Development
of Ancient Civilizations
ANT 4141-003
Course ID: 10131
Professor Clifford T. Brown
Department of Anthropology
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton Campus
Midterm Notes -- These are in rich text
format (*.rtf). You should be able to open them in your word processor
program.
Finalnotes -- These are
in rich text
format (*.rtf). You should be able to open them in your word processor
program.
Lecture: Monday, Wednesday,
Friday 11:00-11:50
p.m.
Meeting
place: Room SO190
Contact
information:
Office: SO172
Telephone number: (561) 297-3232
Email: ctbrown@fau.edu
Web site: http://www.fau.edu/~ctbrown
Office hours: 1400 – 1700 Monday and
Wednesday, and by appointment.
Course description (from the catalog): “An analysis of human cultures from the
emergence of humanity through the rise of civilization. An ecological
orientation will focus on the close interplay among early humans, their
paleoenvironments and the dynamics of culture change. Relevance for
modern
times in understanding the past and projecting the future. Examination
of major
archaeological concepts.”
General objectives:
The general goals of the course
include inciting clear and logical thought, practicing critical
reading, and
sweating over your writing until it becomes lucid.
Specific
objectives: This class
is a three-credit general undergraduate course in archaeology, up to
and
including the early civilizations. It is one of three required core
courses in
the anthropology major.
We will trace
the biological and cultural evolution of humans from the earliest
hominids
through the appearance of Homo sapiens and the principal stages of
development
of our species: hunting and gathering groups, farming villages, and the
first
cities and great civilizations in various regions of the world. It will examine the theories and methods used
by archaeologists and paleoanthropologists.
Critical thinking about issues in world prehistory will be
emphasized.
Textbook and other readings:
Wenke, Robert J. 1999. Patterns
in Prehistory: Humankind’s First Three Million Years. Fourth
Edition. Oxford
University Press. ISBN
0-19-508572-8.
Other reading will be assigned that are available on the
Internet. Articles will be assigned from scholarly journals that are
available
in the library or through the University library’s online journal
subscriptions.
Accessibility
Statement: “In
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students who
require
special accommodations due to a disability to properly execute
coursework must
register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) located
in Boca
in the Library, Room 175 (561-297-3880) or in Davie in Mod I
(954-236-1222), and follow all
OSD procedures.”
Assignments and grading:
I will
administer two tests (midterm and final), each worth 30% of the final
grade,
and a term paper (about 25 pages long), also worth 30% of the final
grade. The remaining 10% of the grade is
class
attendance and participation.
Policies: Class attendance
is mandatory. I may
make exceptions, at my discretion, in individual cases if you contact
me in
advance. I will not penalize you, of
course, for officially excused absences.
You should
attend the lectures because I use the lecture to share with you
significant
information that does not appear in the text.
My lectures will also highlight the most important ideas for
you.
Classes are also your best opportunities to ask questions. Poor
attendance will
affect your grade.
The grades of
papers turned in late will be reduced. Make-up exams for missed tests
will not
normally be given except in extraordinary circumstances that can be
clearly
documented.
No cheating or
plagiarism will be tolerated. All work must be your own original work.
Please
consult the student handbook for more information about the
university’s honor
code.
Use the American
Antiquity style guide for formatting your assignments and
references. It is
available at the journal web site (http://www.saa.org).
Please feel free to contact me for help in using references in your
papers. All
factual statements in your papers should have citations indicating
their
source.
Course
outline and reading assignments:
Wednesday, January 7, 2004:
First class. Introduction to the course.
Friday, January 9: Introduction to archaeology and
archaeological theory.
Read textbook Chapter 1.
Week of January 12: Archaeological method and theory.
Read textbook Chapter 2.
Week of January 19: Primates, hominid origins and evolution.
Read textbook Chapter 3.
Note that Monday is Martin Luther King Day and there is no
class.
Week of January 26: Modern human origins and evolution.
Read textbook Chapter 4.
Week of February 2: Colonization of Australia
and the New World.
Read textbook Chapter 5.
Week of February 9: The Origins of Agriculture.
Read textbook Chapter 6.
Week of February 16: The Evolution of Complex Societies
& Midterm exam.
Read textbook Chapter 7.
Week of February 23: Mesopotamia.
Read textbook Chapter 8.
Week of March 1: Egypt.
Read textbook Chapter 9.
Week of March 8: Spring Break, no class.
Week of March 15: Indus Valley.
Read textbook Chapter 10.
Week of March 22: China.
Read textbook Chapter 11.
Week of March 29: Other early states in the Old World
Read textbook Chapter 12.
Week of April 5: Mesoamerica.
Read textbook Chapter 13.
Week of April 12: South America.
Read textbook Chapter 14.
Week of April 19: North America
Read textbook Chapter 15.
FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, April 28, 10:30
am - 1:00 pm