Syllabus, ANTH E-316 Sec 25339
Spring 2010 PREHISTORY of NORTH AMERICA 

MW 10:30 - 11:45 AM, CA 411

Professor: Larry J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., RPA
Phone: Office, 317-274-2383 (leave voice mail if no answer; I'll get back to you)
E-mail: larzimme@iupui.edu
Office: 433 Cavanaugh, and less often at the Eiteljorg Museum (Phone: 317-636-9378 ext 1361)
Office Hours:  Generally, Mondays & Wednesdays 8:30-10:30 AM & on Tuesday/Thursday 9:00-10:30 AM  or by arrangement. See me before or after class too. You may also make an appointment with either the Anthropology (CA 409) or Museum Studies (CA 419) department secretaries who will take your phone number or e-mail so I can confirm the appointment or change it.
Class Web Site: http://www.iupui.edu/~mstd/e316

Objectives

• Students should be able to identify major cultural periods in North American archaeology and the impact of environment.
• Students should understand the major epistemological issues in American archaeology.
• Students should be able to critically appraise ethical issues in American archaeology.
• Students should be able to locate and utilize  resources about archaeological sites in North America and Indiana.
• Understand American Indian concerns about archaeology.

Fundamental Readings

The following books are required for class and are available at the Barnes & Noble in the Campus Center and elsewhere near campus, but can also be purchased online, possibly as quality used copies. The link after each book takes you to allbookstores.com, which finds and gives cost comparisons for used copies at many used book sources.

· Seeking Our Past: An Introduction to North American Archaeology (Includes CD-ROM), Sarah W. Neusius and G. Timothy Gross Oxford University Press, ISBN10: 0195173848 (http://www.allbookstores.com/book/compare/9780195173840)

• Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity, David Hurst Thomas, Harper Collins, ISBN: 046509225X (http://www.allbookstores.com/book/compare/9780465092253)

Grading Policy

Your grade will consist of six related, core activities indicated in the bold red-brown text below (others are extra credit possibilities). Grades will be based on an accumulated total of 300 points according to the following scale:

295 or above = A+ 285-297 = A 270-284 = A- 255-269 = B+ 240-254 = B 225-239 = B- 210-224 = C+

195-209 = C 180-194 = C- 165-179 = D+ 150-164 = D 135-149 = D- 149 or less = F

Part 1.  Basic Geography and Culture History Quiz Total points 30 (10% of your grade)

During a really boring (well, maybe not) first two-three weeks you will be learning basic North American geography, but not necessarily the way you remember it from grade school. You will also learn the basic culture history of North America from earlier that 12,000 years ago to the time of European Contact (the second time with Columbus, not the first time with the Norse). You will have a straightforward quiz on the materials. Reason: You need to be conversant with basic terms and place names for the rest to have much meaning.

Part 2. Writing Two Response Papers Total points 100 (50 points each)

You will write two brief (± 750 words/ roughly 3 double-spaced pages) Response Papers during the semester. These are due at the start of the class period for each Coming Up for Air (CUFA) discussion session (see schedule for approximate dates). Why before the CUFAs? Preparing the papers will encourage you to be prepared for discussion. Response papers should be about 3 pages, but quality, not quantity, is primary, so write at the length you need to best express your ideas. What are you responding to? The subject will be decided on by each CUFA team and given to you two weeks ahead of the due date. Note: the CUFA team does not do the response paper for its own CUFA questions and discussions. Dr. Zimmerman will give his okay to the possible topics and may suggest alterations. Extremely Important: Remember that in your response papers you must refer to examples from class reading materials (texts or other assigned readings) relevant to the topics. This will be your only opportunity to show me that you have read the materials.  Regarding Examples: Examples are not just quotations (although these may be used) or a page number in parenthesis, or a "mention" of something. They are a discussion of the materials from the reading and their relevance to the subject. The best papers will have 3 or more examples.

