Anthropology (ANTH) 377

Overview

ANTH 377: Archaeologies of Turtle Island is a senior-level anthropology course that explores the archaeological pasts of Turtle Island—a.k.a. North America—and their impacts on communities and nations today. The student will cover topics ranging from the First Peoples on the continent to the arrival of European populations up to today. Through assigned reading, viewing, and listening activities, students will travel along coasts and waterways, up into mountains, across plains and deserts, and through forests and other incredible landscapes from the Arctic down to Mesoamerica. Throughout this journey, students will encounter diverse voices and cultures, from ancient and recent histories to the present day. They will also learn about the development of Indigenous archaeology as a subfield and how to critically interrogate Western, Eurocentric frameworks and foundations that remain present within scientific archaeology. Finally, students will hear from Indigenous archaeologists (Indigenous themselves or engaged with Indigenous Knowledges) and learn how these individuals and their teams are actively working to decolonize archaeological practices on Turtle Island today by braiding together archaeological science and Indigenous ways of knowing.

Outline

ANTH 377: Archaeologies of Turtle Island is divided into six units, each of which examines a specific set of related topics. The following course outline lists the units and their topics, subsections, and required student activities.

Unit 1: Welcome to Turtle Island

• 1.1 Turtle Island Archaeologies
• Discussion Activity 1
• 1.2 Whose Past? Narrators and Stewards

Unit 2: Time Immemorial

• 2.1 Eurasian Origins and Critiques
• 2.2 Migration Routes and Lifeways
• Discussion Activity 2
• 2.3 A Warming Postglacial World
• Assignment 1: Critical Article Reviews

Unit 3: The Turtle’s Front

• 3.1 Arctic Peoples and Climate Change
• 3.2 Northeastern Forest Dwellers and Rock Artists
• Discussion Activity 3
• 3.3 Northwest Coast Farmers and Their Dogs
• Quiz 1 (Units 1–3)

Unit 4: The Turtle’s Shell

• 4.1 Eastern Woodland Peoples and Living Landscapes
• Discussion Activity 4
• 4.2 The Connected Worlds of Plains, Basin, and Plateau Peoples
• Assignment 2A: Research Outline

Unit 5: The Turtle’s Hind

• 5.1 Mississippians and Ancient-Modern Identity in the Southeast
• 5.2 Greater Southwest Peoples and Other Related Beings
• 5.3 The Living Legacies of Caribbean and Mesoamerican Peoples
• Quiz 2 (Units 4 and 5)

Unit 6: Turtle Island’s Recent History

• 6.1 Interactions and Encounters at “Contact”
• 6.2 Impactful Archaeologies Today
• Discussion Activity 5
• Assignment 2: Research Paper and Academic Poster
• Final Exam (cumulative, Units 1–6)

Learning outcomes

After completing ANTH 377 students should be able to

• examine the diverse archaeologies of Turtle Island and explore deep and recent histories from the Arctic to Mesoamerica;
• question the colonial frameworks within which archaeology has developed as a discipline and how attempts to decolonize the discipline are progressing;
• combine archaeological science and Indigenous Knowledges to reach supported interpretations regarding the deep histories of Turtle Island;
• evaluate the ways in which contemporary archaeologists collaborate and communicate with Indigenous and non-Indigenous rights holders, stakeholders, and interest groups; and
• value past and present cultures and compare the complexity of relations represented in the archaeologies of Turtle Island.

Evaluation

To receive credit for ANTH 377, you must complete five discussion activities, two quizzes, an article review, a research project outline, and a research paper and academic poster, as well as write a final examination. You must achieve a minimum of D (50 percent) on the final examination and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. Your final grade is determined by a weighted average of the grades you receive on these assignments. All work must be submitted or completed by the end of your course contract date.

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

Physical course materials

The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:

Snow, Dean R., Nancy Gonlin, and Peter E. Siegel. 2020. The Archaeology of Native North America. 2nd ed. New York and London: Routledge.

Other Materials

The Study Guide and all other learning materials will be available online. These include the following:

• Twenty-five (25) additional required readings (e.g., academic journal articles and chapters, comic books, magazine articles, and blog posts) that further address issues raised in your textbook or topics that are unaddressed or underaddressed; these primarily highlight examples of Indigenous archaeologies. These will be made available through links throughout the Study Guide and the Digital Reading Room.
• Fifteen (15) required viewings (e.g., films, online lecture).
• Six (6) required listenings (e.g., podcasts, audio news stories).
• One (1) online exhibition.
• Additional digital content (optional), which is provided within or following the commentary sections for each unit, as well as further recommended readings.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive credit for the ANTH 377 challenge registration, you must receive at least a D (50 percent) on each of the assignments and examination and an overall course grade of D (50 percent). The weightings of each activity are listed below.

Midterm and final exams are each three hours long and written at an invigilation centre.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services