The course content will be presented through lectures. Slide presentations and videos will be used to illustrate course materials. Artifact casts and other archaeological material will also be used in class. In addition, each student is responsible for one in-class presentation, from a list of thematic topics not covered in the lectures.
- Introduction
- Approaches to the study of prehistory
- Examination of key concepts
- Human Arrival in the Americas
- Archaeological evidence for early sites
- The Paleo-Indian tradition
- The High Civilizations
- The pre-classic, classic and post-classic civilizations of Mesoamerica
- Examination of parallel developments in South America
- The Southwest
- Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon cultural traditions
- The Plains
- Early, middle and late prehistoric periods - from the Paleo-Indians to the early historic bison hunters
- Eastern Woodlands
- Archaic and Woodland periods in the Northeast and Southeast and Mississippian period in the Southeast
- Western North America
- Great Basin, Plateau and Northwest Coast Cultures
- Northern North America
- The Arctic and Sub-arctic.
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Assess the contributions of various sub-fields of anthropology (archaeology, linguistics, physical anthropology) to understanding the human past in North and South America.
- Assess the evidence and interpretations for the dates of arrival and migration routes of the earliest human occupants in the Americas.
- Discuss the cultural and linguistic diversity of aboriginal peoples in the Americas prior to European arrival.
- Discuss, in broad outline, the major archaeological features of selected geographic regions of North and South America.
- Discuss the basic cultural historical sequence for each of these regions, from early occupation until European contact.
- Place specific archaeological discoveries within that region into the cultural historical sequence of events.
Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.
An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:
| 3 exams: each on 1/3 of the course material - 25% each |
75% |
| In-class oral presentation | 20% |
| Attendance and participation | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be purchased by Students
Texts will be updated periodically. A typical example is:
Snow, Dean R. 2010 Archaeology of Native North America. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.