Anth 3511: Archaeology of Native North Americans
Winter Quarter 1998
Professor Guy Gibbon
MWF 11:15-12:05
150 Ford Hall
Map Quiz January 16th
Mid-Term Feb. 9th
Book Review Due March 6th
Final March 21st 1:30-3:30
Text: Brian M. Fagan's (1995) Ancient North America: The Archaeology of a Continent (2nd ed.). Thames and Hudson, New York.
Schedule of Lectures
1. Introduction: Overview, Course Requirements
I BACKGROUND
2. Preface, Discovery (pp. 9-28)
3. Culture History and North American Archaeology (pp. 29-48)
4. Explaining Prehistoric Cultural Change (pp. 49-64)
II. THE PALEO-INDIANS
5. First Settlement (pp. 65-86)
6. Hunter-Gatherers and the Holocene (pp. 87-100) MAP QUIZ
7. Later Paleo-Indian Cultures (pp. 101-118)
III. THE GREAT PLAINS
8. Bison Hunters on the Plains (pp. 119-144)
9. Village farmers of the Plains (pp. 145-166)
IV. THE FAR NORTH
10. Early Arctic Cultures (pp. 167-190)
11. Norton, Dorset, and Thule(pp. 191-212)
V. THE WEST
12. Feb 2 Early Hunter-Gatherers on the West Coast (pp. 213-230)
13. Feb 4 Later Prehistoric Societies of the Pacific Coast (pp. 2311256) 14. Feb 6 The Great Basin and Western Interior (pp. 257-284) 15.
15. Feb 9 MID-QUARTER EXAMINATION
16. Feb 11 Archaic of the Southwest and Lower Pecos (pp. 285-302)
17. Feb 13 The Origins of Agriculture and Village Life (pp. 303-320)
18 Feb 16 The Rise ofPueblo Society (pp. 321-346)
19. Feb 18 Movie: Myste7y offhe Anasazi (59 min)
VI. THE EASTERN WOODLANDS
20 Feb 20 Early and Middle Archaic Cultures (pp. 347-374)
21 Feb 23 Late Archaic Cultures (pp. 375-396)
22 Feb 25 Early Woodland and the Adena Complex (pp. 397-410)
23 Feb 27 Middle Woodland and the Hopewellian (pp. 411-426)
24 Mar 2 Mississippian Climax (pp. 427-452)
25 Mar 4 Minnesota Prehistory (pp. 453-470)
26 Mar 6 Movie: Mystery of the Lost Rea' Paint People (57 min)
VII. AFTER COLUMBUS
27 Mar 9 The Archaeology of European Contact (pp. 471-502)
28 The Early Historic Period in the Western Great Lakes Area
29 Mar 13 Movie: French Exploration in the New World(l8 min); From the Bottom Up (18 min)
Anth. 3511 provides a comprehensive but basic introduction to Native American history as viewed through the archaeological record. It traces the transformation of the earliest material evidence about 15,000 years ago through regional sequences to European contact. The course is organized around these regional sequences. Lectures emphasize the geographic character of each region, regional sequences of cultures and typical artifacts, and patterns of cultural development.
Course Requirements:
1. Map quiz. A map quiz will be given in class an January 16. Everything on the maps that accompany this syllabus is subject to test.
2. Mid-quarter examination. The mid-quarter examination will be on February 9. The mid-quarter and final examinations consist of a combination of brief identification, matching, and essay.
3. Final examination. The final examination will be on March 21 at 1:30-3:30 (1330-1530) in the lecture room.
4. Book review. A book review (see below) is due in class on March 6.
Final grades for the course will be computed as follows: map quiz 10%, mid-quarter 25%, book review 25%, final examination 40%.
Office Hours: Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:15 to 1:15 in 220 Ford Hall. Telephone 625-3597 or 625-3400.
Instructions for Preparing Your Book Review:
Every student in Anth 3511 is required to write a review of a book concerning the archaeology of native North Americans. The review should be 2-3 pages in length (typed, double-spaced). It is due in class on March 6.
The review should include the following:
1. A brief summary of the book (e.g., the time period covered, the area, its main objectives).
2. A discussion of the principal issue(s) addressed. 3. Your assessment of the author's approach and conclusions.
A good place to begin in selecting a book is Fagan's Bibliography and the Further Reading section at the end of each chapter. If the book is checked out of the library (consult LUMINA), browse through the book's general location in the library for a suitable substitute.
Read the book you select through fairly quickly to get a general idea of what it is about and the issue(s) addressed. Then read the book more carefully with the three items listed above in mind. What geographic area is the book about? What time period? Is the book a general review of this area and time period or does it focus on particular cultures? What kinds of issues does the author focus on (e.g., adaptation, technology, culture change, social organization)? It may help to relate your ideas in items 2 and 3 above to the lectures and to the assigned readings. You might also find it useful to consult American Antiquity and/or regional journals for reviews of the book.
Your book review should be neat, systematically organized, and thoughtful.
Anth 3511 Professor Gibbon Archaeology of Native Americans
PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCES Western Cordillera
Appalachians Canadian Shield Central Lowland Coastal Plains
ENVIRONMENTAL ZONES Arctic Zone
Subarctic or Taiga Zone Eastern Forest and Coastal Plains Grasslands Deserts Pacific Coast
CULTURE AREAS Arctic Subarctic Great Plains Eastern Woodlands California Great Basin Southwest Northwest Coast Plateau
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