Grading of the response papers will be by your peers. The group responsible for the CUFA will do the grading, but it will be a “blind” grading. That is, when you turn in a response paper via the OnCourse Dropbox you will do so without putting a name or any identifying characteristic on the paper. Dr. Zimmerman will assign an identifier, which he will put on the paper and keep track of. He will randomly distribute the paper to two of your classmates in the CUFA group. They will read it, make comments on it, and assign it up to 50 points (roughly 15 for logic of arguments, 20 for use of examples from readings and lectures/ videos, 10 for writing and organization, and 5 for general impressions). Dr. Zimmerman will average the points from the two readers for your score on that paper, then return the comments and score to you within two weeks after the CUFA.

Part 3. Blind Grading of One Set of Response Papers Total Points: 50

As a member of a CUFA team you will be responsible for grading and commenting on the response papers. This means you will read and grade two response papers, depending on final numbers in the class. You will assign a score of 0-50 points for the paper based on the distribution in part 2 above. You will not know the identity of the person whose paper you grade. You need to take this very seriously because the individuals whose paper you grade will assign their reviewer between 0-50 points based on their assessment of the quality of grading and comments you gave them. The editing scores from the two papers will be averaged to assign you the 50 points.

What’s the deal with this blind grading? In the academic world this is how peer review works for publications. You send in a manuscript, usually with no identifiers (though some don’t worry about this). It is sent to two or more of your peers who know the subject. They are asked to comment upon the manuscript and recommend that changes be made, what they should be, and whether or not the manuscript should be published. You do not know who reviewed your paper. This allows the reviewer to be honest about quality without fear of retribution.

Part 4. Instructor Assigned Points for Paper Grading, Total points: 20

Dr. Zimmerman will look at each of the scores assigned by graders to see if he feels they were adequately and fairly done. This means that he will look at the relevance and quality of comments and the “fairness” of the grade. He will assign up to 20 points.

Part 5. Coming Up for Air Discussion Sessions, Total points: 25

These sessions are meant to be an opportunity for you to give your opinions, raise questions you might have, and to ascertain your classmates' views on the subject of the materials presented since the prior session. The dates (February 10, March 10, April 19, but some changes in dates are likely) are more or less placed according to major thematic units in class: How archaeology in America gets done and its history; How archaeology views Indians and the problems with it; How people view the distant North American past and the problems that causes; How North American prehistory is presented to the public. You will be assigned to a group of 7 or so students whose job it is to organize and to lead discussion on the theme during the Coming Up for Air sessions. This group will decide on 2-3 questions, which may or may not be edited for clarity by Dr. Zimmerman. The questions should be synthetic, that is, they should require students to pull together a variety of information sources. They should not be simplistic. These will be offered to the class one class perios ahead of the Coming Up for Air discussion and will be the questions to which the class responds in its Response Papers. During the time your discussion group is preparing, you can meet either as a group or use the OnCourse Chatroom and Forum (or both) to organize the discussion session and to select the topic. You need to work ahead slightly so that your question(s) for response papers can be given to classmates one week ahead of the CUFA. Your groups should send out their questions as an Oncourse message after they are approved by Dr. Zimmerman.

Note: in earlier offerings of the class, the discussion is often interesting and was continued into the next class period.   Also, I will try to set aside some in-class time for groups to meet. This won't be much, but it will at least give the opportunity to make contact. I urge you strongly to get to know the members of your group. It really helps when it comes to grading.

The discussion during the CUFAs will be graded by you, your classmates, and Dr. Zimmerman. You will get to assign yourself up to 10 points; Dr. Zimmerman will assign you up to 10 points based on his own and peers will be allowed to give up to five points (these will be averaged). Points will be based first on the quality of discussion, then on the frequency. Better to say a couple of “pithy” comments than 10 superficial ones! We will do this during the last 15 minutes of class. Peer assessment will come from classmates assessing your performance on the spot, which Dr. Zimmerman will take into consideration for his score.

See discussion group assignments

Just to give you an idea of the kinds of questions asked in the CUFAs that are synthetic in nature

• Is American archaeology still in the Speculative Period in some ways? Why or why not? Consider the impact of speculation on American archaeology. Are there any benefits to speculation?
• What has been/is the impact of archaeology on American Indians? Consider both problems and benefits.
• Why have the origins of American Indians been such a difficult problem for archaeologists? Consider impacts of time, technology and "politics."
• What has been the most important technological or methodological breakthrough for American archaeology?
• Why have the origins of American Indians so controversial? After considering various hypotheses, which do you consider most reasonable and why?
• What are the processes that led to the beginnings of urbanism in prehistoric North America?
• Why are fantastic archaeology claims a problem, and what should archaeologists do about it?
• Is the past a public heritage? If so, are there any limits to claiming that it is? If not, what obligations do archaeologists have to protect it?
• Is indigenous archaeology useful? What are possible problems with it?

