World Prehistory Anthropology 202
Fall 2014 - Monday and Wednesday, Building 3 Room 213
Course Description:
An overview of the prehistoric cultures of the Old and New Worlds from the emergence of the first hominins to the dawn of history.
Learning Objectives:
To develop a working knowlege of global culture history before the European diaspora based on the findings from archaeology and paleoanthropology. Students should develop preliminary understanding of (1) the fossil record of human evolution; (2) the processes that shape cultural change; (3) human ecology including demographic, genetic, and environmental dimensions of human adaptations; (4) the historical place of humans today around the globe; (5) the earliest history and impact of human resource utilization; (6) critical evaluation of scientific theories and related empirical evidence.
Office Hours:
Monday 12:30-2:00, Tuesday 1:00-3:30, and Wednesday 12:00-1:00, or by appointment, in Faculty Offices, Building 47, Room 13D.
Required Text:
Fagan, Brian
2011 World Prehistory: A Brief Introduction (Eighth Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-205-01791-1
Other Required Book:
Parker, Mari Prichard, and Elvio Angeloni (editors)
2014 Archaeology (eleventh edition). Guilford Connecticut: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-812774-8
General Information:
Class lectures will be held each Monday and Wednesday, 10:10-12:00 PM, in Building 3 Room 213. Attendance at all lectures is highly recommended since examination questions will be based on material covered in lectures as well as on assigned readings.
Performance Evaluation:
The course grade for each student will be based on:
- First midterm examination (90 pts., or »26%)
- Attendance at an out-of-class film (October 23)(20 points or ~8%)
- Second midterm examination (90 pts., or »26%)
- A final examination (140 pts., or »40%)
A=305-340 pts
B=270-304 pts
C=235-269 pts
D=216-234 pts
Exam scores May be curved.
The examinations will cover materials from lectures, fact sheets, readings, power point presentations, and films, and will consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions. An IBM Scantron Form 882-E, and #2 lead pencil are required for all exams (two for the final). These can be purchased at the Bookstore. The final examination will be non-cumulative.
On Thursday October 23, 6:30-8:00 p.m. in Spanos Theater, there will be a screening of the documentary, Becoming California, Students must attend the lecture and write a short (1-2 pages-typed) summary of the archaeological component of the film. The paper is due in class Wednesday, October 29.
Students are expected to take the examinations at the scheduled times. The first midterm examination will be held in-class on Monday, 13 October. The second midterm will be held in-class Wednesday, 5 November. Only students with valid institutionally acceptable reasons (e.g., conflict with another University sponsored event, severe illness, or personal crisis) will be permitted to take make-up exams. Students must make arrangements to take the make-up no later than the day of the exam. The final examination will be held as scheduled on Monday, December 8, 10:10 AM- 1:00 PM, in Building 3 Room 213. If you have reason to believe that you will not be able to take the final exam at the scheduled time, please do not enroll in this course. Only institutionally acceptable excuses for missing the final exam will be considered. A note on cell phones. Please remember to turn your phone off before the beginning of each lecture! Ringing cell phones are very disruptive. Individuals whose phones ring repeatedly in class will be dismissed and given an “F”. Please also be aware that texting is not allowed in class. Students using laptops to take notes are required to sit in the first two rows and must refrain from other online activities while class is in session. Students using laptops for purposes other than taking notes in class will also be dismissed.
| date | topic | Reading (fagan refers to the textbook world prehistory by brian fagan and parker and angeloni refers to the reader, archaeology, edited by mari prichard parker and elvio angeloni | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
22 September, Monday | Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory |
Fagan 3-24 Parker and Angeloni pp. 8-11
|
|
24 September, Wednesday |
Geologic Time and the Discovery of Human Prehistory |
Thinking About Our Origins, DeSalle and Tattersall, pp. 11-47 (pdf) |
|
 |
29 September, Monday |
Beginnings: Africa |
Fagan 37-52 |
 |
1 October, Wednesday | The Genus Homo |
Fagan 52-85 |
 |
6 October, Monday | The emergence of modern humans (Homo sapiens ) |
Fagan 85-99 Wither Neanderthals by Richard Klein Gibbons pp. 100-102 in Parker and Angeloni |
 |
8 October, Wednesday | The Upper Paleolithic and the spread of Homo sapiens sapiens |
Fagan 103-119 Zimmer pp. 86-90, in Parker and Angeloni Wong pp. 109-113 in Parker and Angeloni |
|
13 October, Monday |
First Midterm |
Please an IBM Scantron Form 882-E, and a #2 lead pencil |
|
 |
15 October, Wednesday | Colonization of the New World |
Fagan 119-127 Curry pp.35-37 in Parker and Angeloni |
| 20 October, Monday | Colonization of the New World (continued) | ||
 |
22 October, Wednesday | Complex Foragers in California |
Fagan 129-136 |
| 23 October, Thursday | Becoming California (Film screening) Spanos Theater 6:30-8:30 |
||
 |
27 October, Monday | Complex Foragers in California (continued) | |
| 29 October, Wednesday | Colonization of the Pacific |
Power Point Smith pp. 38-41 in Parker and Angeloni |
|
| 3 November, Monday | Transition to Farming |
Papers on Becoming California due in class Underhill pp. 114-116 in Parker and Angeloni |
|
| 5 November, Wednesday | Second Midterm Examination |
Midterm Review Sheet Installment A Please an IBM Scantron Form 882-E, and a #2 lead pencil |
|
 |
10 November, Monday |
Early Farming societies in the New World: The American Southwest |
Fagan 29, 187-194 |
 |
12 November, Wednesday | Southwest (continued) | Power Point Reinhard pp. 51-56 in Parker and Angeloni LeBlanc pp. 42-46 in Parker and Angeloni |
| 17 November, Monday | Early Farming societies in the New World : The Southeast |
Fagan 194-203 Wright pp. 47-49 in Parker and Angeloni |
|
 |
19 November, Wednesday |
Civilization I: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Lowland Mesoamerica (Olmec) | Power Point Fagan 207-239, 251-267, 302-307 |
 |
24 November, Monday |
Civilization II: Mesoamerica |
Fagan 307-325 Maugh pp. 79-80 in Parker and Angeloni |
 |
2 December, Monday | Civilization IV: Andean States |
Power Point |
 |
4 December, Wednesday | The End of Prehistory: Conquest of the Inca and the Legacy of Civilization |
Fagan 369-373 |
| 8 December, Monday |
Final Examination 10:10 - 1:00 p.m. |
Review Sheet |