ANTHRO-3-40036-2018FA

SYLLABUS

ANTHROPOLOGY 3, FALL 2018

Course Description:  This course introduces the student to world prehistory and the discipline of archaeology.  The class includes a brief overview of the field of archaeology. The student will become familiar with how archaeology elicits information about the past, including is a brief introduction to the methods of archaeology and the interdisciplinary nature of archaeological research.  Most of the course is a broad survey of the biological and cultural evolution of the human species from the earliest signs of "humanness" through the rise of civilization as understood through the hominin paleontological and archaeological records.  Examples of the prehistoric human cultures of all seven continents are presented.

 

 

 

 

 

Attendance Policy 

If you are absent during the first two weeks of the class, without discussing it with the instructor, you will be dropped from the class.  However, it is still your responsibility to drop the class if you no longer plan to attend.  Please note that regular attendance is expected and required.  Out of respect for the instructor and other students, each participant is expected to arrive to class on time. 

Exam Make-Up Policy

If you cannot take the midterm on the day it is scheduled due to a documented emergency, you will take a comprehensive exam on the day of the regular final to make up for the missed midterm.  No other make-ups are available.

OBJECTIVES--Upon successful completion, the student will be able to:

1. Distinguish between artifacts, ecofacts, features and sites.
2. Describe the fundamental theoretical foundations of archaeology and the methods used to acquire archaeological data.
3. Compare and contrast the characteristics of paleolithic, mesolithic, and neolithic cultures.
4. Compare and contrast various explanatory models to account for human cultural change including the development of agriculture and civilization.

OUTCOMES--Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify and differentiate between the generally accepted phases of human cultural development.
2. Distinguish between data and inference in the presentation of archaeological interpretation.
3. Distinguish between testable hypotheses and speculation, science and pseudoscience, in the presentation of archaeology in various media.

 

TEXTBOOK:

The Human Past:  World Prehistory and the Development of Human Societies

Edited by Chris Scarre

2018, Fourth Edition

Thames & Hudson Ltd., London

August 15, 2018

Introduction

The Study of the Human Past:  Anthropology and the Practice of Archaeology       

Read Chapter 1

      

August 22, 2018

African Origins—Primate and Hominin Origins

Read Chapter 2      

QUIZ 1:  19^th Century Developments in Geology, Archaeology, and Social Evolution, pp. 28-30

 

August 29, 2018

Hominin Dispersals in the Old World

Read Chapter 3

QUIZ 2:  Primate Classification and Evolution, pp. 49-51

 

September 5, 2018

The Rise if Modern Humans

Read Chapter 4

QUIZ 3:  The Acheulean, pp. 77-80 

 

September 12, 2018

The World Transformed and Foragers, Collectors, and the Origins of Agriculture in Southwest Asia

Read Chapter 6

QUIZ 4:  Hypotheses of the Origins of Homo sapiens, pp. 109-112

 

September 19, 2018

Last Foragers First Farmers—Beginnings of Complexity

Chapter 6 and 7

Beginnings of Agriculture.

QUIZ 5:  Explanations of the Origin of Agriculture, pp. 184-185

 

September 26, 2018

Review for the Midterm

In-Class Exercise

 

October 3, 2018

MIDTERM (Chapters 1-6)

Southwest Asian: Evolution of Complexity

First Civilizations

Chapters 6 and 7 (cont.)