Part 6 Final Project Options: Videos, blogs, podcasts, art, papers? Total points: 75

This project will allow you to follow your creative urges, depending on what you want from the class. I know that most of you are not going to be anthropology majors, let alone want a PhD in North American archaeology. Many of you just want to fill a requirement or take an interesting elective (well, I think it is interesting at least!). I’m going to suggest several options. You may choose among them, but if these don’t suit your needs, feel free to suggest another option. The only requirements are that it be worthy of ¼ (25%) or your grade and that it be reasonably connected to Precontact period in North American archaeology. The project must be approved by Dr. Zimmerman with your general intent for the type of project decided March 1. All projects must be complete and posted to the OnCourse dropbox by April 28, if appropriate. Let me provide the main options:

Option 1: Brief Research Paper (a good choice for Anthro majors or others who need to get experience writing papers)

You will write a paper of 1250-1750 words (roughly 5-7 double-spaced pages, but quality is the concern, not quantity, so use the number of words or pages you need). This is a research paper and thus requires in text citations and a References Cited section (that is, only the sources actually used). The paper should use American Antiquity  (see the American Antiquity style guide) or American Anthropologist (http://www.aaanet.org/publications/guidelines.cfm) citation style and bibliographic format. You may use web materials for your paper, but please do not rely heavily on them for your research unless they are from full-text journal articles. Please organize your paper carefully, edit and proofread it. You should choose your topic from the list below. Any variance from these topics needs approval from Dr. Zimmerman in advance.

1. The relationship between American Indians and archaeology
2. The repatriation/reburial issue
3. American Indian arrival in the New World: an assessment of current views
4. Current status of cult or fantastic or pseudoarchaeology in North America
5. Public education in American archaeology
6. Center and periphery: the relationship of Southwestern cultures to Mesoamerica
7. Fiction and American archaeology: an assessment of novels about ancient America
8. The Mississippian tradition as chiefdoms or states
9. Impact of climatic change on prehistoric America
10. Cultural Resources Management vs. academic archaeology in America
11. Origins and impacts of America Indian agriculture
12. Origins and spread of an American Indian technology (ceramics, bow & arrow, forms of shelter, etc.)
13. The development, use and impact of dating techniques on American Archaeology
14. The relationship of historic to prehistoric archaeology in North America
15. Tracing the development of a specific archaeological complex (such as Hohokam, Anasazi, Cahokia)

Option 2: North American Archaeology Videos and Full Web Sites

You can watch and report on online and other videos related to North American Precontact archaeology (not those shown in class!) or web sites with substantial materials on North American Prehistory. There are several excellent online sources for them. Take a look at The Archaeology Channel (http://archaeologychannel.com/) which has put online a number of excellent archaeology videos and related materials. These are from around the world, so please choose only North American videos and only those related to times before Europeans came. There is a good clickable map on http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/Vidmap/Vidmap.html. You may also look at the videos from Time Team America, a PBS series on American Archaeology at http://www.pbs.org/opb/timeteam/. The videos on the Topper Site and on Range Creek Utah are about Precontact sites, but there are also associated video clips and related materials you should look at. FYI, Adrien Hannus and Joe Watkins are TimeTeam members and are very good friends of Dr. Zimmerman, so be nice if you talk discuss them! J For web sites a good place to start is Kris Hirst’s About.com archaeology web site, with an extraordinary wealth of material (a good place to get explanations if you haven’t had much archaeology before or want more detail. Kris is an old friend of mine from my Iowa days. She has put together many pages with lots of links to sites in North America and elsewhere. You can get to most of the North American sites by clicking on http://archaeology.about.com/od/5/u/world_atlas.htm#s8. Look carefully for larger web sites or stories, especially with media of varying types. For example, look at her page on Meadowcroft Rockshelter, which we will discuss in class (http://archaeology.about.com/od/mterms/qt/meadowcroft.htm). If you slide to the bottom you will see links to a museum and to an online interview with James Advasio, who dug the site. These are the kinds of sites you should look for, not just short articles.

