PARADISE LOST?:
THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHICS OF HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ANTHROPOLOGY 583
Fall 2012
Instructor: Professor Braje, Ph.D.
Time: Mon. and Wed. 2:00-3:15 PM
Place: PSFA 413
Office: Arts & Letters 459
Office Hours: Mondays 12:30-1:30PM; Tuesdays 12:00-1:00PM (or by appointment)
Email Address: tbraje@mail.sdsu.edu
Textbooks:
• Braje, T. J. (2009). Modern Oceans, Ancient Sites: Archaeology and Marine Conservation on San Miguel Island,
California. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.
• Diamond J. (2006). Collapse: Why Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Viking, New York.
• Redman, C. (1999). Human Impact on Ancient Environments. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
Suggested (But Not Required) Textbooks
 Rick, T. C., and J. M. Erlandson (2008). Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Environments. University of
California Press, Berkeley.
 Braje, T. J., and T. C. Rick (2011). Human Impacts on Seals, Sea Lions, and Sea Otters: Integrating
Archaeology and Ecology in the Northeast Pacific. University of California Press, Berkeley.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
With human populations skyrocketing, pollution of air and water on the rise, extinction of animal species at alarming rates,
and the need for agricultural land at a premium, the world is in an environmental crisis. Politicians, scientists, and the general
public are constantly grappling with the best ways to preserve the environment for the future and to minimize the impact that
our human activities have on the natural world. Ultimately, these environmental problems pose several ethical dilemmas and
have left us at a crossroads.
Although many people view our current environmental crises as relatively recent phenomena, archaeological
and historical records are filled with instances of ancient environmental degradation. Using interdisciplinary
archaeological, anthropological, and historical case studies from around the world, this course provides a detailed
examination of human impacts on the environment over the last 50,000 years. We will review current environmental
and ethical issues in the U.S. and then trace ancient human environmental impacts from early hunter-gatherers
through the development of state level agriculturalists.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, students should achieve a broad understanding of the following:
1. The methods and theories archaeologists use to reconstruct the past
2. The changing relationship between humans and their natural world through time
3. The modern relevance of the archaeological record for the future prospects of our species
4. Examples of current archaeological research being conducted at SDSU and other academic institutions
Students completing this course will learn:
1. Effective communication through written and oral modes
2. Critical and creative thinking skills in acquiring a broad base of knowledge and applying it to complex issues
3. Appreciation for and understanding of an expanded world perspective by engaging respectfully with a diverse
range of individuals, communities, and viewpoints
4. To provide a global appreciation and understanding of human cultural and biological diversity, both past and
present.
5. To examine the impact of European colonial expansion on non-European cultures.
6. To provide time depth to our understanding of human cultural development.
7. To explore the relationships between past human cultures and the environment.
8.
9.
To examine human impacts on ancient environments and the role humans have played in shaping ecosystems
across the globe.
To make the pursuit of anthropology relevant to present-day policy and social issues.
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Grades will be based on two midterm examinations, two take-home critical essay assignments focused on the course lectures,
readings, and class discussions, a group presentation on a course topic, and a group hands-on laboratory assignment. Because
many of the topics we will cover in lecture are only briefly mentioned in your readings, your success depends on your
attendance in lecture. We will also have numerous discussions during our course meetings.
Grade Breakdown:
Midterm 1: 25%
Midterm 2: 25%
Critical Essay 1 (September 19): 10%
Critical Essay 2 (December 12): 10%
Group Presentation: 10%
Group Historical Ecology Project Analysis: 10%
Attendance, Participation, and Reading Requirements: 10%
There will not be a grade curve. Final letter grades for the course will be figured as follows:
A = 93-100%; A- = 90-92.9%; B+ = 87-89.9%; B = 83-86.9%; B- = 80-82.9%; C+ = 77-79.9%; C = 73-76.9%;
C- = 70-72.9%; D+ = 67-69.9%; D = 60-66.9%; F = < 59.9%
Please note: if the class is taken C/NC, 70% or higher is required to pass the class.
Add/Drop policy: Students are responsible for knowing the University policy, procedures, and schedule for
dropping or adding classes. http://www.humboldt.edu/~reg/regulations/schedadjust.html
Add/Drop policy: Students are responsible for knowing the university policy, procedures, and schedule for
dropping or adding classes.
Other Notes: Makeup exams, quizzes, or assignments require advance arrangements or a written excuse from a
doctor or academic advisor. I do not accept late assignments without advance notice or a written excuse. If you have
questions about the structure or scheduling of classes or exams, please talk to me. The best way to contact me is
immediately before or after class. Please do not try to see me during the forty-five minutes before class without an
appointment.
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing special accommodations in this course, please notify me
as soon as possible. Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations should contact the Student
Disability Resource Center in Calpulli Center, Suite 3101, 619-594-6473. Some accommodations may take up to
several weeks to arrange, http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/
Students are responsible for knowing the policy regarding academic honesty: http://csrr.sdsu.edu/academics1.html
and the policy regarding the student conduct code: http://csrr.sdsu.edu/conduct1.html. Additional information can be
found on the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities webpage: http://csrr.sdsu.edu/index.html.
