64666 -001 LEC, 9:00-10:15 A.M., Tu,Th (01/16/2019 - 05/03/2019), Cina 214, Roufs,Tim, 3 credits
Schedule may change as events of the semester require
Description:
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Survey of major pre-Hispanic cultures of Mesoamerica, including the Olmecs, Maya, Toltecs, Mixtecs, and Aztecs. Using comparative ethnographic and archaeological materials, the course explores the arrival of hunter-gatherer-foragers, the beginnings of agriculture, and formation of early villages, native mathematical and calendar and writing systems, the florescence of regional art styles, and the religious sociopolitical, and economic development of Classical and Postclassical civilizations through the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors.
prereq: minimum 30 credits, or # [permission of instructor]
Michael
D. Coe
(NY: Thames and
Hudson, 2015)
is currently available online from about $18.32 new, $12.68 used, $12.99 Kindle
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(28 December 2018)
Michael
D. Coe and Rex Koontz
(NY: Thames and
Hudson, 2013)
is currently available online from about $20.22 new, $12.40 used
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(27 November 2017)
Main Characteristics of Anthropology
slides: (.pptx)
(NOTE: This is a long slide set as it covers some very important background information that will be referred to often as we go through the semester. Please bear with it to the end. And it will take a little longer to load, so please bear with that also. There is no video presentation scheduled for this and next week as the base slide sets tend to be a little longer than "normal.")
[see note on slide formats] (NOTE: This is a long slide set as it covers more than 2000+ years. Please bear with it to the end. Please bear with it to the end. And it will take a little longer to load, so please bear with that also. There is no video presentation scheduled for this and next week as the base slide sets tend to be a little longer than "normal.")
~
Finding Information on Ancient Cultures of Middle America
slides: (.pptx)
~
Students in the past have commented that there is
TOO MUCH INFORMATION
available on the class and supporting WebSites.
Yes, there is a lot of information, no doubt about it, and it can be confusing at first. It’s helpful when starting out to remember that the required information for the course is contained in the Syllabus or Assignments sections of your HomePage. The information in the sidebars and many of the links are there should you find those interesting and/or helpful; that material is not required.
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
Today’s a big day in PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pennsylvania. About 7:30 this morning (ET) Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his winter’s nap at a place called Gobbler’s Knob and—communicating in his native language, groundhogese, a language understood only by the local Groundhog Club president—Phil reported that he couldn’t find his shadow, heralding an early spring. (In fact, he was looking for a mate.)
For the latest up-to-date coverage and reports see . . .
The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2nd, winter will last another six weeks.
If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.” Thousands show up for the event each year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (and other places around the country).
Others point out that the February 2nd tradition predicting the arrival of spring actually predates any groundhog link, stretching back to the ancient Christian holiday of Candlemas. According to an old English rhyme:
“If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight;
But if it be dark with clouds and rain,
Winter is gone, and will not come again.”
People of German heritage in Western Pennsylvania (“Pennsylvania Dutch”—who are actually German—celebrate with Fersommling, festive gatherings at which only German is spoken (people speaking English at the events must pay a modest fine).
Phil's official forecast is officially predicted
on February 2nd at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob
In 2013 Ohio prosecutors ‘indicted’ Punxsutawney Phil over early spring forecast, seek death penalty
"In 2013, Phil issued a forecast for an early spring, but bitter cold and snow gripped the eastern U.S. into March that year. The prosecuting attorney in Butler County, Ohio went as far as to seek the death penalty for Phil for “misrepresentation of early spring” before a Pennsylvania law firm came to Phil’s defense, claiming the Ohio attorney had no jurisdiction to prosecute the Groundhog." -- The Washing Post, 02 February 2015
One of the five main characteristics of American Anthropology is fieldwork, "a primary research technique, involving “participant observation," which usually means living among the people one is interested in learning from and about. And fieldwork, almost above everything else, requires attentive observation and recording of information.
Much of what we are going to do for the rest of the semester is "fieldwork" via video materials from around the world. Before we get into the video-intensive part of the course (towards the middle and end), take the Selective Attention Test (below) developed by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris. This should give you a little insight into the nature of observing—which lies at the very heart of anthropological fieldwork.
(And as with THe Selective Attention Test, be sure to also count the bounce passes.)
(4)After you have taken Simon and Chabris' tests, think about how what you learned from them about perception might be applied as you view the videos for the rest of the semester as well as the cultural behaviors in real life as you roam the world thereafter
The main purpose of this exercise is to sensitize you to the fact that everyone views things selectively—”quite naturally, and maybe even by necessity. And one's culture plays a huge role in what one "sees" and focuses on (and what one doesn't see and focus on). American men, for e.g., most often do not "see" many details of clothing, color, and personal stylistic adornment (read hair styles, nail treatment, cosmetic adornments and the like).
