Anthropology P350: Archaeology of Ancient Mexico Spring 2007

Transcription

1 Anthropology P350: Archaeology of Ancient Mexico Spring 2007 Course Number: Class time: Tues/Thurs 2:30-3:45 pm Class location: Ballantine Hall 317 Instructor and Office Hours Instructor: Professor Stacie M. King Office Location: Student Building 245 Office Hours: Wednesdays 1-3:00 pm, or by appointment Office Phone: Mailbox: Anthropology Department, Student Building 130 Course Description This course is a survey of the archaeology of ancient Mexico. You will learn about the complex origins and achievements of the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, from the Olmec to the Aztec (and beyond). This course outlines cultural developments in the northern desert regions, the highland valleys of the Sierra Madre, the Yucatan peninsula, and the Pacific and Gulf coasts, notably the Olmec, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, Mixtec, and Aztec. We will study the major issues, controversies and current debates in Mesoamerican archaeology. Topics will include the transition to settled life; the emergence of political stratification; economic organization; the formation of urban centers; elite ideology, legitimacy and wealth; gender and power; human sacrifice and warfare; Mesoamerican religion; the Spanish conquest; and the role of the prehispanic past in the construction of Mexican national identity. Classes will consist of lectures, films, and discussions. Required texts Clendinnen, Inga, Aztecs: An Interpretation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Sabloff, Jeremy, The Cities of Ancient Mexico: Reconstructing a Lost World, Thames & Hudson, London, Hendon, Julia A. and Rosemary A. Joyce, Mesoamerican Archaeology, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, Reserves I have put the following textbook on reserve at the Geography and Map Library (basement of Student Building) as reference material. It is the textbook that I used to assign for this class. Some of the archaeological data are currently out of date, but it would help with background information about all of the sites, time periods, and regions discussed in class. You might also want to consider ordering this book on your own as a reference if this material is very new to you (from Amazon or any other bookseller). 1

2 Coe, Michael D. and Koontz, Rex, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, Thames & Hudson, London, E-reserves I have also assigned additional articles to discuss in class, which will be available on-line through e-reserves. You can access e-reserves from the main library web page, following the links and filling in the login information. The password is: mexico350. Course Prerequisites ANTH P200 Introduction to Archaeology, or permission of the instructor. Course Evaluation Course grade will be calculated based on 500 points, and will include two exams (40%), three essays (30%), a group (16%), three quizzes (6%). Attendance and participation in discussion will also count toward your overall grade (8%). Breakdown of Course Grade Exam 1 Exam 2 Essay 1 Essay 2 Essay 3 Group & bibliography Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Attendance (taken 11 times randomly) Participation Total 100 points 100 points 80 points 30 points 500 points Group The group s are planned as 30 minute s of material of interest to members of the group. Each group member can select a specific subtopic or take on a unique role in the project. The final version of the should be put together as a unified document to deliver in class (ie. a single Powerpoint file, or whatever you decide to do). It is up to you as a group to decide what format and what information you would like to cover and how you would like to deliver the. Not every group member needs to be part of the inclass, but your contribution to the group should be evident in some other manner. I am available to help with suggestions about sources or directions that the s can take. I will pass around a sign up sheet on the first day of class and then set up a discussion group on Oncourse so that you can arrange meeting details on your own. The and the list of sources used are worth. Everyone in the group will receive the same points out of the. A separate evaluation makes up the other 30 points everyone must provide a brief evaluation for each member in the group, grading their contribution (forms available on Oncourse). I will compile the peer evaluations and determine the final grade for each person in 2

3 the group. I want to know that you each participated as fully as possible in making these group projects work! A copy of your, along with your peer evaluations and list of sources used (individuals or joint) should be handed in on the day of the. If you have any concerns about this process or the outcome, come see me in office hours. Group topics Group 1: Olmec origins Group 2: Mesoamerican calendar Group 3: Maya kingship Group 4: Aztec origins Group 5: Post-conquest Mexico & the legacy of colonialism Attendance Policy I like to have a record of attendance for record-keeping and evaluation purposes. Please know that I always find a correlation between attendance and final grades for the course. Attendance is especially important since most of the exam content comes from lecture and ideas that you discuss in section. I will take attendance randomly in class 11 times during the semester. You are allowed one free miss. Please respect that it is not fair to give you credit for attending if you are not present in class, so my attendance does not exempt absences for personal reasons, illness, or university sponsored activities this is why you are allowed one free miss. If you enrolled late, or are a member of an organization/team that will result in missing class on a regular basis, please see me in office hours so we can make a note of it. The only exceptions are religious holidays with appropriate documentation. Late policy All essays are due at the beginning of class on the specified due date. Essays turned in late will be assessed a penalty of a letter grade for every day that they are late. This means that if you cannot make the deadline, you should attend class anyway and take the extra time to finish your essay after class is over. Late essays should be turned into Prof. King s mailbox in the Anthropology Department office, and should be time stamped and initialed by one of the office staff during regular business hours (approximately 9 am 5 pm M-F, and closed for lunch from 12-1 pm). Be considerate the office staff is busy too! If it is the weekend, me and attach the file, but then still turn in a copy the next business day. Please do not slide papers underneath office doors. Please note: I will NOT accept ed papers without advance permission. Please bring a paper copy to class, following the formatting instructions included with each assignment. Academic Honesty I encourage all students to discuss essay ideas and study for exams with fellow classmates. However, I expect you to complete your essays alone. In addition, I expect that you will abide by all of the rules of academic honesty presented in the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, available at If you have any concerns or questions about these guidelines, please talk to me. Plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty earns a failing grade for the assignment. 3