Comparison of Old World River Civilizations

Introduction of Chapter 11

In-Class Exercise

 

October 10, 2018

Developments in Late Pleistocene and Holocene Africa including Egyptian Civilization

Read Chapter 11

QUIZ 6:  North Africa and the Sahara: Climatic Change and the Development of Agriculture, pp. 351-354

 

October 17, 2018

Asia

Read Chapters 8, 15, and 16

QUIZ 7:  What are civilizations, cities, and states?  How are they defined and why do they occur? -- pp. 189-192

 

October 24,, 2018

Australia and the Pacific Basin

Read Chapter 9

In-Class Exercise

 

October 31, 2018

Europe and the Mediterranean

Read Chapters 12 and 14

QUIZ 8:  European Mesolithic and the Site of Starr Carr, pp. 391-393

 

November 7, 2018        

Peopling of the New World

The Archaic in the New World

Read Chapters 5 and 10

QUIZ 9:  DNA and the Peopling of the New World, pp.153-155

 

November 14, 2018

New World Agricultural Origins

Read Chapter 10

Complex Societies North of Mesoamerica

Mississippian Chiefdoms, etc.

Read Chapter 19

In-Class Exercise

 

November 21, 2018

Development of Civilizations in Mesoamerica

Read Chapter 17

In-Class Exercise

 

November 28, 2018

Emergence of South American Civilizations         

Read Chapter 18

QUIZ 10:  Andean Animal and Plant Domestication and Other South American Crops, pp. 336-338

 December 5, 2018

REVIEW FOR FINAL

Make-up Quiz

 

December 12, 2018

FINAL

Expectations

It is assumed by the instructor that class participants desire to learn the content of the class.  Students are expected to complete all reading assignments and the two written assignments.   It is expected that students will take notes and prepare for exams by studying.  Students should not be on their cell phones talking or text messaging during class time.  If you must take an important cell phone call, please go outside of the classroom.

 

Exams

There will be two exams, a midterm and a final.  If you receive a “D” or an “F” on the midterm exam, please make an appointment to discuss the situation with the instructor immediately after receiving your midterm grade.  The exams consist of true and false questions, multiple choice questions, short identification, term definitions, and essay questions.

 

Quizzes

There will be ten quizzes.  They are worth 5 points each.  These will be given at the end of class during 10 classes.  The subject each quiz covers is specified in the syllabus for each week there is a quiz. 

 

In-Class Exercises

There will be five in-class exercises.  These are meant to help you retain important aspects of the material presented in class.  These will be turned-in during class.  You will receive five points for every exercise you turn in. 

 

Two Take-Home Assignments

There will be two take-home assignments.  You will be provided with these assignments.  In each case, you will be required to write a brief paper to address the issues outlined in the assignment.  Both assignments will be discussed in class when they are provided to you. 

 

Class Grades

The midterm exam is worth 50 points and the final exam is worth 100 points.  Each take-home assignment is worth 25 points.  The quizzes are worth 5 points each.  In class exercises are worth five points each.  Class grades will be assigned as follows:

 

247-275 = A

219-246 = B

191-218 = C

163-190 = D

000-163 = F

 

Fresno City College and its employees comply with the following laws and policies:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 504 is also known as the "Access Law." It provides program and physical access for students with disabilities. The law states that: "No otherwise qualified individual in the Unites States...shall, solely by reason of disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." When providing aid, benefit or service, public entities must provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate that are as effective as the opportunities provided to others. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education defines "effective communications" as "timeliness of delivery, accuracy of the translation, and provision in a manner and medium appropriate to the significance of the message and the abilities of the individual with the disability." The mechanism for enforcement of this law is the withholding of federal funds.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990

Extends the framework of civil rights laws and of Section 504. Mandates reasonable access for people with disabilities with all public and private entities. Provides essentially the same protection as Section 504, except it is broader in context and coverage, and redress is more specifically defined. There are five sections:

Title I Employment: Prohibits employers of 15 or more to discriminate against a qualified applicant or employee with a disability and also prohibits retaliation against any individual who has opposed any act or practice made unlawful by the ADA.

 

Title II Public Services and Transportation: Prohibits state and local governments from discriminating against people with disabilities in their programs and activities. Includes entities receiving state or federal funding such as community colleges in anti-discrimination clauses. New public buses, new train cars in commuter, subway, intercity, and light rail systems as well as new stations and facilities must be accessible.

