This course examines archaeological evidence on the prehistory of the Americas, from the earliest peopling of the hemisphere to the period of contact between European and Native American cultures. It provides an evolutionary perspective on the development of cultural complexity, from early bands of hunters and gatherers through increasingly complex agricultural societies in North, Central, and South America. Among the more complex societies briefly covered by the course are the great mound-building chiefdoms of the eastern U.S., the Maya and Aztec civilizations of Mesoamerica, and the Inca and earlier states of Andean South America.

Subgroup IV-B:  Studies in Other Global Cultures

These studies involve holistic exploration of significant geographical, cultural, or political units outside of the Anglo-American cultural tradition. The courses may be based in more traditional academic disciplines, and may require the student to become familiar with specific disciplinary methodologies; but their major goal should be to acquaint students with fundamental and distinctive characteristics of the units under examination.  ...

        Apart from having an interest and motivation to learn about ancient peoples of the Americas, there are no prerequisites for ANT 175. To enroll in ANT 175H, a student must either be in the Honors program or have permission of the instructor.

CMU POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

        "In May 2001, the Central Michigan University Academic Senate approved the Policy on Academic Integrity, which applies to all university students.  Copies are available on the CMU website via this link, and also in the Academic Senate Office in Room 108 of Bovee University Center.  All Academic work is expected to be in compliance with this policy."

CMU POLICY ON CLASSROOM CIVILITY

        "Each CMU student is encouraged to help create an environment during class that promotes learning, dignity, and mutual respect for everyone. Students who speak at inappropriate times, sleep in class, display inattention, take frequent breaks, interrupt the class by coming to class late, engage in loud or distracting behaviors, use cell phones or pagers in class, use inappropriate language, are verbally abusive, display definance or disrespect to others, or behave aggressively toward others could be asked to leave the class and may be subjected to disciplinary action under the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Disciplinary Procedures."

       Students thinking about majoring or minoring in any branch of anthropology are strongly encouraged to do so as soon as possible.  Inquiries may be directed to the instructor or to any member of the Anthropology faculty (Department Office:  Anspach 144; phone 774-3160).  Information on the major and minor is also available on the Department Web page.

• Feder, Kenneth L. [REQUIRED] 
  2002.  Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries:  Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology.  Fourth Edition.  Mountain View, CA:  Mayfield.
• Fiedel, Stuart J.  [REQUIRED] 
  1992.  Prehistory of the Americas.  Second Edition, 400 pp.  Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press.
• Price, T. Douglas, and Gary M. Feinman [REQUIRED] 
  2001.  Images of the Past.  Third Edition.  Mountain View, CA:  Mayfield.

CONTENTS

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        It may be helpful to at least glance through assigned sections of each text at the beginning of each of the three main parts of the course. Find out what the texts have to offer– maps, diagrams, illustrations, tables, time lines, definitions, discussions, etc.– to help you get more from the lectures and learn the material before the next exam. Students are responsible for completing assigned readings at least prior to the scheduled test date, and– as announced in class– certain readings may be assigned and required in preparation for a specific class session.

       Avoid getting bogged down in detail; most of the important facts, figures, and dates needed for this course will be stressed in class. Generally speaking, test questions on the readings concern major points rather than specific details, except for details emphasized in class. Use readings– assigned or optional– as an additional resource to give you better control over subject matter covered in the classroom.

The Museum of Cultural and Natural History is located in Rowe Hall in the northeast corner of campus, on Bellows near Mission. It is on the ground floor, in the north half of the building. Museum hours are normally 8-12 and 1-5, M-F. This is a valuable CMU resource, especially for ANT 175H students. Students should try to visit the Museum at least once early in the semester and wander through the exhibits to learn what is available and how it might relate to course material. The Museum staff are available to answer questions and occasionally offer public demonstrations showing how stone tools and other artifacts were made. Inquiries should be directed to the main office, Rowe 103.

     ANT 175H students are required to complete a Museum exercise sometime prior to the end of Part 2 of the course, as described below.

Tests        

       There will be three tests, and these must be taken as scheduled.. The format for each test will be announced ahead of time; it will likely include a mix of multiple choice, true-false, matching, map, and essay questions. The grading scale for each test may be partially curved to take into account the performance of the class as a whole.

Lectures on Test Dates

Quizzes

Portfolio

       This is an independent project to be done by each student and completed for final submission by the last week of regular classes (see below). In consultation with the instructor, the student should investigate and write about a chosen topic(s) of interest for each major section of the course: Part 1, Part 2-A, Part 2-B, Part 3-A, and Part 3-B. Work should be submitted in accordance with announced deadlines and may be continually revised, enhanced, or modified during the semester. It will be graded only as a completed package at the end of the term. Additional information on these projects will be made available in class.