To view things as a trained observer as anthropologists must do when they're in the field "doing" anthropology one must almost constantly be aware of this natural / cultural tendency to perceive things selectively, and try to compensate for it by paying attention to items not otherwise selected for, while at the same time being careful "not to miss anything".
Hopefully, this exercise will make you just a little more critical in the way you look at things—”and especially the class videos—”for the rest of the semester (and maybe even for the rest of your life, for that matter).
You are not expected anything to submit anything—no reaction, or report, or forum posting. This is a "re-vision" activity, and it should benefit you in performing well in the exams and overall for the course. And hopefully it will also help on your way to having a genuine anthropological perspective on life in general.
Other Materials from Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons . . .
"Demonstrations, videos from our research, videos of us speaking, etc. Dan's YouTube Channel includes most of these videos as well as favorites from around the web that are related to or mentioned in our book. You can view more videos on his personal website."
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking Fast and Slow. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
Macknik, Stephen L., Susana Martinez-Conde, and Sandra Blakeslee. Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2010.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Incerto -- an investigation of luck, uncertainty, probability, opacity, human error, risk, disorder, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets. 2nd Ed. NY: Random House, 2008.
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility". NY: Random House, 2010.
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder. NY: Random House, 2014.
The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms. NY: Random House, 2016.
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
The informal statement can be very straightforward. It's a simple statement of . . .
"Here's what I'm interested in doing. . . .
Here's why I'm interested in that. . . .
Here's what I think will be useful for that project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
For this assignment you may turn in the sources information any way you like -- except that if you are using a web site include the name of the web site (and author, if it has an author) in addition to the URL. (That is, do not just cite the URL.)
"I'm thinking about doing a project on X or Y, but can't make up my mind.
Here's what I'm interested in, and why. . . .
Here are some things that look like they might be useful for the project. . . .
This means that you should include three or four references to materials and activities (such as interviewing someone . . .) that you think would be helpful to your in working on your project. (No, you do not have to do an interview, that's just one possibility.)
If you include a reference to a source on the web, be sure to give its full reference (not just the URL). For a web page your full reference should look something like this (include as much of this material as is available for the site[s] you are looking at):
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
The Maya
Ch. 3, "The Rise of the Maya Civilization," pp. 60-89
Week 6 Video Explorations
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For Week's Activities see Moodle
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
Maya glyphs in stucco at the Museo de sitio in Palenque, Mexico
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For Week's Activities see Moodle
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
s2019 The MA Extra Credit due by the end of Week 13, by Saturday, 20 April 2019. AVISO: Late Extra Credit Papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date. Why?
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
s2019 The MA Case Study is due no later than the end of Week 13, Saturday, 20 April 2019
AVISO: Late Case Study papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date.
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
Today is
Thursday, 21 November 2024, 05:16 (05:16 AM) CST, day 326 of 2024
~
s2019 The MA Case Study is due no later than the end of Week 13, Saturday, 20 April 2019
AVISO: Late Case Study papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date.
s2019 Wiki questions for the Ancient Middle America Final exam are due by the end of Week 14, Saturday, 27 April 2019
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
s2019 Wiki questions for the Ancient Middle America Final exam are due by the end of Week 14, Saturday, 27 April 2019
~
s2019 The MA Extra Credit Term Paper Term Paper is due by the end of Week 13, by Saturday, 20 April 2019.
AVISO: Late Extra Credit Papers will not be accepted unless (1) arrangements for an alternate date have been arranged in advance, or (2) medical emergencies or similar extraordinary unexpected circumstances make it unfeasible to turn in the assignment by the announced due date. Why?
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
Three major driving forces of early exploration and colonization of Middle and South America were . . . spices
"pagan" souls to be saved
gold
and after 1531, silver
(historically Mexico has provided almost one-third of the world's silver;
Peru was the second largest producer of silver;
the Spanish "piece of eight" eight-real coin became the first world currency, after the Spanish currency reform of 1497)
Sweat of the Sun is a comparative look at gold . . .
At the very end of the film note the similarities between some of these practices at Laguna de Guatavita (Columbia) and the offerings at the sacred cenote at Chichén Itzá
Aztec Gold
Aztec Gold
Inca Gold
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Ancient Middle America Final Exam
s2019 Wiki questions for the Ancient Middle America Final exam are due by the end of Week 14, Saturday, 27 April 2019
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The s2019 Ancient Middle America Final Exam will be at 8:00-9:55 on Tuesday, 7 May 2019, in Cina 214
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
These include items like Forum postings on timely issues, video evaluation feedback, Live Chats (for exam prep and project information), making up exam questions, Project information (on term Presentation and Term Paper), and (from time to time) other activities,
Use of AI-content generators for assignments in this class
When I taught Advanced Writing for the Social Sciences here at UMD, for over twenty-five years, my rule of thumb advice to students was to plan to spend 60% or more of their time and effort revising drafts (for academic type writing).
In 2001 Wikipedia appeared on the scene and very quickly became a useful tool asa starting point for many academic projects even though as an open-source resource the Wikipedia entries are not checked and verified in the same manner as other traditional reference materials.
