I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
VI: Historical and Cultural Studies
Dept/Program
Anthropology
Course #
Course Title
Prerequisite
ANTH 357
Archaeology of the Southwestern United States
None
Credits
3
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 “the Greater Southwest” (a covering term
that includes the U.S. Southwest and Northwest Mexico, often encapsulated as Durango,
Colorado to Durango, Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada to Las Vegas, New Mexico). This course
covers this long “prehistory” (in the sense that there are no original written records—obviously,
historical processes were occurring), including a brief look at the effects of contact. There are
three ways to learn about these human experiences: (1) the myths and oral history of the Native
American from this region; (2) inferences from historical and anthropological observations of
Native Americans; and (3) the objects, structures, and landscapes created by Southwestern
Natives over this 15,000 year period. Informed by the first two methods, this is a course
presenting the third, archaeological, approach to understanding the region. It is taught to a wide
range of students—generally, it has more non-anthropology majors than majors—and it
introduces what archaeologists can infer about the origins, development, causes, and patterns of
the Southwest.
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.
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.
Southwestern archaeology has a deserved
reputation as a leading light in archaeology.
This is because of the rich archaeological
record in a dry environment, superior
chronological control (thanks to
dendrochronology, or tree ring dating, in the
northern Southwest, a highly accurate
technique), and rich interconnections
between this record and contemporary
Native Americans. That doesn’t mean that
the answers to all our questions have been
found, but it does mean that the debates have
been on a sophisticated level, and I work to
convey the nature of these analyses to the
class. 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 a matrilineal society form a
patrilineal one? How do we tell ritual
emulation from political control? What
patterns in migration flow can be found?
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 area, exploring the role of
environment (social and physical),
contingency, and cultural traditions within
and outside the region in change. By
examining the changes from big game
hunters to agricultural towns of up to
thousands of people in a half dozen distinct
regions, students gain a sense of how these
Native American societies originate, evolve
and change.
The course includes both a specific
methodological overview of archaeology,
past and present, which introduces the
course, as well as a constant discussion of
how archaeologists make inferences about
the archaeological record. That is, students
not only learn a narrative about the past of
Native Americans, but they also learn to
“think like an archaeologist” in how data are
used in our interpretations
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 V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly
understanding the causes and consequences of
explain how this course will meet the
historical developments and events.
applicable learning goals. See:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx
/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Evaluate texts or artifacts within their historical This course focuses on “hinge-points” and
and/or cultural contexts.
critical issues in the prehistoric record:
What conditions lead to the adoption of
agriculture? What are the social conditions
that lead to social ranking? These kinds of
questions (see the syllabus) are dealt within
specific historical contexts and narratives.
Students learn from a textbook, other
reading, lectures, PowerPoint presentations,
and videos, and are expected to synthesize
their understandings in exams and papers.
Analyze human behavior, ideas, and institutions Artifacts from paleoindian projectile points
within their respective historical and/or cultural to Chacoan Great Kivas to Hohokam canal
contexts.
systems 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
considered. In addition, requiring students to
read and interpret a professional
archaeological report gives them more
insight into the process of taking
archaeological observations and turning
them into the broader narrative that the
textbook presents.
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
ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S. (Anthro 357) Wintersession 2008
Professor: John Douglas; Office: Social Sciences 233; E-mail: John.Douglas@umontana.edu;
Tel: 243-4246; Office hours: M-Th 11-12, or appointments welcome.
Description: In this course, we will discuss the prehistoric people of the American Southwest
and the Mexican Northwest, including significant changes in subsistence, technology, social
systems, and political organization between 9200 B.C., the earliest established date for human
occupation, and A.D. 1540, when Spanish contact began producing major changes. We will
gain an appreciation of the adaptations of the peoples of the Southwest to an often harsh
environment, with a particular focus on how agricultural communities functioned. Furthermore,
by studying the prehistory of the Southwest, we also will learn more about the methods that
archaeologists use to understand the past.
Prerequisites: None
Required text: Plog, Stephen, 1997, Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest, Thames
and Hudson, New York. The book is available in the bookstore. Suzanne K. Fish, Paul R. Fish,
and John H. Madsen, Editors, 1992, The Marana Community in the Hohokam World,
Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona, number 56. A complete online version of
the Fish et al. monograph is available for free is available at:
http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/onlinebks/Fish/contents.htm.
Tests: There are two tests. Each test is worth 100 points. A test follows each unit and
covers the unit's lecture material and assigned readings (the last one falls on the last day). Test
questions include multiple-choice, true-false, and matching, and short definition.
Papers: Besides the tests, undergraduates must prepare an assignment to research and write a
brief story or scene set in the prehistoric Southwest. The details of this assignment are outline at
the end of this syllabus. The assignment is worth 100 points. Any graduate student taking the
class must talk to me about an alternative assignment.
Extra Credit Assignment: You can earn up to 15 points (5% of your grade) by giving a 10
minute PowerPoint presentation to the class on the last day. See instructions at the end of the
syllubus.
Grade Determination: There are 300 points possible in the class (400 for grad students);
students with 90% or more of the possible points will receive an "A," etc. (see below).
Grade
A
B
C
D (or “credit”)
Points
270 +
230+
200+
170+
Other issues:
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. Students caught breaking the code will be
subject to penalties, up to failing the course and being reported to the Dean of Students.
A plea to the wireless crowd: Please turn off you cell phone 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.
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 problem during the semester.
Students have one year to complete the course; requirements are negotiated on a case-by-case
basis.