What do you do with these videos and sites? You blog about them using the blog tool on the OnCourse site. What was the video about, what are the key issues, what does the web site show or discuss? What did you learn and what questions came up or struck your interest? Was it any good and why or why not? How many? Your opinions are welcome. This is easier than writing a paper, so let’s say we start at 10 blog entries for each 25 points if you do web sites, assuming reasonable quality, so you’d need 30 good ones for a top score. Videos take a bit more time, so let’s say 8-10 video entries for a top score, or you can combine the two—videos and web sites. How long should a blog entry be? As long as you need them to be to cover the materials. You might try to tie in your readings by mentioning something about them. The best ones will. DO realize that in terms of the number of blog entries or the length of entries, quality is also very important. It isn’t just a numbers game!

You must start making blog entries within one week and regularly thereafter. You may not try to do them all at the end. If you haven’t completed at least 5 entries by

Option 3: Suggest something else (but get it approved first)!

Perhaps you have some other idea such as a substantial PowerPoint over some aspect of the class that strikes your fancy. Perhaps you are an artist who likes to convey important ideas from the class in artistic form (this will also require a brief oral report to explain it to the class). Maybe you are a budding documentary video producer and wish to do a short video or vodcast of a subject. Radio? Maybe do a podcast of a topic from class by interviewing an archaeologist working in NA archaeology. This is really wide open. Just remember that it needs to be relevant to class, be on a topic related to North American archaeology, and worth ¼ of your grade!

Possible Extra Credit: up to 30 maximum, enough to raise your grade by a full letter grade and then some. Opportunities will be announced during the class and generally will be worth 5 points each unless they require a substantially longer time commitment.

Tentative Lecture, Reading and Exam Schedule

Following is a loosely arranged lecture and reading assignment schedule. I reserve the right to change the schedule based on class needs, illness, or other factors. Notice that sometimes you will have a group of readings with nothing for the next class. This group of readings may apply over several class periods. Read ahead if you like. Red indicates a key activities or deadline, and bold,  the due date. Lectures will expand on and illustrate the listed topics. Note well: All dates are only approximations  to help you keep track of where you should be in readings and "what's coming next." The pace will be determined by lots of factors including the amount of discussion, class needs, and my assessment of whether we need to spend more or less time on a subject. I assure you that I'll give adequate notice for any changes of deadlines.

Key:  Thomas = Skull Wars    NG = Seeking Our Past     Numbers are Chapter Numbers, not page numbers! Online readings in addition to those already noted will be assigned.

