113:012 Syllabus

Spring 1999, Shambaugh Auditorium, 11:30-12:20 AM, TTH

Instructor: Dr. Larry Zimmerman
Office: 219 Macbride or  418 JB, Phone 335-0006 E-mail: larry-zimmerman@uiowa.edu

Office hours for Macbride: variable, but generally 10:30-11:15 AM, TTH
Office hours for Jefferson: variable, but usually 8:30-10:00 AM, M-F

I am usually  available many more hours than these, including immediately after class, and I do not consider office hours to be "sacred" in that they are so little used. However, feel free to make an appointment by calling the the American Indian and Native Studies program secretary at 335-1980. She will set a time with you, but ask your phone number so that we can call you back if the time she sets is not satisfactory. You can also leave voice mail for me.

Teaching Assistants:

Rebecca Johnson, E-mail: rebecca-johnson@uiowa.edu
Office:  222 Macbride. Phone: 335-0519.   Office  Hours:
    Sections: 072 (10:30 W), 073 (4:30 TH), 074 (8:30 F), 075 (2:30 F)

Dain Martinek,   E-mail: dain-martinek@uiowa.edu
Office: 222 Macbride. Phone: 335-0519.  Office  Hours: Monday 9:30-10:30, Wednesday 8:30-9:30, right after sections
    Sections: 070 (8:30M), 071 (7:30W)

PLEASE READ THIS COURSE OUTLINE AND KEEP IT FOR REFERENCE AS YOU COMPLETE THE COURSE.

Class Web Site:

You can also find the outline on the World Wide Web at http://twist.lib.uiowa.edu/prehistory, and there is also a link off the U of Iowa Anthropology Department web site at http://www.uiowa.edu/~anthro where you should click on Web Course Materials.  On the class web site you will find announcements, discussion section assignments, a chat room, and links to all kinds of archaeology information. To use the chat and discussion rooms you will need to login using: prehistory  and  use the password: fagan.

Introduction

Archaeology fascinates people. What were the people of the past like? How could they have survived in sometimes difficult environments? How could some have accomplished incredible feats of artistry and engineering thousands of years ago? Archaeology is about discovery, a kind of detective work into the ancient past. Most aren't aware that the precise nature of this detective work is guided by exacting theories and methods that combine the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. These theories and methods have allowed archaeologists to understand the wide range of human adaptation to changing environments and the wide range in how these people of the past understood their own lives and cultures.

Objectives

This class contains materials materials organized into four major units:

1. what the past is and what it means,
2. how archaeologists study the past,
3. a brief survey of world prehistory, and
4. contemporary issues in archaeology.

Linked to these units are several important objectives:

• The understand the complex nature of archaeological discovery.
• To learn the basic concepts and methods of archaeology, particularly how science is applied.
• To get hands-on experience in some archaeological techniques.
• To learn the basic outline of human prehistory.
• To understand what the past means to people and their lives.
• To consider a range of current issues in archaeology.

Themes

Some themes are common to all of the above topics. You should be aware of these themes during your readings, videos, and lab projects. Try to identify them, where possible. These are:

• Preservation: What survives the ravages of time?
• Material Culture: How do artifacts help our understanding of past culture, and how do they limit it?
• Context: What is it and why is it important?
• Meaning: What does the past mean to people, and how do they use it?

Required Books and Other Required Readings

The following books are required reading for the course and are available at the University Bookstore in the Iowa Memorial Union.

Archaeology Annual Editions 98-99. Dushkin Publishing. 1998.
Discovering Our Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology, 2nd edition. Mayfield. 1996.
Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. Mayfield. 1999.

Required Reserve Readings: You are also required to read several short works, available only on the class web site. These are listed in the readings that follow.

Discussion Sections

You must be enrolled in, and regularly attend, discussion sections for this class. If you need to change sections after the start of class, be certain that you use a drop/add slip to do so. You grades are kept track of in sections, so if you change without officially doing so, your grades may be lost or fouled up.

The teaching assistant has substantial discretion over your grades, especially in matters of grading your quizzes, assigning points for attendance and participation, and having a say in your project grade. If you have questions about grades, you should first chat with the TA about it, then with Dr. Zimmerman if there are unresolved issues.

Grading

You class grade will come from five major activities, worth a total of 500 points. Each activity is described below, along with the points it is worth.

Discussion Section (100 points)

You can receive up to100 points for your attendance, participation and other activities assigned by your TA. There will be some variation between the TAs, and perhaps even sections, in terms of how this is assessed.

Milestone Quizzes (100 points)

You will have four (4) quizzes in your discussion sections. Each will be worth 25 points. These quizzes are designed to tell us and you whether you have mastered core material in the class as given at that point in the semester. The quizzes will consist of some short answer identification/significance questions and at least one short essay. Quizzes will be slightly different for each section, but core materials will still be covered.

Laboratory Exercises (100 points)

In sections, you will be involved in five laboratory exercises, each worth 20 points. These labs are simple activities designed to teach you important major projects about archaeology. To earn the points, you will participate in the lab exercise and then write your observations on a simple form. Contents of each lab are considered to be testable, but we think you'll also find them to be fun! You can take a look at all the lab assignments by clicking on the heading above. It'll take you to the Laboratory  Assignment Page.

