COURSE SYLLABUS
ANTH 238: NATIVE PEOPLES OF NORTH AMERICA
SPRING 2012
C01: MWF 10:00-10:50 am, Aspen 182 (Social Science Lab)
James C. Woods
jwoods@csi.edu
Office: Aspen 128b
Office hours: posted online
Office phone: 208-736-6862
1. Course Description:
Students will learn about the varieties of indigenous cultures that occupied North America from
about 15,000 years ago until the contact period. The course will begin with an overview of the
indigenous cultures that were here during the beginning of the conquest of this continent; then
progress region by region to include discussions of ancient cultures that existed across North
America. Discussions of contemporary Native American issues will be included. Indigenous
settlement systems, subsistence, artifacts, art, religion, mythology, warfare, and many more
aspects will be reviewed.
2. Pre-requisites:
There are no prerequisites for this course.
3. Required Textbooks and Supplies:
Sutton, Mark Q., An Introduction to Native North America, 4th Ed. Pearson.
4. Course Objectives:
ANTH 238 is designed to satisfy Social Science Department and Anthropology Program goals as
outlined below.
CSI Social Science Department Goals
a) Learn important facts, concepts, and theories of Social Science.
b) Acquire new techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge.
c) Learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
d) Use evaluation, analysis, and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
e) Use social sciences to make better-informed decisions.
CSI Anthropology Program Goals
a) Provide you with a survey of the history of anthropology and its major contributors.
b) Provide you with an overview of the sub-disciplines of anthropology, its current trends, and
specialized terminology used by anthropologists.
c) Instill in you an awareness of worldwide cultural diversity to help you appreciate the
commonality of mankind.
d) Introduce you to the methodology used by anthropologists.
e) Reinforce your reading, writing, and speaking skills to help prepare you for transfer to a fouryear college.
Specific Goals for ANTH 238
a) Provide students with a basic overview of the history of Native Peoples of the continent prior to
and just after European invasion.
b) Provide students with specific knowledge about native people who lived in each of ten cultural
sub-regions of the continent.
c) Introduce students to the specialized terminology used by anthropologists to describe political,
religious, economic, and subsistence systems.
d) Provide hands-on experiences in replication of certain technologies used by indigenous people
of the continent.
e) Enhance your speaking skills by having you present a short summary of some unique aspect of
one Native American group.
f) (for anthropology majors especially) Help prepare you to transfer to an upper division program
elsewhere.
5. Outcomes Assessment:
To accommodate different learning styles, a variety of assessment methods will be used in this
class to determine if you are achieving the above course objectives. In-class short essay quizzes
consisting of one or two questions each will be used to measure your understanding of course
content including the textbook and supplementary videos. Completion of several in-class lab
projects will demonstrate your ability to solve technical problems similar to those faced by ancient
craftspersons. Your ability to summarize the results of these lab projects will be measured by
writing short lab critiques. In-class discussions will be used to enhance and assess your ability to
verbally communicate important concepts to others. Sometime during the semester, you will be
required to present an oral presentation to the class about some unique aspect of one selected
Native American group. This exercise will reinforce your writing skills. Lastly, a written final exam
will be used to determine your ability to synthesize course material.
6. Policies and Procedures:
a. Attendance policy: Attendance is required for this course. In accordance with CSI policies,
school-sanctioned absences will not count against you if advance notice is provided. Please note
the following new changes to the CSI attendance policy:
1-If you fail to show up the first week of school, you will be dropped by the instructor. You
may qualify for a refund and you will not receive a “W” on your transcript.
2-You can still withdraw the second week of school, but you will get a “W” on your transcript.
You will not be eligible for a refund, and you cannot be reinstated. Faculty can drop students
this week for “no show”.
3-During the third week, you can withdraw from class but will receive a “W” on your transcript.
After the second week, faculty cannot drop students, only issue letter grades.
b. Class structure: Approximately one chapter will be reviewed each week. The instructor will
provide a review of chapter readings and facilitate discussions using projected lecture notes and
other visual aids. Videos, slide programs, lab exercises, and demonstrations will also be used
when appropriate. An active interchange between all students and the instructor will be
encouraged.
c. Assignments: First and foremost, you are required to read the textbook. Some questions on
quizzes may come from the text without review in the classroom, and the text provides the basic
organizational structure for the entire semester. It only takes an hour or so to read each chapter,
PLEASE be responsible about this most important course requirement. Many assignments will be
completed during class time, so these cannot be made up if you miss that class. You will also be
required to make one presentation for this class as described in section 7 below.
d. Plagiarism: Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are violations of the honesty policy found in
the CSI General Catalog. Violators will receive a zero for the work in question.
e. Cell phones: Please silence cell phone ringers, save conversations or texting for after class.
f. Personal musical devices: Please do not use musical devices during class time.
g. Laptops, notebooks, etc: You may use computers for taking notes, but not for accessing any
social media, or other non-class-related activities. The lab has ample power sources and a fast
wireless connection.
h. Visitors: Lecture topics will not be adjusted for guests, some topics in this class may be
unsuitable for children. Videos include some adult themes and images and are NOT rated using
any standard film rating system.
i. Lab: Aspen 182 contains some dangerous tools that could be reached by small children. As a
result, young visitors are not allowed in the lab.
7. Presentation: “Now, that is something different”
You will be required to make a short presentation (5-10 min max) which describes some aspect of
a Native American culture that is unique or not well known. A list of groups you can select from is
at the end of this syllabus. This can be presented any time during the semester, but no later than
April 20, 2012. For example, if you selected “Navajo” from the list, it would likely be already wellknown that they were a pastoralists whose main economy was the raising of sheep that they
originally got from the Spanish. That information would not be unique. What might be, however,
is that they made large medicinal “paintings” on the ground out of colored sand, then placed sick
people inside the painting to heal them. Following the healing, they would collect the colored
sand and toss it to the four cardinal directions.