Class Schedule
DAT
E
TOPIC
The Natural Environment/ Native
peoples
History of Archaeological
Research/Methods
READINGS
2-Jan
W
3-Jan
Th
4-Jan
F
Paleoindians in the
Southwest/Archaic
7-Jan
M
Agriculture, Villages, and Ceramics
8-Jan
T
Hohokam and Patayan
9-Jan
10Jan
11Jan
14Jan
15Jan
16Jan
17Jan
18Jan
W
The Mogollon-Mimbres
Th
Midterm
F
Anasazi/ Chaco Canyon
M
The Mogollon-Mimbres
T
Cliff Dwellings and Reorganization
C. 6. Cliff Dwellings, Cooperation, and
Conflict
W
Paquime and Northern Mexico
(Papers Due)
Th
Classic Hohokam/transition to
history
Fish, Fish and Madsen, Chapters 7-9
F
Final and Optional Presentations
Preface & C. 1. Introduction: People
and Landscape
C. 2. Paleoindians: Early Hunters and
Gatherers C. 3. The Archaic:
Questions of Continuity & Change
C. 4. The rise of village life, 200 B.C.
to A.D. 700
C. 5. From village to town: Hohokam,
Mogollon, & Anasazi, 71-93; Fish, Fish
and Madsen, Chapters 1-6
C. 5. From village to town: Hohokam,
Mogollon, & Anasazi, 93-117
Southwest Archaeology Assignment: Historical Fiction
Purpose: This assignment allows you to think more about the lives of people in the prehistoric
Greater Southwest by writing a short piece of historical fiction (see Wikipedia discussion of the
historic novel/fiction at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_fiction for a definition and
history).
Resources: Like any historic fiction, your story should be framed by what scholarship knows
about the time and place; you are then free to imagine the interactions and daily life that
remains “hazy” from the archaeological record. Your first task is to understand the archaeology
record for the time and place you have defined, and you should use your texts and lecture notes
as the basis for this, supplemented by appropriate web and library resources.
If you are looking for inspiration for your work, take a glance through Adolf Bandelier’s 1890
novel The Delight Makers. An important early southwestern archaeologist, Bandelier took the
unusual step of writing a novel set in the ruins he had excavated in northern New Mexico. The
writing is certainly florid as only 19th century fiction authors can be, and it certainly reflects the
biases of the time, but nevertheless can be read as an honest attempt to “make the past live.”
Still in print, the book is on reserve and is also available from several internet sources; I
recommend the Project Gutenberg’s HTML version, which includes the original illustrations
(http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/18310).
Research: You should read and cite at least three relevant references, besides the course notes
and textbooks. At least one must not be an HTML page (eBooks and eJournals are fine). Do
not put citations in the story. Instead, list them at the end of the story in any convenient,
consistent, format (this is not included in the page count); the standard archaeological format
can be found at http://www.saa.org/publications/StyleGuide/styFrame.html.
.
Assignment: Your vignette/short story should be 4-8 pages of double-spaced text with normal
fonts and margins (1,000 to 2,000 words). It should be clear where and when your story takes
place; if this is not woven into the story, add an opening paragraph that sets the stage, along the
lines of the original “Star Wars” scroll that sets the “back story” for that movie. It is OK to use
names of sites and artifacts employed by archaeologists, even though names like “Snaketown,”
“Ventana Cave,” or “Clovis Point” are entirely modern. Try to weave a story about how
people’s lives in the past were organized on a day-to-day level (I will not look kindly on stories
focused solely on “great leaders” or “great warriors;” I will be even harsher on stories focused
on alien landings, etc.)
Grading: Roughly 50% of the grade will be based on the amount, accuracy, and relevance of
the archaeological information that you employ; 30% on your creativity in weaving a story that
helps bring daily life of people alive, and 20% on grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Southwest Extra Credit Assignment: Class Site Presentation (15
points)
General Instructions:
• Choose a site that interests you and there are research materials available.
Obviously, images on the internet will make this assignment easier, but you can
scan images from a book or clip them from eBooks or eJournals. Choose a specific
•
•
•
•
place that people lived or did other activities: Mug House, not Mesa Verde, Fajada
Butte, not Chaco Canyon.
Sign up with me about your site choice as soon as possible. There will be only one
person for each site, on a first come basis.
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation on the site with approximately eight slides. You
may want to make sure that all your images are sized to make it easy to use by going
to the “format picture” controls, then the “Picture” Tab, then the “Compress . .
“button, then make sure “all pictures” in the document checkbox, then compress,
followed by clicking OK.
Turn in a copy of your PowerPoint presentation with a title that includes your last
name to me at Blackboard (http://courseware.umt.edu) by 10 am on January 18
using the digital dropbox.
I’ll load your presentation on my computer and you will give a 10 minute talk about
your site on January 18.
Check List of Suggestions and Requirements:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Your first slide should be a title page with the site name and your name
The second slide must be a general site of the region showing the site location
Normally, you should include a site map
The Notes section of PowerPoint should give the reference for any figures on that
slide
The last slide should have your bibliography. Use a standard scheme, such as
http://www.saa.org/publications/StyleGuide/styFrame.html
Provide basic information about the site, including
o Dates
o Culture that occupied it
o Environmental setting
o Function or activities found at the site
o What makes the site interesting
o If relevant, include names of excavators, controversies, preservation issues,
etc.
Keep your writing to a minimum; bullet major talking points
Use your research skills to find accurate, scientific, and archaeological sources. If
you have questions, ask me.
Don’t present other people’s writing as your own! I will hold you to the Student
Code of Conduct, and if honesty isn’t its own reward, consider how easily the
Internet is searchable and that this is my area of specialty, so be warned!
*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.