PELLISSIPPI STATE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MASTER SYLLABUS
PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY ANT 1200
Class Hours:  3.0						Credit Hours:  3.0
Laboratory Hours:  0.0						Date Revised:  Fall 06
Catalog Course Description:
	Introduction to methods, theory, and techniques utilized to analyze and date archaeological  cultures, past life ways and illustrate cultural evolution.  NOTE:  Emphasis will be placed on the prehistory of America, Africa, southwest Asia, and western Europe.  The scope of human prehistory will cover from the earliest human cultures to the rise of complex civilizations.
Entry Level Standards:
	Students must be able to read and write at a college entry level.
Prerequisites/Corequisites: None
Textbook(s) and Other Course Materials:
	Fagan, Brian. Ancient Lives: An Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory, 3^rd edition. Pearson- Prentice Hall, 2007.
I. Week/Unit/Topic Basis:
	Week				Topic
	1				Introduction to Anthropology and History of Archaeology
	2				Categories of Archaeological Evidence and Dating Techniques
	3				Site Survey and Excavation
	4				Technology and Subsistence
	5				Social Organization and Individual Interaction
	6				Belief Systems and Art
	7				Culture History and Human Origins
	8				African Exodus and Modern Human Settlement
	9				The First Civilizations and Early Asian Civilizations
	10				The Earliest Farmers
	11				Prehistoric North America
	12				Prehistoric Mesoamerica
	13				Andean Civilizations and Bioarchaeology
	14				Historical Archaeology and Public Archaeology
	15				Final Exam Period
II. Course Objectives*:
	A.		Provide an introductory overview of the discipline of archaeology. II, III, IV
	B.		Discuss archaeology as anthropology, archaeology as a  means to explain the past, present and future.  II, IV
	C.		Teach archaeology as a science. V
	D.		Present the aesthetic nature of archaeology.  II.1
	E		Discuss the ethics of archaeological investigation, a non-renewable resource.  III.4, III.6
	F.		Discuss the competing hypotheses of the origin of modern humans. Understand the material culture changes seen with early human populations. I.6, I.7, V.4, V.5
	G.		Discuss the evidence contained in the human fossil record and how archaeological methodology is used to interpret the distant past.
	H.		Understand humans as part of a cultural continuum. III.4, III.2, IV
	I.		Discuss symbolism and how archaeologists interpret this in light of differing prehistoric belief systems and types of artistic expression. I.7, III.2, IV, V.5
	J.		Understand the use of technology in prehistory. II.1, II.2, IV, V.5
	K.		Discuss subsistence strategies and how and why the majority of human groups switched to agriculture in prehistory. III.2, III.7, IV, V.5
	L.		Understand how archaeologists make interpretations about the past, including but not limited to past subsistence strategies, technological innovations used, and social organization. I.7, III.2, IV, V.5
	M.		Discuss the definition of and the archaeological evidence for the first civilizations. III.2, IV
	N.		Understand how modern humans populated the world. II.5, V.5
	O.		Discuss an overview of the archaeological evidence for prehistoric Asian, African, North American, Mesoamerican, and Andean civilizations. III.2, III.7, IV, V.5
	P.		Understand how archaeologists study the biology of people to make many of their interpretations about the past. III.6, III.7, IV, V.5
	Q.		Discuss historical archaeology and how archaeology affects the public domain. III.6
*Roman numerals after course objectives reference TBR’s general education goals.
III. Instructional Processes*:
Students will:
	1.			Use a combination of lectures, readings and films to obtain an introductory knowledge of archaeology. Communication Outcome
	2.			Develop an understanding of the human fossil record and learn how paleoanthropologists and other scientists draw conclusions about the fossils therein. Natural Sciences Outcome
	3.			Develop an understanding of human prehistory and learn how archaeologists and other scientists draw conclusions about ancient peoples and their lifeways. Humanities/Fine Arts Outcome, Social/Behavioral Sciences Outcome
	4.			Read assigned readings and participate in discussions of class and reading material. Communication Outcome, Humanities/Fine Arts Outcome, Active Learning Strategies
	5.			Research scientific journal articles using library online databases and write a paper on a relevant topic in archaeology using word processing software. Communication Outcome, Humanities/Fine Arts Outcome, Social/Behavioral Sciences Outcome, Technological Literacy Outcome
	6.			Present the findings of their research paper to the class in a poster format, similar to the format used at professional scientific meetings. Active Learning Strategies, Transitional Strategies, Communication Outcome
	7.			Participate in hands-on learning with classmates by examining fossil casts, animal bones, and replicas of prehistoric tools and completing several exercises related to their examination, developing teamwork and data analysis skills. Active Learning Strategies, Communication Outcome
	8.			Participate in group work by analyzing lists of other students’ trash to develop data analysis and interpretation skills. Active Learning Strategies, Natural Sciences Outcome
	9.			Practice professionalism by attending class on a regular basis, being dependable, cooperative, and respectful of course topics while contributing to class discussion and projects. Transitional Strategies, Active Learning Strategies
	10.			Demonstrate comprehension of course material on 3 in-class exams which may include an essay component that requires students to present a logical argument supporting a particular viewpoint or explaining a scientific concept. Communication Outcome
*Strategies and outcomes listed after instructional processes reference TBR’s goals for strengthening general education knowledge and skills, connecting coursework to experiences beyond the classroom, and encouraging students to take active and responsible roles in the educational process.
