The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following: lecture, relevant films, slides and in-class discussions.
- Introduction
- Background to the Old World (geography; review of human biological evolution).
- Upper Palaeolithic
- Exploration of the origin and timing of modern behaviour and hunter-gatherer lifeways during the late Pleistocene
- Environmental transitions at the end of the Pleistocene/early Holocene and the impact of these transitions on hunter-gatherer life ways
- Mesolithic Cultures in Africa, Europe and Asia
- Neolithic Cultures
- theories for the origins of agriculture and the transition from hunting-gathering to farming societies
- Later Neolithic Societies
- theories for the origins of chiefdoms
- Primary States
- Theories for the rise of states with a focus on early states in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt, China, Indus Valley, Southeast Asia, Mediterranean
- The evolution of Secondary States and Empires (e.g. Assyria, Minoan, Mycenaean, Imperial Rome, Kush, Meroe, Aksum, Angkor, Qin)
The main objective of the course is to provide the student with the opportunity to gain knowledge and an understanding of the prehistory of the Old World. At the conclusion of the course, the student will demonstrate an understanding of the basic archaeological theories for explaining general cultural evolution using Old World examples. Students will be able to articulate the difference between hunter-gathers, farmers, and states based on the archaeological evidence currently known from Africa, Europe and Asia. Students will provide evidence of their ability to conduct library and internet research on course-relevant topics in written work and oral presentation.
Evaluation will follow Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester.
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
An example of a possible evaluation schedule might be:
| Exam 1 | 30% |
| Exam 2 | 30% |
| Exam 3 | 10% |
| Research Essay/Presentation | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
Texts will be updated periodically. A typical example is:
Fagan, Brian
2010 People of the Earth An Introduction to World Prehistory. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.