Museum Exercise

       Tour the Museum!  Wander through the exhibits, look, read, listen. Take advantage of the Museum facilities on campus to better visualize and appreciate some of the topics covered in this course.  The CMU Museum of Cultural and Natural History is located on the first floor of Rowe Hall, in the north half (Bellows St.) of the building.  It is open M-F 8-12 and 1-5 except holidays.  To complete the course requirement, pick up the ANT 175H Museum Exercise Form in the main office (Rowe 103), fill in the form while touring the exhibits (it will take about half an hour), and submit it to the same office (do not return directly to the instructor!).

       Deadline: this must be submitted before the end of Part 2 of the course.

Extra Credit

Study Tips

• Try to attend and stay attentive throughout every class from beginning to end. 
• Unless you think you can depend on memory, take detailed notes in class; try to keep jotting things down most of the time, not just when other students do, and not just when the instructor writes something on the board. Look over your notes within the next day or two to see if they make sense or need clarification, highlighting, recopying, etc. 
• Think up active ways of studying, rather than passively rereading notes and texts. Make up schematic outlines, time lines, and diagrams. Compile a list of key words from each lecture, or at least from each unit, and test yourself on the "3 w’s" of each: where is it, when was it, and what is important about it? 
• Take advantage of your instructor’s office hours: look over questions you missed within a few days of taking a test; start studying early enough to prepare a list of questions or topics to discuss before the test; and seek help early in the semester if needed.

Final Grade Calculation

Textbook Readings [required]

• Prehistory [of the Americas]: Ch1(all)
• Images [of the Past]: Ch1(all)
• Frauds [, Myths, and Mysteries...]: Ch1 & 2(all), Ch6(esp. 133-145), Ch11 (275-283)

Suggested Reserve Readings [optional]

• Fagan, B.M. (1995) Part I in Ancient North America, 13-64
• Steward, J.H. (1956) Cultural Evolution. In Zubrow, 9-20

Exam #1 

PART 2-A:  PEOPLING OF THE AMERICAS.  Old World origins; Pleistocene environments; migration routes; pre-Clovis controversy; Paleo-Indian life ways.

Textbook Readings [required]

• Prehistory: skim Ch2; read Ch3
• Images: Ch2(24-31,42-43,47,58-59), Ch3(67-69,74-77,87-89), Ch4(96-101,108-111, 116-123,134-135,142-147,152-157)
• Frauds: Ch5 (all), Ch12(309-313)

Suggested Reserve Readings [optional]

• Fagan, B.M. (1987) The Great Journey: The Peopling of Ancient America, esp. Parts III (The Crossing) and IV (The First Americans), 99-198
• Fagan, B.M. (1995) Ancient North America... Pt. II: The Paleo-Indians, 65-118
• Haag, W.G. (1962) The Bering Strait Land Bridge. Zubrow, 263-270
• Haynes, C.V. (1966) Elephant-Hunting in N. America. In Zubrow, 204-212
• Wheat, J.B. (1967) A Paleo-Indian Bison Kill [Olsen-Chubbuck]. In Zubrow, 213-221

PART 2-B:  EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.  Archaic post-Pleistocene adaptations; Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures; European contact.

Textbook Readings [required]

• Prehistory: Ch4(84-115), Ch6(229-265)
• Images: Ch5(158-161,172-173,188-189,193-195), Ch6(226-227,250-251), Ch7(256-281,300-303)
• Frauds: Ch6(106-111), Ch7(all)

Suggested Reserve Readings [optional]

• Fagan, B.M. (1995) Ancient North America... Pt. 6: The Eastern Woodlands, 347-452
• Griffin, J. B. (1983) The Midlands. In Jennings, Ancient North Americans, 243-302
• Tuck, J. A. (1970) An Archaic Indian Cemetery [Port au Choix Site] in Newfoundland. In Zubrow, 105-114

Exam #2

PART 3-A:  MESOAMERICA.  Regional geography; agricultural origins; Olmec chiefdoms; state formation at Teotihuacán; rise and fall of Maya civilization; the Aztec empire.

Textbook Readings [required]

• Prehistory: parts of Ch5 & 6(166-186 & 265-314 only)
• Images: Ch6 (196-203,236-245), Ch7 (all, esp. 304-307,312-317,327-347,354-363)
• Frauds: Ch6(115-121), Ch12(295-299)

Suggested Reserve Readings [optional]

• MacNeish, R.S. (1964) The Origins of New World Civilization [Tehuacán Valley Project]. In Zubrow, 155-163
• Millon, R. (1967) Teotihuacán. In Zubrow, 115-125

PART 3-B:  ANDEAN SOUTH AMERICA.  Andean ecology; coastal chiefdoms; Chavín religious expansions; Moche state organization; later coastal and highland states; Inca empire.

Textbook Readings [required]

• Prehistory: parts of Ch3 & 5-6(78-83, 190-202, 321-348 only)
• Images: Ch4(148-151), Ch6(246-249), Ch9(all)
• Frauds: Ch9(204-216, 2352-237)

Suggested Reserve Readings [optional]

• Moseley, M.E. (1983) Ch 5: Central Andean Civilization. In J. D. Jennings, Ancient South Americans, 179-240.