Title III Public Accommodations: Prohibits privately operated public accommodations from denying goods, programs and services to people based on their disabilities. Businesses must accommodate patrons with disabilities by making reasonable modifications to policies and practices, providing auxiliary aids and improving physical accessibility.

Title IV Telecommunications: Telephone companies need to provide continuous voice transmission relay services that allow people with speech and hearing disabilities to communicate over the phone through teletypewriters (TTYs). Also requires that federally funded television public service messages be closed captioned for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Title V Miscellaneous Provisions: Specifics for enforcement of the act and provisions for attorney's fees.

Plagiarism  and Academic Dishonesty Policies

For the protection of other students in the State Center Community College District, the Governing Board of this District December suspend or expel, and the Chancellor of this District is authorized to suspend a student whenever it is established to the satisfaction of the Board or the Chancellor, as the case December be, that the student has on college premises used, sold or been in possession of narcotic or other hallucinogenic drugs or substances, or has on college premises inhaled, or breathed the fumes of, or ingested any poison classified as such by Schedule D in Section 4160 of the Business and Professions Code. Academic Freedom General Principles The State Center Community College District is un- equivocally and unalterably committed to the principle of academic freedom in its true sense which includes freedom to study, freedom to learn and freedom to teach and provide educational professional services to students. Academic freedom encompasses the right of an instructor to discuss pertinent subjects within his or her field of professional competency in the classroom, consistent with course objectives, and for counselors, librarians and other academic employees to provide appropriate student services within their fields of professional competency and consistent with sound educational principles. neither District officials nor outside individuals or groups December interfere with or censure an academic employee because of the employee's proper treatment of pertinent subjects, or provision of proper educational professional services to students is precluded by the principle of academic freedom. Faculty must, however, accept the responsibility that accompanies academic freedom. The right to exercise any liberty implies a duty to use it responsibly. Academic freedom does not give faculty freedom to engage in indoctrination. nor can faculty invoke the principle of academic freedom to justify non-professional conduct. An essential point that pertains to academic freedom and that must be considered in relation to subject matter or to professional services to the student is the criterion of suitability. The subject matter, material to be studied, or educational professional services to the student must contribute to the attainment of course objectives or achievement of an educational principle. The special interests of faculty or the opinion of a per- son or persons in a class should not supersede the right of other students to be protected against irrelevant or obscene materials or presentations.

Academic Dishonesty:  Students at Fresno City College are entitled to the best education that the college can make available to them, and they, their instructors, and their fellow students share the responsibility to ensure that this education is honestly attained. Because cheating, plagiarism, and collusion in dishonest activities erode the integrity of the college, each student is expected to exert an entirely honest effort in all academic endeavors. Academic dishonesty in any form is a very serious offense and will incur serious consequences. Cheating Cheating is the act or attempted act of taking an examination or performing an assigned, evaluated task in a fraudulent or deceptive manner, such as having improper access to answers, in an attempt to gain an unearned academic advantage. Cheating December include, but is not limited to, copying from another’s work, supplying one’s work to another, giving or receiving copies of examinations without an instructor’s permission, using or displaying notes or devices inappropriate to the conditions of the examination, allowing someone other than the officially enrolled student to represent the student, or failing to disclose research results completely.

Plagiarism:   Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating and is the use of another’s words or ideas without identifying them as such or giving credit to the source. Plagiarism December include, but is not limited to, failing to provide complete citations and references for all work that draws on the ideas, words, or work of others, failing to identify the contributors to work done in collaboration, submitting duplicate work to be evaluated in different courses without the knowledge and consent of the instructors involved, or encouraging, permitting, or assisting another to do any act that could subject him or her to discipline. Incidents of cheating and plagiarism December result in a variety of sanctions and penalties that December range from a failing grade on the particular examination, paper, project, or assignment in question to a failing grade in the course, at the discretion of the instructor and depending on the severity and frequency of the incidents.