Approx Date

Topic or activity

Readings

Jan 11	Introductions—When the land was young…
Jan 13	Culture, History, and Environment in Ancient North America 1—quiz stuff	NG 2; Quiz handout
Jan 18	No class: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Jan 20	Culture, History, and Environment in Ancient North America 2—quiz stuff
Jan 25	Culture, History, and Environment in Ancient North America 3—quiz stuff	NG 1
Jan 27	Culture, History, and Environment in Ancient North America 4—quiz stuff
Feb 1	Quiz on geography and sites How do we know what we know? Science, humanity, and the epistemology of American archaeology (PowerPoint)
Feb 3	Epistemological change and a history of American Archaeology (PowerPoint)	Discussion time for Coming Up for Air groups Colwell-Chanthaphonh and Ferguson, Virtue Ethics and the Practice of History: Native Americans and Archaeologists along the San Pedro Valley of Arizona
Feb 8	The goals of archaeology: Reconstructing (or is it constructing) the past;	Discussion group planning time
Feb 10	Continued	Thomas 1-4 Discussion time for Coming Up for Air groups
Feb 15	CUFA 1 questions sent to class
Feb 17	Coming up for air: Discussion session 1	Thomas 5-9
Feb 22	Why do archaeologists think Indians are dead, and what should we do about it? Defining the real object of archaeologial  study Video: Cannibals!
Feb 24	Group 2 & 3 Response papers due at start of class Time and the Other: Do Indian and Archaeologists understand & control time & space differently?	Thomas 15-17
March 1	Oral tradition and archaeology Video: The River Has Many Stories	Thomas 10, 23 1. Deloria, "Science and the Oral Tradition" from  Red Earth, White Lies pp. 37-60 2. Roger C. Echo-Hawk Ancient History in the New World: Integrating Oral Traditions and the Archaeological Record in Deep Time American Antiquity Vol. 65, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 267-290 3. Ronald J. Mason Archaeology and Native North American Oral Traditions. American Antiquity Vol. 65, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 239-266 4.Peter M. Whiteley Archaeology and Oral Tradition: The Scientific Importance of Dialogue American Antiquity Vol. 67, No. 3 (Jul., 2002), pp. 405-415
March 3	Group 1 returns Peer Review of Group 2 & 3 papers Option for Final Project due to Zimmerman at start of class. Who was here first and when (and why it's important)?	Thomas 11-12; Zimmerman Unusual or “Extreme” Beliefs about the Past, Community Identity, and Dealing with the Fringe (In OnCourse resources. Editing on 2nd Response Paper  due
March 8	Lecture catch up	NG 3
March 10	Video: Marks of the Ancestors
March 15/17	Spring Break
March 22	'An interlude: Pseudoscience, transoceanic contacts & the 'true believers': The Wild Side of Midwestern Archaeology and Why It’s Important for Indians If you have chosen blogging, at least 5 entries due by this date
March 24	Video: Coming into America  (Zimmerman gone-lecture at U of Ariz)	Watch Time Team America video on Topper Site  on your own. Also look at some of the short videos and other features about the site.
March 29	Coming Up for Air 2 Questions due to class  (covers all readings, lectures, videos from Feb 22-March 24) The Eastern Woodlands from Archaic to Mississippian: Ancient America--Eastern Woodlands video	Read environment and Early cultures/Forager/Archaic sections of NG 4-12
March 31	Coming up for air: Discussion session 2	NG Remaining parts of 4-12
April 5	Group 1 & 3 Response papers due at start of class Who Owns the Past? Archaeology and the Dead Video: 60 Minutes Kennewick Man segment	Thomas 18-21
April 7	Indigenous Archaeology in America: Doing it their own way Video: Who Owns the Past?	Thomas 13-14, 22 & 24; T. J. Ferguson Native Americans and the Practice of Archaeology Annual Review of Anthropology  Vol. 25 (1996), pp. 63-79
April 12	Group 2 returns Peer Review of Group 1& 3 papers	NG 14
April 14	Ethical archaeology: What's going on in the US and Canada
April 19	CRM and Heritage Management	Scan the Archaeology & Public Education Newsletter and the National Park Service Links to the Past web sites Hicks, Time Crime: Protecting the Past in the United States Fagan, The Tragedy of Slack Farm
April 21	CUFA 3 Question due to class (covers materials from April 5 through April 21) The Problems and Possibilities for Public Archaeology	Scan several articles in Archaeology and the Federal Government, esp. articles by Childs, Knudson & Osborn
April 26	Coming up for air: Discussion session 3
April 28	Indiana Archaeology Group 1 & 2 Response papers due at start of class	Jones & Johnson, Early Peoples of Indiana Archaeology in Your Community
May 3	What does the future hold for North American archaeology? Group 3 returns Peer Review of Group 1& 2 papers
May 5	Final papers and projects due by 5 PM
May 7	All late papers due with some penalty if overly late

Academic Misconduct

All work in the course is conducted in accordance with the University’s academic misconduct policy. Cheating includes dishonesty of any kind with respect to exams or assignments. Plagiarism is the offering of someone else’s work as your own: this includes taking material from books, web pages, or other students, turning in the same or substantially similar work as other students, or failing to properly cite other research. Please consult the University Bulletin’s academic misconduct policy if you have any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty. If academic misconduct is discovered, you will lose all credit for that Activity.

Attendance Policy

As Woody Allen says, “Eighty percent of success is just showing up!” This class is the same: to do well, you have to be there.  Because we only have fewer than 30 class meetings, there is a great deal to accomplish. Thus, three (3) unexcused absences will result in a grade reduction of one letter grade, no matter the grade you earn in labs, projects, or exams (think about it: three absences is 10% of the class periods!). Each additional two (2) absences will result in an additional grade reduction.  Excused absences are the usual: illness, emergencies, participation in sanctioned university events, extreme weather that would endanger you. If at all possible, please send me an e-mail or phone if you know you won’t be attending.