Exam #3

       Students are encouraged to consult any of these texts, most of which are in the CMU library (call numbers in [brackets]). They are not required for class.

*Books available at Reserve Desk in CMU library (Finch Fieldhouse during library construction).

• Adams, Richard E. W. 1996.  Prehistoric Mesoamerica.  Revised Edition.  Norman, OK:  University of Oklahoma Press.  480pp.
• *Ashmore, Wendy, and Robert J. Sharer.  1996.  Discovering Our Past:  A Brief Introduction to Archaeology.  Second Edition.  Mountain View, CA:  Mayfield.
• Blanton, Richard E., S. Kowalewski, G. Feinman, and J. Appel.  1981. Ancient Mesoamerica:  A Comparison of Change in Three Regions.  Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press.
• Boone, Elizabeth Hill. 1996.  The Aztec World.  176 pp.  Herndon:  Smithsonian institute Press.
• Bray, Warwick, E. Swanson, and I. Farrington. 1989.  The Ancient Americas.  New York:  Peter Bedrick Books.
• Coe, Michael D. 1984. The Maya.  Third edition.  London:  Thames and Hudson.
• *Coe, Michael D., D. Snow, and E. Benson.  1986.  Atlas of Ancient America.  New York:  Facts on File.
• Culbert, Patrick T. 1996.  Maya Civilization.  176 pp.  Herndon:  Smithsonian Institute Press.
• Eddy, Frank W. 1991.  Archaeology:  A Cultural-Evolutionary Approach.  Second edition.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  Prentice-Hall.
• *Fagan, Brian M. 1991.  Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade:  The Americas Before Columbus.  New York:  Thames and Hudson
• 1994. Archaeology:  A Brief Introduction.  Fifth edition.  New York:  Harper Collins.
• 1996.  Ancient North America:  The Archaeology of a Continent.  Second Edition.  New York:  Thames and Hudson.
• *Feder, Kenneth L. 1996.  Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries:  Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology.  Second Edition.  Mountain View, CA:  Mayfield.
• 1996.  The Past in Perspective:  An Introduction to Human Prehistory.  Mountain View, CA:  Mayfield.
• Ferguson, T. J. 1996.  Native Americans and the Practice of Archaeology. Annual Review of Anthropology 25:63-79.
• Haas, Jonathan, S. Pozorski, and T. Pozorski, eds. 1987. The Origins and Development of the Andean State.  Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press.
• Jaffe, A. J. 1992.  The First Immigrants from Asia:  A Population History of the North American Indians.  New York:  Plenum.  358pp.
• Jennings, Jesse D. 1989. Prehistory of North America.  Third edition.  Mountainview, CA:  Mayfield.
• *Jennings, Jesse D., ed. 1983.  Ancient North Americans.  San Francisco:  Freeman.
•  1983.  Ancient South Americans.  San Francisco:  Freeman.
• Keatinge, Richard W., ed. 1988.  Peruvian Prehistory:  An Overview of Pre-Inca and Inca Society.  Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press.
• Knudson, S. J. 1985.  Culture in Retrospect:  An Introduction to Archaeology.  Prospect Heights, IL:  Waveland.
• Lumbreras, Luis G. 1974. The Peoples and Cultures of Ancient Peru.  Translated by B. J. Meggers.  Washington, D.C.:  Smithsonian Institution.
• *Mason, Ronald J. 1981. Great Lakes Archaeology.  New York:  Academic Press.
• Marcus, Joyce. 1992.  Mesoamerican Writing Systems:  Propaganda, Myth, and History in Four Ancient Civilizations.  560 pp.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University Press.
• Marcus, Joyce, and Kent V. Flannery.  1996.  Zapotec Civilization:  How Urban Society Evolved in Mexico's Oaxaca Valley.  New York:  Thames and Hudson.
• Meltzer, David J. 1996.  Search for the First Americans.  176 pp.  Herndon:  Smithsonain Institute Press.
• Proskouriakoff, Tatiana. 1993.  Maya History.  242pp., Austin:  University of Texas Press.
• Settipane, M.D., Guy A., editor.  1995.  Columbus and the New World:  Medical Implications.  148 pp.  Providence:  OceanSide Publications.
• Straus, Lawrence Guy, Berit Valentin Eriksen, Jon M. Erlandson, and David R. Thomas, David Hurst.  1989.  Archaeology.  Second edition.  Fort Worth, TX:  Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
• Weaver, Muriel Porter. 1981.  The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors.  Second edition.  New York:  Academic Press.
• Walthall, John A. 1980.  Prehistoric Indians of the Southeast:  Archaeology of Alabama and the Middle South.  University, AL:  University of Alabama Press.
• Williams, Stephen. 1991. Fantastic Archaeology:  The Wild Side of North American Prehistory.  Philadelphia:  University of Pennsylvania Press.
• *Zubrow, Ezra B., M. Fritz, and J. Fritz, eds. 1974.  New World Archaeology:  Theoretical and Cultural Transformations.  Readings from Scientific American.  San Francisco:  Freeman.

  CONTENTS