I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
X: Indigenous and Global Perspectives
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
Indigenous and/or global courses will
familiarize students with the values, histories,
and institutions of two or more societies
through the uses of comparative approaches.
Indigenous perspective courses address the
longstanding tenure of a particular people in a
particular geographical region, their histories,
cultures, and ways of living as well as their
interaction with other groups, indigenous and
non-indigenous.
Global perspective courses adopt a broad focus
with respect to time, place, and subject matter
and one that is transnational and/or multicultural/ethnic in nature. Whether the cultures
or societies under study are primarily historical
or contemporary, courses investigate significant
linkages or interactions that range across time
and space.
By examining “the Greater Southwest” from
the first “peopling” up to the historic period,
students gain a sense of how Native
American institutions originate, evolve and
change. The class is inherently comparative
in two senses. First, it examines a range of
Native American cultures (Hohokam,
Anasazi, Mogollon, Salado, to use some of
the more familiar names)—from the
apparently ritual-based “great houses” of
Chaco Canyon region of northwest New
Mexico, to the highly diverse adaptations in
the Mogollon highlands, to the canal-based
towns of the Hohokam in the Phoenix Basin.
It also considers one of the great questions of
the Southwest: to what extent is it merely
derivative of the “Great Tradition” of
Mesoamerica to the south? In examining that
issue, the issue of local innovation and
determination versus “international” style
and organization can be examined in a world
very different than our own. Finally, the
class examines contact with Europeans—
albeit briefly, given the lengthy prehistoric
sequence that is presented—so that essential
contrasts with European societies are also
made.
The course has an indigenous perspective.
Archaeology offers a unique view: Native
American culture without the effects of the
European expansion. That is not to say
eurocentric ideas do not influence our
interpretation— those problems with
archaeology are dealt with explicitly— but
the record itself represents a unique window
on Native America.
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
Most of the course is organized into a time
Place human behavior and cultural ideas into a
wider (global/indigenous) framework, and
and space grid: culture “areas” (groups
enhance their understanding of the complex
related by shared heritage and adaptations)
interdependence of nations and societies and
are introduced, then the changes and
their physical environments.
innovations in the area examined through
time. Thus, there is a strong sense of local
development. The course also provides
specific comparisons between these areas, in
order to show differences, similarities,
trends and contacts that knit together the
Greater Southwest. “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?
These kinds of questions (see the syllabus)
are dealt within specific historical contexts
and narratives.
A tool that I use to get students to take an
Demonstrate an awareness of the diverse ways
humans structure their social, political, and
indigenous view is to ask them to write a
cultural lives.
short piece of “historic fiction,” accurately
placing a story they invent in the past we’re
studying. No doubt, I get my share of turgid
dialog and ill-advised assumptions about
people who were very different than 21st
century Americans. However, student
enthusiasm for the project, and the platform
the exercise provides to really get at the
differences between “us” and people in this
prehistoric past, has made this a very useful
exercise in my class.
This class is often an eye-opener for
Analyze and compare the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship in the 21st century students and inherently comparative to
“western civilization” for students, because
including those of their own societies and
cultures.
of the echoes of the Victorian–era view that
placed Europeans at the pinnacle of human
existence that is still present in popular
culture. Few students have any idea that the
prehistoric Southwestern Indians had such
sophisticated agricultural systems,
substantial towns, or involved religious and
ritual systems. Simplistic notions of EuroAmerican “progress” are challenged by this
class.
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)
2008
Wintersession
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
Points
A
B
C
D (or “credit”)
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
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
W
The Mogollon-Mimbres
Th
Midterm
READINGS
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
11Jan
14Jan
15Jan
16Jan
17Jan
18Jan
C. 5. From village to town: Hohokam,
Mogollon, & Anasazi, 93-117
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
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
Culture that occupied it
Environmental setting
Function or activities found at the site
What makes the site interesting
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.
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