I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 2/8/13)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change or
renew existing gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
II. Mathematics
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III. Language
VIII: Ethics & Human Values
separate forms
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * IX: American & European
if requesting
IV: Expressive Arts
X: Indigenous & Global
X
more than one
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
general
w/ lab  w/out lab 
education
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program Anthropology
Course #
ANTY 465X
Course Title
Prerequisite
Arch of the SW United States
None
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
3
Date
2/10/14
Instructor
John E. Douglas
Phone / Email x4246; john.douglas@umontana.edu
Program Chair Gilbert Quintero
Dean
Christopher Comer
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew X
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Description of change
IV. Description and purpose of the general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
For at least 15,000 years, Native Americans lived in “the Greater Southwest” or the
"Northwest/Southwest" (terms covering 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 presents what archaeologists can infer about the origins,
development, causes, and patterns of Native Americans in the Greater Southwest. This course
covers this long “prehistory” (in the sense that there are no original written records—obviously,
historical processes were occurring), including a short 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.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Indigenous and/or global courses will
By examining “the Greater Southwest” from
familiarize students with the values, histories,
the first “peopling” up to the historic period,
and institutions of two or more societies
students gain a sense of how Native
through the uses of comparative approaches.
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, etc.)—from the
“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 a key
question for the Southwest: to what extent is
it a 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 essential
contrasts with European societies are also
made.
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.
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.
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.
There are around 50 recognized tribes in the
Greater Southwest. Their traditional lifeways
are varied, from the Seri, coastal
gatherer/fishers, along the Gulf of California
in Sonora, Mexico, to nomadic land-based
hunter-gatherers, such as some Apaches
bands, to settled farming villagers, such as
the various Rio Grande pueblos of New
Mexico. This diversity can be traced from
the varied and complex archaeological
record that is explored in this class. We
examine not only the differences between
these regions, but also the connections:
exchange, migration, and shared beliefs,
which connected groups together.
The Greater Southwest has been the subject
of nearly 150 years of intensive
archaeological research, and has one of the
best-attested archaeological records in the
world. In some areas, tree ring climatology
and construction dating allows for incredible
year-by-year reconstructions of farming
conditions and architectural activities.
Preservation of remains is often good,
sometimes excellent. These advantages mean
that this region is a sort of "laboratory" to
examine what archaeologists can achieve
with a strong archaeological record to work
from, and is considered one of the
preeminent archaeological regions in the
world.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Place human behavior and cultural ideas into a
wider (global/indigenous) framework, and
enhance their understanding of the complex
interdependence of nations and societies and
their physical environments.
Demonstrate an awareness of the diverse ways
humans structure their social, political, and
cultural lives.
Analyze and compare the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship in the 21st century
including those of their own societies and
cultures.
Most of the course is organized into a time
and space grid: culture “areas” (groups
related by shared heritage and adaptations)
are introduced, then the changes and
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 with in specific historical contexts
and narratives.
The course allows important comparisons to
be made between hunting and gathering
groups, egalitarian small-scale farmers, and
the emergence of towns of several thousand
people that includes families that garner
higher ranking and more resources than
others. Southwest archaeology is
particularly useful to think about how
environment and changes in environments
affect human life in an indigenous setting.
This class is often an eye-opener for
students and inherently comparative to
“western civilization” for students, because
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. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
The class is 400 level, 3 credits, and no prerequisites. The last time the class was taught (2008)
or reviewed for Indigenous Gen Ed qualification (2008) it was a 300-level. The class is
scheduled for Autumn 2014. Because I (John Douglas) am the only faculty member qualified to
teach this class, it was put on hiatus first because I served as department chair and the course is
not essential for our majors, and then, last fall, because I was on sabbatical. The class was
moved up to the 400 level during the CCN renumbering in order to make it available to
graduate students. This makes sense, because this is the area of my Ph.D. specialization and
most of my professional publications, and because it is an important region for the field of
American archaeology.
Of course, the question here is: can this course continue as a gen ed course while being moved
to this higher level? I think that it can. I have had several generations of students take this "SW"
course as nonmajors for non-western/indigenous credit, and I'd like to continue to have that
opportunity to show a variety of students the importance of the region for their education—for
all the reasons I've outlined above.
It is important for the committee to realize that we have virtually no majors (undergraduate or
graduate) who have specialized in or have prior knowledge of the region (with the partial
exception of those who have taken North American Archaeology, in which case they've had a
couple of weeks of introduction), so for all students, I need to start at the beginning and explain
the region and its importance.
Here's how I plan to move the class up to 400 level while keeping its broader connections to
nonmajors:
1) Change reading assignments. My old book was easier, but is now hopelessly out of date.
Archaeology of the Southwest, Third Edition (2012) by Linda Cordell is the standard
text, much improved in third edition, and I'll move to that. I'll also add a short list of
carefully chosen articles to supplement it—with an eye to articles those that are widelyaccessible.
2) Variable assignments. My "write historical fiction" in the archaeological past
assignment (see the syllabus on how I use this) has been really successful in getting
students to think about everyday life in a culture outside their own. I'll keep that
assignment for nonmajors, while requiring a research paper on an important aspect of
the region for majors (with a longer paper with more references for the grad students).
3) Students teaching students. I expect 2-4 grad students. I will require them to do a
presentation to the undergraduates.
I believe that these changes will allow me to work with a variety of students and keep it
interesting and relevant for everyone. I see that there are other 400-level indigenous gen ed
courses, so I know that this can be done.
I would appreciate the support of the General Education Committee and the Faculty Senate. I
strongly believe that I can meet the needs of students taking the course for fulfilling their X
requirement. If my plan doesn't work—if either no gen ed students show up, or if nonmajors are
shortchanged in the class—I will ask for the X designation to be removed.
VIII. 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
See justification above. This is the Syllabus from the last time the class was taught,
before being changed to the 400-level.
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
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
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
o
o
o
o
o
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: Approved general education changes will take effect next fall.
General education instructors will be expected to provide sample assessment items and
corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.