Please review the Campus Emergency Preparedness website (http://bfa.sdsu/emergency/) for information on campus
Emergency Procedures.
Email
Email is an excellent tool for communication. However, at times its shroud of anonymity and ease of use create
unfortunate circumstances, misunderstandings, and ill feelings. Please note the following points on email etiquette:
 Write concise messages with specific questions or comments. If your question relates to class content,
please speak to me in person. I am unable to answer email questions in-depth. A good rule of thumb: if
your question requires more than a single sentence response or a back-and-forth exchange, please talk to
me in person before/after class or during office hours.
 Be courteous and formal in class-related email correspondence. Emails to your professor and university
staff should be more formal than emails to a classmate or friend. Remember that emails are public
documents, even if sent to someone privately. Therefore, avoid 'flaming' (venting emotion online) and
remember that humor, irony, and sarcasm are difficult to express on email. If there are conflicts, concerns
or complaints, please speak to us directly.
 Plan ahead and be patient. I receive many emails a day and am unable to respond to emails immediately.
Also, I do not check email on the weekend. Please keep this in mind in your email communication. I
generally will deal with non-emergency, class-related email during my office hours.
Date
1: 8/27
8/29
ANTHROPOLOGY 583: PARADISE LOST?
Class Topic
Readings
Course Introduction
Environmental Crisis
Redman Ch. 1
2: 9/3
Archaeology and Historical Ecology
Human Attitudes Towards the Environment
Diamond Prologue, Ch. 1; *Crumley 1994
*Barker 2010; *Kirch 2005
Redman Ch. 2
3: 9/10
9/12
Reconstructing Past Environments
Fire
Critical Essay 1 Posted on Blackboard
Redman Ch. 3
Redman pgs. 65-67; *Cuthrell et al. 2012
*Anderson et al. 2010
4: 9/17
Twilight of the Mammoths
Redman pgs. 75-80; *Barnosky et al. 2004;
*Grayson&Meltzer 2003; *Fiedel&Haynes
2004
Redman Ch 4; *Braje 2011
9/5
9/19
5: 9/24
9/26
Prey Choice and New World H-G
Critical Essay 1 Due in Class
Archaeology and the State of the World’s Oceans
Braje Ch 1; *Jackson et al. 2001;
*Erlandson&Rick 2008
Laboratory Session Group Work
6: 10/1
10/3
The Translocation of Animals
Midterm 1
Rick et al. 2008, 2009
Review Notes and Readings
7: 10/8
10/10
Laboratory Session Group Work
The Northern Channel Islands
HT 135
Braje Ch 2-10
8: 10/15
Of Seals and Sea Lions
10/17
Human Impacts on Shellfish
9: 10/22
Vikings in Greenland, the Norse, and Cod
*Braje et al. 2011;
*Whitaker&Hildebrandt 2011
Braje et al. 2007, 2009; Erlandson et al.
2008
Diamond Ch 6-8;
*Perdikaris&McGovern 2008
HT 135
10/24
Laboratory Session Group Work
10: 10/29
10/31
The Caribbean Islands
Laboratory Session Group Work
Diamond Ch 11; *Fitzpatrick et al. 2008
11: 11/5
The Pacific Islands
Diamond Ch 2-3; Redman 68-75;
*Anderson 2008
Redman Ch 5, 148-156; Diamond Ch 4
11/7
12: 11/12
Agriculture in the Southwest
Mesoamerican Complexity and the Environment
Redman pg 127-139; *Bernhardt and Horton
2012
Redman pg 139-148; Diamond Ch 5
13: 11/19
11/21
Midterm 2
Catastrophes and Disease
Redman Ch 7
14: 11/26
11/28
Conservation and Sustainable Strategies
Environmental Ethics Reconsidered
Diamond Ch 9; Braje Ch10
Diamond Ch 14-16
15: 12/3
Humans and the Environment a Synopsis
Critical Essay 2 Posted on Blackboard
11/14
Old World Urbanism
12/5
16: 12/12
Course Conclusion
Redman Ch 8
FINAL EXAM – Wednesday 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Critical Essay Due
Additional Readings
Anderson, A.
2008
Short and Sometimes Sharp: Human Impacts on Marine Resources in the Archaeology and
History of South Polynesia. In Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems: A Global
Perspective, edited by T. C. Rick and J. M. Erlandson, pp. 21-42. Berkeley: University of
California Press.
Anderson R. S, S. Starratt, R. M. Brunner Jass, and N. Pinter
2010
Fire and Vegetation History on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands, and Long-Term
Environmental Change in Southern California. Journal of Quaternary Science 25:782-797.
Barker, G.
2010
The Archaeology of Anthropogenic Environments: Reflections on Environment, Landscape, and
Culture. In The Archaeology of Anthropogenic Environments, edited by R. Dean, pp. ??-??.
Carbondale, IL: Center for Archaeological Investigations Occasional Paper No. 37.
Barnosky, A. D., P. L. Koch, R. S. Feranec, S. L. Wing, and A. B. Shabel
2004
Assessing the Causes of Late Pleistocene Extinctions on the Continents. Science, 306, 70-75.
