are only the first
step: by looking at societies over thousands
of years, this course examines how and why
societies change in this huge area and time
span, exploring the role of environment
(social and physical), contingency, and
cultural traditions in change, and connecting
all these factors into “big picture” narratives
and explanations of the past. By examining
Mesoamerica from the first “peopling” up to
the historic period, students gain a sense of
how Native American institutions originate,
evolve and change.
The course justification should explain the
approach and focus with respect to its
chronological, geographical, and/or topical
content. A methodological component (e.g.
historiography or ethnography) must be
apparent.
Most of the course is organized into a time
and space grid: a gross chronology is used to
define periods with broad similarities and
then cultural regions, especially the most
thoroughly studied ones, are introduced,
compared, and contrasted. Thus, there is a
strong sense of local development and
change through time. “Hinge-points” and
critical issues in the prehistoric record are
explored in detail: What conditions lead to
the adoption of agriculture? What are the
social conditions that lead to social ranking?
Why does “cycling” between great empires
and politically fragmented and often warring
small states occur? These kinds of questions
(see the syllabus) are dealt within specific
historical contexts and narratives.
Methodological issues, such as: how do you
tell the age of an object? How do you
reconcile Mesoamerican texts with the
archaeology? How do you tell where an
object was manufactured?, are consistently
integrated into the discussion of the
substantive questions.
V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Synthesize ideas and information with a view to This course focuses on “hinge-points” and
understanding the causes and consequences of
critical issues in the prehistoric record
historical developments and events.
including (to mention one not yet given):
What needs and conditions prompt urban
growth? This kind of question is dealt
within specific historical contexts and
narratives. Students learn from a textbook
(an excellent one, with provocative essays
written by a range of scholars), lectures,
PowerPoint presentations, and videos, and
are expected to synthesize their
understandings in exams and papers. In
sum, the course looks at fundamental
questions in social and cultural development
within specific historical contexts and
narratives.
Evaluate texts or artifacts within their historical
and/or cultural contexts.
Artifacts from stepped pyramids to Mayan
polychrome vases to raised agricultural
fields to Aztec obsidian human sacrifice
daggers are contextualized in a historical
and cultural manner. How these objects
were created, why they were created, and
what cultural values and needs are
encapsulated in such “things” are careful
analyzed in lectures and the required texts.
In addition, a written assignment requires
students to examine the specific reasoning
and interpretation of one of the diverse
chapters in the textbook. The goal of this
exercise is to consider the process of
archaeological interpretation of this
complex record.
Analyze human behavior, ideas, and institutions Native American cultures over a 15
within their respective historical and/or cultural millennium period and this extensive area—
contexts.
geographically, it ranges from the tropical
lowlands of the Maya to the high temperate
valleys of Central Mexico where the Aztecs
and their ancestors lived—varied
considerably. Students learn about the
tensions between the “Mesoamerican World
System”—the shared aspects of the cultures
and circulation of elite goods— and local
traditions, especially of the gulf coast,
lowland Maya, Oaxaca region, and the
Basin of Mexico (modern Mexico City).
Ideological, ecological, social, economic,
and political forces are all given their due.
This class is often an eye-opener for
students who have little idea that the
prehistoric Native Americans had cities that
rivaled and often exceeded the ancient
towns of Eurasia, sophisticated writing
systems, elaborate markets and
transportation systems, and one of the most
advanced astronomical and mathematical
systems in the ancient world.
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. ⇓ The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
MESOAMERICAN PREHISTORY, Anthro 354, Summer 2007
Professor: John Douglas; Office: Social Sciences 233; Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday,
10:00-11:00; Monday-Wednesday 1:30-2:30, or by appointment; Tel: 243-4246; E-mail:
John.Douglas@umontana.edu.
Purpose: Participants in this course will gain an appreciation of cultural developments within
Mesoamerica up to the Spanish conquest. "Mesoamerica" is a term used to identify an area
encompassing part or all of the modern nations of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and
El Salvador, where some of the most complex Native American societies flourished. The
course takes a chronological approach, first focusing on the domestication of important crops
such as corn, beans, and squash. The process of creating larger settlements —first villages,
then ceremonial centers and towns, and, ultimately, cities—and the concurrent increasing social
and political complexity, are the themes for the remainder of the class. Developments that are
traced include: population growth, social inequalities, the intensification of agriculture,
changes in religious authority, specialization of craft production, the delineation of state art
styles, and the expansion of technical fields such as writing, mathematics, astronomy, and
calendrics. These trends, summarized on page 4 of this syllabus, using the terminology
employed during the course, were not linear, nor were they always region-wide. Therefore, we
will closely examine the causes and consequences of the development and collapse of separate
traditions, such as the Gulf Coast Olmec, the Classic Maya, and the Aztec.
Prerequisites: None
Required text: Hendon, Julia A., and Rosemary A. Joyce,
2003, Mesoamerican Archaeology. Blackwell Publishing,
Maldan, MA.
