Course summary:
This course encompasses the history of the human
occupation of the tropical Pacific islands,
especially Island Southeast Asia (ISEA), and
Oceania. This is a huge area covering nearly 1/3 of
the earth's surface, with a fascinating and varied
human history. Modern humans first appear in this
region over 40,000 years ago and there is evidence
for other hominim species even earlier. Other parts
of the region were some of the last places on earth
to be discovered and occupied by humans before the
age of European exploration. We will focus on the
current debates about island biogeography, human
migrations, long distance maritime trade, political
structures, culture contact and colonialism, with an
emphasis on the analysis of the primary
archaeological and documentary data.
Learning Goals:
- Understand the geography and chronology of the
human occupation of the tropical Pacific island
region as known from current archaeological
data, as well as from genetic, linguistic and
documentary evidence.
- Examine the limits of that data, current
questions and debates in the archaeology of the
region in the context of the history of social
and political factors that have shaped those
debates.
- Develop analytical reading, writing and public
speaking skills.
Assignments:
This is a discussion-oriented course with minimal
instructor lectures. For this format to work well,
students need to do the assigned reading and be
prepared to participate in discussion.
You must post a brief response to at least one of
the readings for every class period on the Canvas
Discussions section. These are due by 9AM before
the class for which the reading is assigned. We
will frequently have in-class written assignments
that will be collected at the end of class.
These are not graded individually but count toward
your participation grade.
There are two major paper assignments for the
quarter, details can be found in the Schedule
page. There will also be opportunities for
extra credit, these will be announced as they arise
during the quarter.
Grading:
-
30% class participation, discussion board
posts and in-class writing
- 20% map quiz
- 25% position paper
(including peer review of other's papers)
-
25% grant proposal paper (including
peer review of other's papers)
Additional
Requirements for ARCHY 525 students:
- additional
readings tbd
- additional
presentations to the class
- additional
meetings outside of class hours
Policies:
- Late
submissions will not be accepted and missed
exams cannot be made up unless you make
alternate arrangements prior to the due date.
- Please notify
me in advance if you have to miss a class
meeting; do not email me asking for a summary
of a class you missed; you must get course
notes from one of your peers.
- Electronic
devices (laptops, cell phones, etc.) may not
be used in class without my permission.
- I welcome
ongoing feedback about the class. Please feel
free to send me suggestions for improvement at
any time during the quarter.
Academic
Honesty:
All students are expected to complete their own
work even when working collaboratively with other
students. Students found guilty of cheating
or plagiarism will receive a failing grade. See
this useful
overview of what constitutes plagiarism and
how to avoid it.
Anthropology Writing
Center:
The Anthropology
Writing Center is staffed by knowledgeable
anthropology graduate students who are trained
to work with you on your writing. Located in Denny 430, you can
email them at anthwrc@uw.edu
to sign up for
an appointment and some drop-in hours also
available. The Anthropology Writing Center staff
can help you to:
- better understand what an assignment is asking
you to do
- plan how to complete assignments carefully
- put that plan into practice, from the initial
writing of research/class notes through the
submission of a successful draft.
Texts:
All assigned readings will be available
electronically on the Schedule
page.