IV. Expectations for Student Performance*:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
	1.		Understand the goals and scope of archaeology. A, B, C
	2.		Obtain an understanding and appreciation of the history of archaeology. A, B
	3.		Learn how a human event or habitation becomes an archaeological site. C
	4.		Learn how archaeologists find and recognize places of past human behavior. C
	5.		Differentiate types of excavation techniques. C
	6.		Have an appreciation of the chronology of human prehistory. B, F, G, H, L, M, N, O
	7.		Explain the difference between relative and absolute dating. C
	8.		Understand how societies are organized and how this affects settlement patterns. B, H, L, M, N, O
	9.		Understand the variety of environments that were exploited in prehistory. K, L
	10.		Learn that subsistence is the basic of what can be found in the archaeological record. L
	11.		Have an appreciation of the evolution of human technology. C, F, J
	12.		Learn how both goods and ideas were exchanged. F, J, L, M, O
	13.		Understand the use of art to better understand what past people were thinking. D
	14.		Learn the application of physical anthropology to archaeological burials. P
	15.		Understand change in the archaeological record and why cultures disappear.  B, H, L
	16.		Learn the steps in the interpretation of past material culture.  A, B, C, L
	17.		Understand cultural resource management. Q
	18.		Describe the introduction to the field of paleoanthropology and the various hominids represented in the fossil record. F, G
	19.		Discuss modern human origins emphasizing critical thinking. F, G
	20.		Have a basic understanding of prehistoric African, Asian, North American, Mesoamerican, and Andean civilizations. N, O, P
*Letters after performance expectations reference the course objectives listed above.
V. Evaluation:
	A. Testing Procedures:  400 points
		In-class exams (3): 100 points each In-class quizzes (10): 10 points each
	B. Laboratory Expectations:  None
	C. Field Work:  200 points
		Participation: 25 points Attendance: 25 points Research paper and oral presentation: 100 points Garbage project: 50 points
	D. Other Evaluation Methods:
		Students may earn up to 20 extra credit points by visiting the Frank H. McClung Museum, located on the University of Tennessee Knoxville campus, and writing 2 three- page reaction/response papers to the Human Origins and Native Peoples of Tennessee exhibits, respectively.
	E. Grading Scale:
		90-100% (540-600) A 85-89% (510-539) B+ 80-84% (480-509) B 75-79% (450-479) C+ 70-74% (420-449) C 60-69% (360-419) D 59% and below (below 359) F
VI. Policies:
	A. Attendance Policy:
		Pellissippi State Technical Community College expects students to attend all scheduled instructional activities. As a minimum, students in all courses must be present for at least 75 percent of their scheduled class and laboratory meetings in order to receive credit for the course. Individual departments/programs/disciplines, with the approval of the vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, may have requirements that are more stringent.
	B. Academic Dishonesty:
		Academic misconduct committed either directly or indirectly by an individual or group is subject to disciplinary action. Prohibited activities include but are not limited to the following practices: cheating, plagiarism, purchasing prewritten essays and research papers, providing others with answers, etc. In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed as a result of academic misconduct, the instructor has the authority to assign either (1) an F or zero for the assignment or (2) an F for the course.
	C. Accommodations for Disabilities:
		If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform the instructor immediately. Please see the instructor privately after class or in her/his office. Students must present a current accommodation plan from a staff member in Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) in order to receive accommodations in this course. Services for Students with Disabilities may be contacted by going to Goins 127 or 131 or by phone: 694-6751 (Voice/TTY) or 539-7153.

Posted: January 12, 2007