Course Overview:
New World civilizations have inspired romantic visions of majestic pyramids lost amid dense tropical jungles. They built magnificent cities and roadways, developed complex mathematical and symbolic systems, and formed expansive empires. These societies thrived until contact with European explorers and conquerors. While their descendents still live, the European conquest resulted in a massive level of upheaval and transformation. What we know of these societies and the people who built them comes primarily from archaeological fieldwork and historical documents.
This course focuses on three of the best-known New World civilizations from the time before the Europeans: the Aztecs of central Mexico, the Maya of southern Mesoamerica, and the Inca of South America. We will begin by investigating how archaeological remains and historical documents are used to understand past societies. We will then use these tools to assess the available information in order to explain and understand these ancient peoples.
We will pay particular attention to the similarities and differences in social organization cross-culturally and within these societies. Humans speak different languages, eat different foods, wear different clothing, pray to different gods, etc. We will focus our attention on how these societies organized their members into specific groups and how they affected social stability and change. We will explore the social, political, economic, and ideological development and transformations of these societies and the implications our anthropological understanding of humanity’s past has for the present.
Text:
The course will use a variety of readings in addition to five texts available from the campus bookstore:
Michael Coe The Maya, 6th edition. Thames and Hudson
Michael Smith The Aztecs., 2nd edition. Blackwell
Terence D’Altroy The Incas. Blackwell
Richard Blanton et al. Ancient Mesoamerica. Cambridge
Patricia McAnany Living with the Ancestors. University of Texas
Readings are listed on the schedule by chapter number. Students should do the assigned reading before the start of the class for which they are assigned.
Other Media:
We will see a number of films, videos, and presentations. Treat these as texts. In other words, everyone is responsible for information from these sources, which will be included in discussion and exams.
Evaluation:
The course is divided into three sections based on the three societies we will be investigating. Each section will culminate in a short essay dealing with particular aspects of each society. Treat these essays as exams and make use of materials from lectures, discussions, and texts. You may also supplement these with outside sources. In addition, each student will select one of these three essays to expand into a complete review article.
The topics for short essays will be selected from a list that I provide or you can create your own topic in consultation with me. Each essay will be 5-7 pages in length. More details will be provided later in the semester.
The topic for the review paper will be selected in the same way as the short essays. Each paper will be organized around an in depth assessment of the current research on the chosen topic. The paper will be 10-15 pages in length plus a bibliography of at least 5 pages.
Every student will take the role of class recorder for at least one class period during the semester. This individual will record lectures, class discussions, and other media presentations and create a note outline for redistribution to the class at the beginning of the following class period.
Every student will lead discussion on a supplemental reading at least twice during the semester. This will be done in groups of 2 or 3 students. While all students will read the articles, the assigned group will present a 5-10 minute summary to the class and then lead discussion by asking questions about the text.
You should keep up with the reading and come to class prepared to answer questions, ask questions, and engage in general discussion. I expect everyone to prepare note outline of all readings. Attendance and participation is mandatory and constitutes 20% of your grade for the course. Each student is allowed 3 absences. Subsequently, you will lose ½ of a letter grade per absence. Attendance will be taken regularly. If you arrive late to class, you are responsible for letting me know after class that you were present. Missed exams or assignments resulting from unexcused absences will receive zeros. Excused absences will be granted only when students contact the professor prior to the class. Excused absences will also be granted for illness or family emergency. Excused absences are given only for medical emergencies or deaths in the family. Notice must be provided through academic affairs.
|
Aztec Essay 1* |
15% |
|
Maya Essay 2* |
15% |
|
Inca Essay 3* |
15% |
|
Review Paper** |
15% |
|
Class Recorded |
10% |
|
Discussion Leader |
10% |
|
Participation/Attendance |
20% |
- *You will need to select one of these to expand into a more complete literature review paper.
- **This is in addition to the 15% for the short essay. Hence, the Review paper is worth a total of 30%.
We will use Grinnell’s Blackboard system (http://blackboard.grinnell.edu/). Blackboard provides a forum for announcements and discussion groups. All class announcements and handouts will be posted on Blackboard.
Course Outline:
(Readings are required prior to the class they are assigned)
|
Date |
Topic |
Readings
(Chapters) |
|
|
January |
20 |
Introduction |
|
|
|
22 |
Geography and Timeline |
Blanton et al. 1 |
|
|
24 |
Archaeology & Ethnohistory |
Bahn |
|
|
27 |
Other Times & Places |
Blanton et al. 2 & 3 |
|
|
29 |
Central Mexico |
Blanton et al. 4 |
|
|
31 |
The Eastern Lowlands |
Blanton et al. 5 |
|
February |
3 |
The Big Picture |
Blanton et al. 6 |
|
|
5 |
Aztec Intro & Origins |
Smith 1, 2 |
|
|
7 |
Social Landscape |
Smith 3 ;Discussion: Smith 1994 |
|
|
10 |
The Economy: Artisans |
Smith 4 |
|
|
12 |
The Economy: Merchants |
Smith 5 |
|
|
14 |
Social Units |
Smith 6; Discussion: Hare 2000 |
|
|
17 |
Political Units |
Smith 7 |
|
|
19 |
Urbanism |
Smith 8 |
|
|
21 |
Belief Systems |
Smith
9;Discussion: Brumfiel 1996 |
|
|
24 |
Science, Technology, & Art |
Smith 10 |
|
|
26 |
The End . . . |
Smith 11 |
|
|
28 |
Sort of? |
Smith 12; Discussion: Farfan 2001 |
|
March |
3 |
Maya |
Coe 1 & 2 |
|
|
5 |
Beginnings |
Coe 3 & 4 |
|
|
7 |
Classic |
Coe 5;
Discussion: Mathews 1991 |
|
|
10 |
Terminal & Postclassic |
Coe 6 & 7 |
|
|
12 |
Conquest & Belief |
Coe 8 & 9 |
|
|
14 |
Contemporary Maya |
Coe 10;
Discussion:tba |
|
|
15-20 |
Spring
Break |
|
|
|
31 |
Intro to Ancestors & Lineages |
McAnany 1 |
|
|
2 |
Maya Lineages |
McAnany 2 |
|
April |
4 |
The Geneology of Place |
Discussion: McAnany 3 |
|
|
7 |
Power & Inequality |
McAnany 4 |
|
|
9-11 |
No Class |
|
|
|
14 |
Kin Groups & K |
McAnany 5 |
|
|
16 |
The Archaeology of Place |
McAnany 6 & Postscript |
|
|
18 |
Inca Intro |
D’Altroy 1; Disc:
Murra & Morris 1975 |
|
|
21 |
Social Landscape & Before the Empire |
D’Altroy 2 & 3 |
|
|
23 |
During the Empire |
D’Altroy 4 |
|
|
25 |
Politics |
D’Altroy 5; Discussion: Stanish 2001 |
|
|
28 |
The Core & Ideology |
D’Altroy 6
& 7 |
|
|
30 |
Social Groups & Power |
D’Altroy 8 & 9 |
|
May |
2 |
Power |
D’Altroy 10; Disc: Bauer & Covey 2002 |
|
|
5 |
Production / Artisans |
D’Altroy 11 &12 |
|
|
7 |
The End |
D’Altroy 13 |
|
May |
16 |
Final Exam
Period |
9:00
am |
