Normandale Community College
Common Course Outline
Proposed Implementation Date: Fall, 2014
Anthropology 1126: Archaeology- Prehistory and Humanity’s Cultural Origins
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION:
Anthropology 1126: Archaeology: Prehistory and Humanity’s Cultural Origins
3 semester credits
Prerequisites: None
Recommended: Eligible for ENGC 1101, eligible for READ 1108
MnTC Goals: 5 (History & the Social & Behavioral Sciences and 10 (People and the Environment)
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Archaeology – Prehistory and Humanity’s Cultural Origins (3 Cr.) This course examines how the physical
remains of past cultures are used to reconstruct vanished societies, explain their origins, and understand the
factors that contributed to their ultimate collapse. It focuses on the universal cultural, economic and
ecological factors that affected ancient peoples and how these staged the modern world. Fall, Spring
OUTLINE OF MAJOR CONTENT AREAS:
Individual instructors may vary the emphasis on each topic
1. The nature, scope, and history of archaeology
2. Application of the scientific method to examining the past
3. The archaeological chronology and methods of determining age
4. Archaeological methods including site surveys, excavation, principles of superposition, and the capture
and cataloging of artifacts.
5. Biological and cultural evolution
6. Humanity’s African origins and the evolution of behaviorally modern humans.
7. Conquest and settlement of the planet by Paleolithic foragers
8. The food production revolution: Agriculture and the domestication of plants and animals
9. The origins and evolution of civilization
10. The Cradles of Civilization: Mesopotamia, Africa and Asia
11. Europe and the long shadow of Greece and Rome
12. China, Sub-Saharan Africa, Polynesia and South Asia.
13. The New World – Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
14. The New World – South America
15. The New World – North America
16. Ancient technology – ceramics, metals, archaeo-astronomy and structural engineering
17. Legal and ethical aspects of archaeology
18. Lessons from archaeology applied to the modern world
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
In this course students will:
1. Develop and use concepts, terms, and intellectual frameworks necessary to explain adaptation and
cultural evolution in the archaeological record. (MnTC 5ac, 10ad)
2. Use and critique the methods of scientific inquiry as they apply to archaeology and prehistory. (MnTC
5ac)
3. Gain practice in the analysis and interpretation of archaeological data. (MnTC 5abc, 10 ab)
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4. Through the survey of selected archaeological cultures, demonstrate knowledge of major trends in
cultural evolution and ecological adaptation in various areas of the world and develop explanations for the
cultural and ecological adaptations of these peoples. (MnTC 5abc, 10abcd)
a. Paleolithic: hunting and gathering cultures
b. Mesolithic/Archaic: broad-spectrum postglacial foragers
c. Neolithic agricultural societies
d. Early complex, stratified, urban societies (civilizations)
e. Cultures of the Western Hemisphere and the genocidal conquest by Europeans
f. cultural sequences of other selected areas in the world
5. Develop and evaluate explanations and interpretations of selected cultures and their histories. (MnTC
5a, 10abcd)
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the legacy of prehistoric cultures and the cautionary tales and implications
for contemporary society and its problems. (MnTC 5bcd, 10abcd)
ASSESSMENT:
Objective and/or essay exams will be used to evaluate students.
Papers of varying length and scope
Other graded assignments or projects will be given as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Individual instructors devise their own specific methods and weighting systems.
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