Course Syllabus

Environmental Archaeology

ANTH-3560-01/EVST-3560-01

Fall Semester 2016

 

Instructor: Prof. Evan Parker

Classroom: 212 F. Edward Hebert Hall

Class time: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:00-12:50 pm

Office: Cube 5, 104 Dinwiddie Hall

Phone: (601)-248-2641

Office Hours: Friday 1:30-3:30 pm

Email: eparker3@tulane.edu

 

Course Description

The relationship between humans and the environment is a pervasive concern among politicians, activists, academics, and the public as a whole. Typically, this interaction is considered in light of the future: are humans over-exploiting the earth’s resources and leading human societies to a global collapse? Yet perhaps the answer to this question can be uncovered (or at least clarified) through the study of human prehistory. Our species, Homo sapiens, has inhabited this planet for as many as 200,000 years, all of which has been characterized by an intimate relationship with a diverse array of environments. Indeed, one of the most salient features of humanity is our adaptive flexibility in the types of environments we can inhabit as well as the types of foods we can eat. One of the strengths that archaeology possesses over other disciplines is the ability to survey the effects of environmental change on human societies over the course of thousands of years. Memory, oral history, and written history simply cannot catalogue environmental change in such a manner, giving archaeologists the opportunity to extend our gaze for how we shape the world around us. Archaeologists, climate scientists, geologists, chemists, botanists, zoologists, and geographers have all collaborated to reconstruct ancient environments and understand how 1) humans have transformed these environments and how 2) these environments have in turn altered human societies.

            In this course, we will examine these two processes, and dissect how the environment has influenced human societies in prehistory. We will first consider the methods that archaeologists and other scientists use to reconstruct ancient environments. Such methods range from analogies derived from contemporary hunting-gathering groups, to understanding geomorphological processes, to reconstructing ancient plant lifeways. After having reviewed these methods, we will critically examine how archaeologists have applied these types of data to understanding human/environment interaction in the past. Topics will include the effects of natural disaster on settlement location, the extinction of megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene, and the health consequences of the adoption of agriculture across much of the world. Finally, we will undertake a brief survey of several of the theories archaeologists have employed in their attempts to understand human/environment interaction. One of these theories focuses on the social and demographic collapse of societies in prehistory, which has been made popular by the ornithologist Jared Diamond in his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. We will examine Diamond’s arguments, and will explore counter-arguments and theories such as resilience theory, panarchy theory, and historical ecology. The debate on the nature of collapse and the resilience and adaptability of human societies will be utilized to frame and contextualize more contemporary debates on human over-exploitation of environments.

 

Course Goal

The goal of this course is to give the student a broad understanding of 1) how archaeologists can reconstruct ancient environments 2) how archaeologists use such data to understand human/environment relationships in the past, and 3) critically consider the nature of human adaptation to and exploitation a diverse array of environments.

 

Readings

Readings will be required throughout the semester as marked in the syllabus and will be posted on Canvas in the Files folder.

 

Course Policies

Attendance

Class Attendance is expected of each student.  Attendance will be taken on a daily basis.  Each student will be allowed three unexcused absences (the equivalent of one week of class). With each additional unexcused absence, your final grade will be lowered by half a letter grade (e.g. a B+ becomes a B).  If students are absent for more than three consecutive class periods, these absences will be reported as excessive absences to the academic advising center.  Excused absences are those for school-sponsored events (conferences, sporting events, etc.). You must present proof of participation in these events before the class period for which you will be absent. Arriving late to class will result in a tardy, three of each will earn an unexcused absence. It is your responsibility to master the material taught on the day you were absent.

 

Late Work

All assignments are due by the beginning of class on the date indicated on the syllabus.  Late work will be penalized by a half letter grade for each day it is late (e.g. project which would have received an A would receive an A- after one day, a B+ after two, etc.).  

 

Makeup Exams

There will be no makeup exams.  Should you have to miss an exam for a school-sponsored event, it is your responsibility to arrange a time to take the exam before the scheduled exam date. 

