Course Syllabus
Athabasca University
Anthropology (ANTH) 318
Ancient Civilizations of the Americas (Revision 1)
Revision 1 closed May 9, 2008, replaced by current version.
Delivery mode: Individualized study with video component.*
*Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component.
Credits: 3 - Social Science.
Prerequisite: None. ANTH 277 is strongly recommended but not required.
Centre: Centre for Work and Community Studies
ANTH 318 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Course website
Overview
ANTH 318 will provide an extensive overview of the archaeological record of precontact civilizations in the Americas, from the first origins of agriculture to European contact.
Outline
ANTH 318 is produced as a telecourse. Each unit contains an overview, a list of learning objectives, instructions about reading viewing assignments, and commentary on these assignments.
Part 1: What is Archaeology?
- Unit 1: Introduction to Anthropology and Archaeology
- Unit 2: In Search of Ourselves: The Development of Anthropology and Archaeology
Part II: Doing Archaeology
- Unit 3: Learning about the Past: The Case of the Copan Maya
- Unit 4: Archaeological Methods
- Unit 5: Conceptual Framework
- Unit 6: Human Habitats
Part III: Reconstructing the Past
- Unit 7: Family and Household, Community and Society
- Unit 8: Artisans and Traders
- Unit 9: Signs and Symbols
- Unit 10: Power, Prestige, and Wealth
- Unit 11: Realms
- Unit 12: The Spirit World: Religion and Ideology
Part IV: The Archaeology of Ancient Civilizations
- Unit 13: The Rise of Civilization in the New World
- Unit 14: The Ceren Site: Case Study of a Maya Village
Part V: Explaining the Past
- Unit 15: The Fall of Civilizations: Another Lesson from Copan
- Unit 16: Explanation and Archaeology
Evaluation
To receive credit for ANTH 318, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least a “D” (50 percent). You must achieve a minimum grade of 60 percent on each examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Tele. Quizzes | Essay Assign | Research Paper Outline | Research Paper | Mid-term Exam | Final Exam | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 20% | 5% | 35% | 15% | 15% | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Sheets, Payson. 1992. The Ceren Site: A Prehistoric Village Buried by Volcanic Ash in Central America. Case Studies in Archaeology Series No. 1. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
Webster, David, L., Susan T. Evans, and William T. Sanders. 1993. Out of the Past: An Introduction to Archaeology. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.
Other Materials
The course materials also include a student manual, and a study guide.
Special Instructional Features
ANTH 318 is produced as a telecourse with eight, one-hour commercially produced videotapes in conjunction with the Webster et al. textbook. The videotapes can be viewed at Athabasca University's central office in Athabasca or at the learning centres in Edmonton or Calgary.
Students may also request the videotapes from Athabasca University Library. Please try to anticipate when you will need the videotapes as the Library will not send out the entire set of eight at one time.