Bernhardt, C. E., B. P. Horton, and J. D. Stanley
2012
Nile Delta Vegetation Response to Holocene Climate Variability. Geology 40(7):615-618.
Braje, T. J.
2011
The Human-Animal Experience in Deep Historical Perspective. In The Psychology of the HumanAnimal Bond: A Resource for Clinicians and Researchers, edited by C. Blazina, G. Boyraz, and D.
Shen-Miller, pp. 63-80. New York: Springer.
Braje, T. J., J. M. Erlandson, T. C. Rick, P. K. Dayton, and M. B. A. Hatch
2009
Fishing from Past to Present: Long-term Continuity and Resilience of Red Abalone Fisheries on
the Northern Channel Islands, CA. Ecological Applications 19(4):906-919.
Braje, T. J., D. J. Kennett, J. M. Erlandson, and B. J. Culleton
2007
Human Impacts on Nearshore Shellfish Taxa: A 7000 Year Record from Santa Rosa Island,
California. American Antiquity 72(4):735-756.
Braje, T. J., T. C. Rick, R. L. DeLong, and J. M. Erlandson
2011
Resilience and Reorganization: Archaeology and Historical Ecology of California Channel Island
Sea Mammals. In Seals, Sea Lions, and Sea Otters: Integrating Archaeology and Ecology in the
Northeast Pacific, edited by T. J. Braje and T. C. Rick, pp. 273-296. Berkeley: The University of
California Press.
Crumley, C.
1994
Historical Ecology: A Multidimensional Ecological Orientation. In Historical Ecology: Cultural
Knowledge and Changing Landscapes, edited by C. Crumley, pp. 1-16. Santa Fe: School of
American Research Press.
Cuthrell R. Q, C. Striplen, M. Hylkema, and K. G. Lightfoot
2012
A Land of Fire: Anthropogenic Burning on the Central Coast of California. In Contemporary
Issues in California Archaeology, edited by T. L. Jones and J. E. Perry, pp. 153-172. Walnut
Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Erlandson, J. M., and T. C. Rick
2008
Archaeology, Marine Ecology, and Human Impacts on Marine Environments. In Human Impacts
on Ancient Marine Ecosystems: A Global Perspective, edited by T. C. Rick and J. M. Erlandson,
pp. 1-20. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Erlandson, J. M., T. C. Rick, T. J. Braje, A. Steinberg, and R. L. Vellanoweth
2008
Human Impacts on Ancient Shellfish: A 10,000 Year Record from San Miguel Island, California.
Journal of Archaeological Science 35(8):2144-2152.
Fitzpatrick, S. M., W. F. Keegan, and K. S. Sealey
2008
Human Impacts on Marine Environments in the West Indies during the Middle to Late Holocene.
In Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems: A Global Perspective, edited by T. C. Rick and
J. M. Erlandson, pp. 147-164. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Fiedel, S., and G. Haynes
2004
A Premature Burial: Comments on Grayson and Meltzer’s “Requiem for Overkill.” Journal of
Archaeological Science 31:121-131.
Grayson, D. K., and D. J. Meltzer
2003
A Requiem for North American Overkill. Journal of Archaeological Science 30(5)585-593.
Jackson, J. B. C., M. X. Kirby, W. H. Berger, K. A. Bjorndal, L. W. Botsford, B. J. Bourque, R. H. Bradbury, R.
Cooke, J. Erlandson, J. A. Estes, T. P. Hughes, S. Kidwell, C. B. Lange, H. S. Lenihan, J. M. Pandolfi, C. H. Peterson,
R. S. Steneck, M. J. Tegner, and R. R. Warner
2001
Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems. Science 293(5530):561-748.
Kirch, P. V.
2005
Archaeology and Global Change: The Holocene Record. Annual Review of Environment and
Resources 30:409-440.
Perdikaris, S., and T. H. McGovern
2008
Codfish and Kings, Seals and Subsistence: Norse Marine Resource Use in the North Atlantic. In
Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems: A Global Perspective, edited by T. C. Rick and J.
M. Erlandson, pp. 187-214. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Rick, T. C., J. M. Erlandson, R. L. Vellanoweth, T. J. Braje, P. W. Collins, D. A. Guthrie, and T. W. Stafford, Jr.
2009
The Origins and Antiquity of the Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis): AMS 14C Dates from
California’s Channel Islands. Quaternary Research 71:93-98.
Rick, T. C., P. L. Walker, L. M. Willis, A. C. Noah, J. M. Erlandson, R. L. Vellanoweth, T. J. Braje, and D. J.
Kennett
2008
Dogs, Humans, and Island Ecosystems: The Distribution, Antiquity, and Ecology of Domestic
Dogs (Canis familiaris) on California’s Channel Islands, USA. The Holocene 18(7):1077-1087.
Whitaker, A. R., and W. R. Hildebrandt
2011
Why Were Northern Fur Seals Spared in Northern California? A Cultural and Archaeological
Explanation. In Seals, Sea Lions, and Sea Otters: Integrating Archaeology and Ecology in the
Northeast Pacific, edited by T. J. Braje and T. C. Rick, pp. 197-220. Berkeley: The University of
California Press.