 

Electronic Devices

Please turn all cell phones to silent before class begins.  Use of cell phones during class time is not permitted. I would prefer that you not utilize laptops for classwork. Psychological studies have shown that laptops not only hamper your ability to comprehend and retain information, but also distract those around you. Laptops, tablets, and other similar devices should only be used during class for note taking or looking at digital copies of readings for the day.  No email, Facebook, Instagram etc. during class time. Violation of these rules will result in points deducted from your class participation grade.

 

Academic Honesty

All students are expected to abide by the Tulane Honor Code (http://tulane.edu/college/code.cfm). Plagiarism, cheating, and other violations of the Honor Code will be reported to the Tulane Honor Board. It is your responsibility as a student to be familiar with what constitutes plagiarism or cheating. If you are unsure as to whether your work constitutes plagiarism or cheating, please contact me for clarification. Work produced for this course may not be utilized in any other course in any form and vice versa.

 

Accommodations for Disabilities

It is the policy and practice of Tulane University to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Accommodations are provided to students with documented disabilities in order that these students are viewed according to their abilities rather than their disabilities. It is your responsibility to seek these accommodations by registering your disability with the Office Disability Services (ODS). This office is located in the Mechanical Engineering building and can be reached by phone at (504)-8620-8433. For more information, see http://erc.tulane.edu/studentindex.html. It is the responsibility of the student to register a disability with Disability Services and to submit all required documentation to the instructor so that necessary accommodations can be arranged.

 

Grading

Your grade for the course will be calculated based on the following assignments:

Class participation: 25%

Term Paper: 25%

Mid-Term Take Home Examination: 25%

Final Examination: 25%

 

Final Grades will be assigned on the following scale:

A = 100-94                   B+ = 89-87                 C+ = 79-77                 D+ = 69-67         F:60-0

A- = 93-90                    B  = 86-84                  C  = 76-74                 D = 66-64

                                     B- = 83-80                  C- = 73-70                  D-= 63-60

 

Assignments:

Participation: This is a discussion-based course, and as such, your participation during discussions is extremely important for your success in this class. Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings on the date given on the syllabus. You will learn from the readings and from one another through class discussion and group work just as much from listening to me lecture. Failure to participate in class discussions and in group work will result in a reduction of your participation grade. My advice to you is to take notes on things you find interesting in the readings, then use that to raise a point of discussion in class. I understand that not all students are comfortable speaking in front of others. If this is the case, please let me know and I can find other methods for you to contribute to the course. Understand that simply showing up to class, listening, and taking notes is not sufficient to earn a good participation grade.

 

Take-Home Midterm Examination: You will be assigned a take-home midterm examination. The examination will feature several essay questions drawn from both the readings and from class discussions. However, it is worth noting that simply drawing upon the readings will not be sufficient. Because our class discussions will critically reflect on the readings, we may learn that the ideas presented by some archaeologists are flawed, or that the theoretical perspectives held by different archaeologists diverge significantly when discussing particular issues. These issues will arise in class, and you will be expected to incorporate these ideas into your answers for your mid-term examination.

 

Final In-Class Examination: One final examination will be administered. The final will take place on May 1st from 8am to noon. Makeup exams will only be given for students who have to miss the exam due to official university sponsored events. You must contact me at least a week in advance of the exam if you will be absent. The exam will be non-cumulative.  Each exam will consist of the material covered since the last exam.

 

Term Paper: A 10-12 page term paper is required for this course, on a topic of your choosing related to the subject matter of the course. The paper should focus on a topic related to either a method or methods in environmental archaeology, human/environment interaction in prehistory, or on a theory or theories related to human/environment interaction in the past. The topics on the course schedule are a good guide for possible topics for your term paper. You may want to look over some of the readings we will be going over later in the class, as these topics may be of more interest to you than what we cover early in class.

I expect you to develop an argument or thesis in this term paper, and then defend that thesis utilizing data and arguments from scholarly sources (i.e. peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, academic books, etc.). You should aim for using around 10 academic sources in this paper. This is not a summary paper of these scholarly sources, nor is it a simple literature review. I am happy to look over a complete rough draft of your paper up to a week before the due date. I am also available for consultation on topics or research strategies. Feel free to consult me even if you just need to exchange ideas with someone. Your paper should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins. You should use the Society for American Archaeology Style Guide, which can be found at http://www.saa.org/portals/0/saa/publications/styleguide/styleguide_final_813.pdf .