Spelling and grammar checkers arrived on the general scene and helped with spelling and grammar checking, but, as you no doubt have discovered, they continue to require human editing.
And, of course, before that we had a selection of excellent Encyclopedia offering good starting points for many projects, the most popular being The Encyclopedia Brittanica.
And long before that there were libraries--since at least the days of Alexandria in Egypt, in the third century B.C.
The bottom line . . .
Today the evolution of research resources and aids continues with the relatively rapid appearance of ChatGPT and other automated content generators.
As many folks have already found out, they can be very useful as starting points, much like their predecessors. But, from the academic point of view, they are still only starting points.
Professors nationwide are for the most part advised, and even encouraged, to experiment with the potentials of ChatGPT and similar apps.
In this class it is fine to experiment, with the caveat that all of your written academic work demonstrates that your personal efforts—including content development and revision—reflect your personal originality, exploration, analysis, explanation, integrating and synthesizing of ideas, organizational skills, evaluation, and overall learning and critical thinking efforts.
That is to say you may experiment with the AI tool to do tasks such as e.g, brainstorming, narrowing topics, writing first drafts, editing text, and the like. AI-generated works should in no case be more than that.
In the end you need to become familiar enough with the various subjects, peoples, and places discussed in this class to research a topic and problem-solve on your own, and carry on an intelligent conversation about them in modern-day society . . . a conversation that goes byond your voicing an unsupported opinion.
For the record, what follows is the official UMD Academic Integrity Policy. Note that "unless otherwise noted by the faculty
member" this is the default policy.
"UMD’s Academic Integrity policy covers any work done by automated content generators such as ChatGPT or other generative artificial intelligence tools unless otherwise noted by the faculty
member. These tools present new challenges and opportunities."
"Within the confines of this
class The use of AI-content generators is strictly prohibited for any stage of homework/assignment
(e.g., draft or final product). The primary purposes of college are developing your thinking skills,
being creative with ideas, and expanding your understanding on a wide variety of topics. Using
these content generating AI tools thwarts the goal of homework/assignments to provide
students opportunities to achieve these purposes. Please make the most of this time that you
have committed to a college education and learn these skills now, so that you can employ them
throughout your life." -- Jennifer Mencl, UMD Associate Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, 10 May 2023
. "Academic dishonesty
tarnishes UMD's reputation and discredits the accomplishments of
students. UMD is committed to providing students every possible
opportunity to grow in mind and spirit. This pledge can only be
redeemed in an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness. As a
result, academic dishonesty is regarded as a serious offense by all
members of the academic community. In keeping with this ideal, this
course will adhere to UMD's Student Academic Integrity Policy, which
can be found at [http://www.d.umn.edu/conduct/integrity/Academic_Integrity_Policy.htm].
This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with
penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat
offenders."
— UMD Educational Policy Committee, Jill Jensen, Chair
(08/16/2007)
The instructor will enforce and students are expected to follow the University's Student Conduct Code [http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.html].
Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic
achievement and integrity. Disruptive classroom behavior that
substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor's ability
to teach, or student learning, is prohibited. Disruptive behavior
includes inappropriate use of technology in the classroom. Examples
include ringing cell phones, text-messaging, watching videos, playing
computer games, doing email, or surfing the Internet on your computer
instead of note-taking or other instructor-sanctioned activities."
— UMD Educational Policy Committee, Jill Jensen, Chair
(08/16/2007)
Failure to comply with the above
codes and standards when submitting an Extra Credit paper will result in
a penalty commensurate with the lapse, up to and including an F final grade for the course, and, at a minimum, a reduction in total
points no fewer than the points available for the Extra Credit project.
The penalty will not simply be a zero for the project, and the
incident will be reported to the UMD Academic Integrity Officer in the
Office of Student and Community Standards.
A Note on "Cutting and Pasting" without the Use of Quotation Marks (EVEN IF you have a citation to the source somewhere in your paper)
If you use others' words and/or works you MUST so indicate that with the use of quotation marks. Failure to use quotation marks to indicate that the materials are not of your authorship constitutes plagiarism—even if you have a citation to the source elsewhere in your paper/work.
Patterned failure to so indicate that the materials are not of your own authorship will result in an F grade for the course.
Other instances of improper attribution will result in a 0 (zero) for the assignment (or a reduction in points equal to the value of an Extra Credit paper), and a reduction of one grade in the final grade of the course.
All incidents will be reported to the UMD Academic Integrity Officer in the
Office of Student and Community Standards as is required by University Policy.
Students with disabilities:
It is the policy and practice of the University of Minnesota Duluth to create inclusive learning environments for all students, including students with disabilities. If there are aspects of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or your ability to meet course requirements – such as time limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos – please notify the instructor as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Resources to discuss and arrange reasonable accommodations. Please call 218-726-6130 or visit the DR website at www.d.umn.edu/access for more information.
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