4 Classroom Professionalism I expect that students will act in a professional manner while in class. This means that you should not check , surf the internet, read the newspaper, habitually arrive late, talk loudly with classmates, or otherwise disrupt the class. Please turn your cell phones off while in class. If excessive violations are noted, it will result in a reduction of your overall course grade by up to 10%. Oncourse I will post all grades on-line in an Oncourse gradebook. You should consult this gradebook and and the Oncourse website regularly for announcements, assignments, and gradebook updates. Please let me know if you notice any errors in data entry I do sometimes make mistakes! Course Topics and Schedule All assignments are due on the date listed, and all readings should be completed before class. Completing the reading before class will not only enhance your understanding of the material presented that day, but is essential for participation and discussion. In some cases, I will hand out a reading guide, or give reading suggestions in class, so that you will be able to focus on what I see as most important. Remember that participation is part of your grade! I do not give make-up quizzes since we will discuss the answers to quizzes in class. If you are going to miss an exam, you must notify me in advance by and verify your absence from a university official. Likewise, if you have any scheduling conflicts, you should talk to me immediately. Week Date Topic Assignment Readings to discuss Jan 9 Course Introduction Film: Sentinels of Silence 1 Jan 11 What is Mesoamerica? Time, H&J, Ch. 1 R. Joyce land, and resources of Mexico Sabloff, Ch. 11&12 2 Jan 16 Peopling of the New World Jan 18 Origins of agriculture Jan 23 Early villages of the Preclassic Quiz 1 Sabloff, Ch. 1 3 H&J, Ch. 2 Clark Jan 25 Gulf coast Olmecs Group 1 Sabloff, Ch. 2 & 9 Jan 30 Formative Mesoamerica and the H&J, Ch. 3 Lesure 4 Olmec debate Blomster, e-reserves Feb 1 Olmec art style & the origins of Reilly, e-reserves writing Feb 6 Mesoamerican religion Group 2 Marcus and Flannery, 5 6 Feb 8 Rise of urban centers; Zapotecs and Monte Albán Feb 13 Teotihuacan Film: Teotihuacan: Birthplace of the Sun e-reserves Assignment 1 Sabloff, Ch. 3 H&J, Ch. 8 A. Joyce Marcus, e-reserves (skim) Sabloff, Ch. 4 H&J, Ch. 5 Manzanilla 4

5 7 8 9 Feb 15 Feb 20 Administration, trade and commerce Maya origins, political structure, and kingship Quiz 2 Group 3 Feb 22 Everyday life and landscapes of the Classic Maya Assignment 2 Feb 27 Summary and review Film: Maya: Lords of the Jungle Mar 1 Midterm Exam Mar 6 What can we say about the Maya Film Lost collapse? Commentary on Kingdoms of the Maya Gibson s Apocalypto Mar 8 Early Postclassic centers: Cholula & Chichén Itza H&J, Ch. 4 Sugiyama Drennan et al., e- reserves Sabloff, Ch. 5 & Ch. 6 Friedel and Schele, e- reserves H&J, Ch. 6, Robin H&J, Ch. 7, Ashmore Demarest, e-reserves McKillop, e-reserves SPRING BREAK, March Start reading Clendinnen! See reading notes Mar 20 Tula and the Toltecs Sabloff, Ch Mar 22 Mixtec codices & culture hero Quiz 3 H&J, Ch. 9 Pohl Lord 8 Deer Mar 27 Northern Mexico and Aztec Group 4 H&J, Ch. 10 Brumfiel 11 origins Mar 29 Aztec history; Tenochtitlán & Sabloff, Ch. 8 Aztec political organization Clendinnen, Part I Apr 3 Everyday life in the Aztec world Clendinnen, Part II 12 Apr 5 & the Aztec countryside H&J, Ch. 11 Nichols Aztec spirituality & religion Film: The Five Suns: A Sacred Clendinnen, Part III History of Mexico Apr 10 Hernán Cortés and the arrival of Film: Clendinnen, Part IV the Spanish Conquistadors: 13 Hernán Cortés Apr 12 Post-conquest Mexico Group 5 H&J, Ch. 12 Hendon 14 Apr 17 Apr 19 Tourism and cultural resource management in Mexico The legacy of ancient Mexico and the construction of Mexican national identity Film Incidents of Travel in Chichén Itza Film: Columbus didn t discover us Clendinnen, pp Hoobler, e-reserves Apr 24 Course summary and review Assignment 3 15 Apr 26 CLASS CANCELLED, Society for American Archaeology Meetings Exam 2, Final Exam: Tuesday May 1 st, 2:45 4:45 pm 5