            All papers should be submitted in electronic format (.doc or .docx file formats please) to epaker3@tulane.edu. If you want specialized assistance on your term paper, I would very much recommend scheduling a writing tutor appointment with the Tulane Academic Success Center. These tutors offer excellent advice on almost every aspect of the writing process. More info can be found here: http://tulane.edu/advising/tasc/tutoring/upload/What-to-Expect-from-a-Writing-Appointment.pdf.  Students who have utilized this resource in my past classes had a noticeable improvement in their writing. Alternatively, the Howard-Tilton Library offers a variety of services related to conducting research for academic term papers.

 

Class Schedule

Note: I reserve the right to amend or edit the course schedule as necessary. Occasionally such changes will be necessary for a variety of issues. I will notify the class when changes have been made.

 

Date	Topic	Reading		Assignment Due
August 29th	Introduction to Course
August 31st	Overview of Environmental Archaeology and Archaeological Method	Turney et al. Chapter 1
September 2nd	Living People & the Environment: The Etic Perspective	Harris 1966
September 5th	Labor Day—No Class
September 7th	Living People & the Environment: The Etic Perspective	Rappaport 1967
September 9th	Living People & the Environment: The Emic Perspective	Van Beek & Banga 2002
September 12th	Living People & the Environment: The Emic Perspective	Bullard & Wright 2009
September 14th	Reconstructing Archaeological Chronology	Stanford et al. 2006
September 16th	Reconstructing Archaeological Chronology	Conyers 1996
September 19th	Climate in the Ancient Past	Gilligan 2007
September 21st	Climate in the Ancient Past	Luzzader & Beach et al. 2016
September 23rd	Geomorphology & Landscapes	Fedick 2014
September 26th	Geomorphology & Landscapes	Kelman 2003
September 28th	Sediments	Dart 1986
September 30th	Sediments	Denevan 2006
October 3rd	Paleoethnobotany	Simms 2012
October 5th	Paleoethnobotany	VanDerwerker & Detwiler 2002
October 7th	Zooarchaeology	Zeder & Arter 2008
October 10th	Zooarchaeology	Emery 2007
October 12th	Yom Kippur—No Class
October 13th	Midterm Exam Due, 12pm			Midterm Exam Due, 12pm
October 14th	No Class—Fall Break
October 17th	Quest for the Lost Maya
October 19th	Zooarchaeology	Martin 2005
October 21st	Alcohol & Drugs in Prehistory	Guerra Doce 2015
October 24th	Alcohol & Drugs in Prehistory	Hayden 2003
October 26th	Alcohol & Drugs in Prehistory	De Borhegyi 2015
October 28th	Health Repercussions of Agriculture & Urbanism	Larsen 1995
October 31st	Health Repercussions of Agriculture & Urbanism		Makra 2015
November 2nd	Water in the Ancient World		Mithen 2012 Ch. 3
November 4th	Water in the Ancient World		Mithen 2012 Ch. 8
November 7th	Water in the Ancient World		Mithen 2012 Ch. 9
November 8th	Disaster, Catastrophe, and Abandonment in the Ancient World		Allison 2002
November 11th	Disaster, Catastrophe, and Abandonment in the Ancient World		Fagan 2009
November 14th	Disaster, Catastrophe, and Abandonment in the Ancient World		Gibbs 2002
November 16th	Social & Demographic Collapse in the Ancient World		Diamond Ch. 2
November 18th	Social & Demographic Collapse in the Ancient World		Diamond Ch. 4
November 21st	Social & Demographic Collapse in the Ancient World		Diamond Ch. 5
November 23rd-25th	Thanksgiving Break—No Class
November 28th	Social & Demographic Collapse in the Ancient World		Diamond Ch. 8
November 30th	Questioning Collapse		Hunt & Lipo 2008
December 2nd	Questioning Collapse		McAnany & Gallareta Negrón 2008
December 5th	Questioning Collapse		Berglund 2008
December 7th	Questioning Collapse		Van der Leeuw 2009
December 9th	Environment & Ethics		Riede 2016
December 13th	Final Exam—1pm-4pm
December 15th	Research Paper Due—12pm			Research Paper Due—12pm