8. Grading Practices:
a. Testing procedure:
Six essay responses to videos, 25 points each, 150 points total
Two “homework” writing exercises, 50 points each, 100 points total
Five lab critiques, 50 points each, 250 points total
“Now, that is something different!” class presentation, 100 points
Final Exam, 200 points
TOTAL MAXIMUM POINTS, 800 (no extra credit)
b. Grading Scale: you can earn a maximum of 800 points and your final grade will
be determined by the percentage of this total -- A=90-100%, B=80-89%,
C=70-79%, D=60-69%, F=under 60%.
Special note: It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course.
A student may drop a course or all courses prior to the end of late registration (first Friday of
term) w/o it being recorded on the student’s official transcript. A student initiated drop after the
late registration period is considered a withdrawal, and results in the grade of W.
(Students may drop courses online until the end of the late registration period. In order to
withdraw from one or more courses following late registration, a completed registration form is
required. Instructions on the form indicate when a signature of instructor and/or Financial Aid
advisor is required. The completed form may be submitted to Admissions & Records or any offcampus center.)
Students may withdraw from courses until 75% of the course meetings have elapsed. No course
may be withdrawn from after 75% of the course has elapsed.
9. CSI E-mail
Since email is the primary source of written communication with students, all registered CSI
students get a college email account. Student e-mail addresses have the following format:
<address>@eaglemail.csi.edu where <address> is a name selected by the student as a part of
activating his/her account. Students activate their accounts and check their CSI e-mail online at
http://eaglemail.csi.edu. Instructors and various offices send messages to these student
accounts. Students must check their CSI e-mail accounts regularly to avoid missing
important messages and deadlines. At the beginning of each semester free training sessions are
offered to students who need help in using their accounts.
10. On-line course evaluation:
To help instructors continually improve courses, students are strongly encouraged to go online to
http://evaluation.csi.edu and complete anonymous evaluations which open two weeks before the
end of the course and close the last day of class. When students enter the site, they find
evaluations for their enrolled courses. Thank you for this valuable input!
11. Disabilities:
Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for reasonable accommodations. To
determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact Student Disability Services at
their first opportunity after registration for a class(es). Student Disability Services is located on
the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls Campus. 208.732.6260 or e-mail Scott
Scholes, sscholes@csi.edu.
12. Mission Statements:
a) CSI Mission Statement: The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college,
provides educational, social and cultural opportunities for the diverse population of South Central
Idaho. In this rapidly changing world, CSI encourages our students to lead enriched, productive
and responsible lives.
b) CSI Social Science Department Mission Statement : The mission of the Social Science
Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities which encourage enriched,
productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to understand, interpret, and
apply Social Science discipline coursework.
c) CSI Anthropology Program Mission Statement : The Anthropology Program will provide students
with a basic introduction to the sub-disciplines of anthropology, familiarize students with major
theories and contributors, and prepare students for transfer elsewhere to upper division studies.
13. Topical Outline for the Course:
The following schedule is provided as a general guide only. Some adjustments will be made to
accommodate special class interests, weather cancellations, etc. It will be your responsibility to
keep current with the readings. Please be aware that you are expected to read the assigned
pages BEFORE the class meets so you can participate in discussions.
Week*
Ch Lecture/Discussion Topics (follows text)
Jan 16
Martin Luther King Day (campus closed)
Jan 17-20
Jan 23-27
1
2
Jan 30-Feb 3
3
Introduction
European Invasion and Conquest
Video “Ishi in Two Worlds”
Native Peoples of the Arctic
Carve soapstone fetish
Feb 6-10
4
Feb 13-17
5
Feb 20
Feb 21-24
Feb 27-Mar 2
March 5-9
March 12-16
Mar 19-23
Mar 26-30
Apr 2-6
Apr 9-13
Apr 16-20
Apr 23-27
Apr 30-May 4
Native Peoples of the Subarctic
Video “Inuit Odyssey”
Native Peoples of the Plateau
Paint petroglyph
Presidents’ Day (campus closed)
6
Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast
Video “Crooked Beak of Heaven”
7 Native Peoples of the Great Basin
Knap an arrow point
8 Native Peoples of California
Video “On the Obsidian Trail”
9 Native Peoples of the Southwest
Make Hohokam bighorn sheep clay figurine
10 Native Peoples of the Plains
Video “Plains Indians”
Spring Break (campus closed)
Make Plains-style medicine bag
11 Native Peoples of the Northeast
Video “Mystery of the Red Paint People”
12 Native Peoples of the Southeast
13 Contemporary Issues
Review for Final Exam
May 7, Monday
ANTH 238-C01 Final Exam, 10:00 am - noon
May 16
Grades available online at MyCSI
*Some dates may change due to the informal nature of class discussions, guest visitors to
class, uncontrollable cancellations due to weather, etc.
14. A Partial List of Native American Groups from North America
Aleut
Assiniboine
Blackfoot
Cherokee
Comanche
Copper Inuit
Chipewyan
Creek
Delaware
Havasupai
Hopi
Innu
Iroquois
Klamath
Lower Chinookans
Mescalero Apache
Mi'kmaq
Navajo
Nuu-chah-nulth
Nuxalk
O'odham
Ojibwa
Omaha
Osage
Pawnee
Pomo
Quinault
Seminole
Stoney
Tewa Pueblos
Tlingit
Ute
Western Apache
Western Woods Cree
Winnebago/Ho-Chunk
Yokuts
Yuki
Yurok
Zia Pueblo