Comprehensive Final (100 points)

You will take a comprehensive final examination for this class during the scheduled final exam hour, May 10th at 7 PM.  The exam will contain a range of question types, but most of them will come directly from the Milestone Quizzes. Because you don't have a quiz over the last part of the class, some questions will be about that part of the class. You will mostly have to review the quizzes to do well on the final.

Projects (100 points)

Classes such as this one are taken for a wide range of reasons, everything from it being the only GER class still open at this time to an intense, life-long interest in archaeology and part of requirements for a major. So that you can get out of the class what you like, you will do a project. It can be as simple or complex as you wish. You may do it as an individual, or you may collaborate with other class members. If you collaborate, each member of your group will be assigned the same number of points.

You should remember that the quality of content (up to 50 points) , amount of effort (up to 25 points) and creativity (up to 25 points) all will enter into grading this project. These will be subjectively assigned, first by the TAs, then by Dr. Zimmerman.

The projects can be of two types:

Notebooks

One project can be an Archaeology Notebook which you will develop by compiling materials related to archaeology. Use a three-ring binder and put in it any materials you think appropriate, but the following are suggestions:

1. Article summaries from the Archaeology Annual Edition reader (you may use the summary form on page 228-right after the index).
2. Use the same form to write a summary of additional articles (not in Annual Editions!) about archaeology in newspapers and popular magazines such as Discover, Natural History, Smithsonian, Archaeology, Scientific American, American Scientist and the like. Be sure to include a photocopy of the article with the summary. Do not cut articles from magazines and include them. If we find that you have, you risk losing the entire grade on this project. The University Library constantly finds articles cut from its journals, instead of being copied by the student. This deprives many others of the use of this article and costs a great deal for the library to replace, money you eventually pay through tuition and fees anyway!
3. Copies of work deriving from lab exercises.
4. Printed copies of materials from web sites.
5. Answers to study questions on videos.
6. It may also include chapter outlines from the text or other materials you think are interesting or appropriate (except copies of text materials themselves). You may have your notebook back after final grades are calculated.

You will find that doing a diligent job of preparing the notebook will be a tremendous study aid if you assemble it all along during the course.

Web Site

If you wish, you may also develop a site for the world wide web. The subject must relate to prehistory/archaeology, but other than that is open. If you have not done web development before, perhaps you can team with someone who has (actually, it's pretty easy, so you can learn it quickly). You can either house the web site with some internet service provide (geocities and other provide a free service), or you can give it to Dr. Zimmerman to be linked to the class web site. Especially good web sites may be demonstrated in class.

You will be submitting your projects twice during the semester. The first will be around midterm and is listed on the class lecture/reading schedule. This assessment it to be sure that you are making progress and that all the work is not being put off till the last minute. In the case of notebooks, you simply turn it your notebook. In the case of web sites, it can be a partial site turned in on disk, or the concept of the site diagrammed on paper with some links listed. No points will be assigned, but points will be deducted from the final score if this is first submission is not met. The final submission will be during the last meeting of your discussion section. This means that some will have slightly longer than others to do the project.

Final grades will be calculated using your total accumulated points according to the following scale:

Extra Consideration Points

We will announce several activities for you to use to boost your points. These may involve such things as taping and analyzing archaeology videos from television, participating in a prehistoric role-playing game, participating in a technology "day" or reading novels or other books about prehistoric cultures. We've not decided on all this yet, but we will certainly limit the number of extra points to 50.  We will announce more later.

Class Attendance

Regular class and section attendance is strongly recommended. You can see that many activities happen in section, so try not to miss. Unexcused absences may result in a reduction of your final grade.

Tentative Lecture, Reading and Exam Schedule

Following is a loosely arranged lecture and reading assignment schedule. I reserve the right to change the schedule based on class needs, illness, or other possible factors. You will be given at least two class periods' notice if a change is made for the milestone quizzes. Below A=Archaeology Annual Editions 98-99, F=Frauds, Myths and Mysteries and S=Discovering Our Past and the numbers following the letter are for chapters or reading numbers, not page numbers. Notice that sometimes you will have a group of readings with nothing following the next class. This group of readings may apply over several class periods. In bold are key activities, quizzes and due dates. Lectures will expand on and illustrate the following topics:

Films/Videos

This course contains numerous excellent videos or films which directly support the reading material and lectures, shown mostly in discussion sections. The material in the films is considered testable. You may wish to include summary sheets on the films in your notebook. You will find a  study guide for each video we see, linked from the class web site.

Additional General Information:

For additional assistance contact the Department of Anthropology, 114 Macbride Hall, Telephone: 335-0522. The department DEO is Russell Ciochon.

Students with Disabilities: I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me after class or contact me during my office hours.

Complaint Procedures: Any student complaints or concerns about this course should first be brought to the attention of the instructor first. We will make effort to resolve the matter. Should that not happen, the matter may be taken to the department DEO. Students may also examine the Schedule of Courses or the Liberal Arts Bulletin.

Plagiarism and Cheating: If I detect plagiarism or cheating, you will be notified in writing when the incident is discovered. Procedures discussed in the Schedule of Courses or the Liberal Arts Bulletin will be followed. Academic misconduct may result in severe penalties ranging from reduction of grades and probation to expulsion from the University for repeated offenses.