Text webpage:
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/BSGA/mesoam/. You
will need to access the book study questions provided on this
site for the written assignment. The webpage has other useful
content, particularly political maps and a small set of
photographs. Also, the webpage includes links that provide
color photographs, sometimes movies, and additional info
covering many sites and cultures covered by the class.
Tests and assignments: There are three tests. Each test is
worth 100 points. A test follows each unit and covers the
lecture materials and readings. Tests consist of objective
questions (multiple choice, true-false), worth 3 points each and short answer and/or short essay
questions. An OPTIONAL comprehensive exam is given in the second hour of the final
period. This exam replaces a missing exam or one with a lower grade. It cannot lower your
grade.
Besides the tests, students must write a short written assignment, due July 23, judged on a 50point scale:
1) Open the webpage for the book and select “Study Questions” under Students area;”
2) Choose two (2) questions that you wish to write on from two different chapters;
3) Include the questions that you answer at the top of your paper;
3) Answer each question in two type-written or neatly handwritten double spaced pages
(no more than 500-600 words);
4) Cite the sources of your information (normally, the chapter associated with the
question) using any citation system you want; archaeologists normally use the authordate-page system modeled in the textbook. For example, (Sugiyama 2003:121) refers to
page 121 of your book, in the chapter written by Sugiyama. Clearly indicate any direct
quotes with quotation marks or, if long, by indentation (see an example of the latter on
page 250 of your book).
5) Please include a “references cited” page listing the chapters that you cited.
6) I urge all students to read and understand the plagiarism warning contained in the
general catalog. If you do not clearly indicate the source of sentences taken from the
chapters, you are committing “plagiarism,” an activity that, at a minimum, will result in
a zero for the paper and the notification of the Dean of Students.
Extra Credit: Due: July 25 in class.—No exceptions! Grading: There is a maximum of 10
points; papers will be graded on style/grammar/spelling, understanding of the reviewed
research, and creativity in reviewing the research implications. Assignment: select a peerreviewed archaeological journal article at least six pages long that focuses on an
archaeological site, artifact category, or other topic related to Mesoamerican archaeology as
defined in your text book. Make sure you are using a peer-reviewed journal, and check that you
have an article, not a book review, news short, or reply. I recommend Latin American
Antiquity, Journal of Field Archaeology, or Journal of World Prehistory; in our library, the first
two are electronic only journals and the latter is available electronically and on paper.
Questions: in preparing your paper, answer the following questions: (1) What is (are) the
central question(s) that the author(s) are trying to answer? (2) What information and approaches
do they use to answer those questions? (3) How successful do you think they were in answering
those questions? (4) Review what your textbook says about the relevant era/region. How does
the journal article you read add to your understanding of this period of Mesoamerican
archaeology? Mechanics: Papers must be typed, double-spaced, stapled, and no more than four
pages of text using standard fonts and margins. You must include a copy of the first page and
abstract for the article that you select in your assignment. Make sure you provide a full
citation of your article, and use the author-date system to cite quotes and specific facts in your
paper (see discussion under required assignment).
Graduate Student Papers: All graduate students must submit a 3,000 to 4,000 word (12-16
double space pages) original research paper on an approved aspect of Mesoamerican
archaeology with at least 10 references from professional sources. Graduate papers will be
judged on a 100-point scale, and are due on July 25.
Final Grades: Not including bonus points, there are 350 points possible in the class for
undergraduates, with 90% (315+ for undergraduates,) or more will receive an "A," etc. The +/system will NOT be used in this class.
A plea to the wireless crowd: Please turn off you cell phone or mute the ringer during class!
Disability Accommodations: When requested by the student, learning disabilities recognized
by Disability Student Services (DSS) will be ameliorated with any reasonable accommodation:
copies of notes, special testing environment, extended testing time, and special forms of the
tests.
Plagiarism and misconduct: All students must practice academic honesty. Students
unfamiliar with the Plagiarism Warning in the catalog are urged to read it. Plagiarism and
Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the instructor and/or a disciplinary
sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code.
The Code is available for review online at www.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/index.cfm/page/1321 .
Incompletes: An incomplete will be considered only when requested by the student. At the
discretion of the instructor, incompletes are given to students who missed a portion of the class
because of documented serious health or personal problems during the session. Students have
one year to complete the course; requirements are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
lease note that June 29 (4:30 pm) is the last day to add or drop a course
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Mesoamerican Prehistory Schedule
Topic
Readings
Course Introduction/ /Geography
History of Archaeology
Chapter 1
Peopling through the Transition to Food
Production
The Early Formative
Chapter 2
The Late Formative
Chapter 3
TEST 1
Holiday
The Classic Maya
Chapter 6
The Classic Maya
Chapter 6
The Classic Maya
Chapter 7
Teotihuacan
Chapters 4 & 5
Oaxaca
Chapter 8
Classic collapse
TEST 2
The Early Post-Classic
Chapter 10
The Late Post-Classic
Chapter 9
The Late Post-Classic (papers due)
Chapter 11
The Aztecs
Chapter 12
The Aztecs
Chapter 12
Required TEST 3 and optional essay final (follows regular test)
*Please note: As an instructor of a general education course, you will be expected to provide
sample assessment items and corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.