Administrative Withdrawal 

The School of Liberal Arts supports the administrative withdrawal policy. You may find detailed descriptions of standards and policies for administrative withdrawal at http://registrar.iupui.edu/withdrawal-policy.html.  Contact the Anthropology Department Chairperson with questions about Anthropology Department policies

Other Matters

• Note Well: For any written assignment you may turn in drafts to me so long as they are ahead of the due date. At your request, I will quickly read the draft and make suggestions regarding content, organization, or writing. You can then take my suggestions and rewrite if you wish. You can turn drafts in any number of times so long as it is before the due date. Plan ahead, however, in that if I am deluged by many papers at one time, I won’t have time to get through them before the due date.
• Contact me as soon as possible if you cannot complete an assignment on time. E-mail is a good way to do this. I check my email several times, almost everyday. Please use OnCourse e-mail to contact me.
• Please do NOT wait until after a deadline to talk to me. Do NOT postpone talking to me if you are having any difficulty completing an assignment or if you are having difficulty with the class.
• Late assignments will be penalized a letter grade for every class they are late if you do not negotiate an extension with me beforehand or discuss the delay immediately afterward.
• Where appropriate, you may email assignments to me as attachments, or you can leave assignments in my mailbox in 413 Cavanaugh Hall. In fact, I prefer e-mailed assignments. However, do not erase your assignment until you have a response from me that I have received and can read it.
• This syllabus includes deadlines for all assignments and test dates: it is your responsibility to know when exercises are due and tests are scheduled.
• If you have learning problems that might require special accommodation for completion of class assignments, please notify me of these matters within the first two or three class periods. I’ll make every effort to make things work for you.
• Classroom courtesies: These should go without saying, but please try to observe usual classroom courtesies: 1. Pay attention while others are speaking or giving presentations. You certainly want them to pay attention to you! 2. If you arrive late, try to be as inconspicuous as possible as you enter. 3. Turn off cells phones before you come to class; they may interfere with the instructor’s navigation system if you don’t. If you are awaiting an emergency call (birth, death, etc., or an event of that level), sit near the exit, set your phone to vibrate, then go outside the classroom to answer it.

General Comments

Within reason, I will do everything I can to facilitate your learning, but I can only do so much. Ultimately, learning the course material is your responsibility. Please feel free to contact me if you have concerns or issues, but try to remember that I can only bend so far without depriving others students of equal opportunities.  My response to missed classes, exams, or assignments is covered under Other Matters above, but I understand that family or job emergencies can be out of the ordinary. However, if you do ask for special treatment, it will normally come at some additional cost to you in terms of expected amounts of work.

As well, this class will study issues that may be socially controversial. Expect that! Sometimes I even play "devil's advocate" to generate responses. If something angers you or disturbs you, raise the issue immediately, and hopefully, in class for discussion. The worst thing to do is to internalize your anger to the level that it prevents you from learning. If you need help with this issue, please see me about it.

Need Special Assistance?

If you have learning problems that might require special accommodation for completion of class assignments, please notify me of these matters within the first two or three class periods. I’ll make every effort to make things work for you. You may wish to contact Adaptive Educational Services (AES), Cavanaugh Hall, Suite 001E , 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202–5140, Tel: (317) 274–3241, TDD/TTY: (317) 278–2050, Fax: (317) 278–2051, Email: aes@iupui.edu. Staff there can provide a range of assistance.

Student Advocate Office

• Do you have a problem you don't know how to solve? Is there information you cannot find? Do you have a question that needs an answer or a problem that is affecting your class attendance?

The Student Advocate Office is here to help! They will answer your questions, direct you to the appropriate departments and people, familiarize you with university policies and procedures, and give you guidance as you look at ways to solve problems and make choices.

The Student Advocate Office is located in UC002 and can be contacted by phone at 278-7594 or email at stuadvoc@iupui.edu. For more information, see the Student Advocate website at: http://www.life.iupui.edu/advocate/