Anthropology 207-002: General Archaeology

 

Dr. Nora Reber                                                            TR 9:30-10:45 AM

SBS 205                                                                      Fall 2007

X-7734                                                                        CISI 1012

Office Hours: TR 2-3 PM, W 10-12 AM                     rebere@uncw.edu

And by appointment                                                     http://www.uncwil.edu/people/rebere

 

Course Description:  This class is an introduction to general archaeology.  General archaeology covers the history of modern humans on the planet for the past 30,000 years or so.  This class will not, therefore, attempt to cover all of this period.  Instead, we will cover basic world prehistory, concentrating on illustrative examples of archaeological cultures from the New and Old Worlds, with some emphasis on North America and China.  We will also discuss the history of archaeology and archaeological thought (the two are not necessarily the same).  The main goal of this class is to see and understand how knowledge about past people can be learned from their material remains.  To fulfill these goals, this class is structured in lecture format, with some opportunity for class discussion and small-group activities. 

 

Evaluation:  Grading in this class will be based on in-class and take-home written assignments (20%), a term paper of 5-10 pages (20%), a midterm (20%), a final (30%), and a class participation/attendance grade (10%). 

 

Grading is on a modified bell curve, meaning that my classes will always average between a C+ and a B, unless an exceptionally brilliant class shows up.  Above average grades will, obviously, do better; below average will do worse.  99.9% of all failures are from a failure to show up and learn anything.

 

Attendance: In general, you should give Dr. Reber a valid or creative excuse before an absence.  More than three absences without a good excuse will lead to progressive reductions of the class participation/attendance grade.

 

Makeup Work:  Assignments not turned in on time due to an excused absence may be turned in for full credit for up to two weeks after the original absence.  After that, 10% of the points are deducted per week.  Assignments not turned in on time due to an unexcused absence may be turned in for half credit up to two weeks after the original absence, and after that 10% of the points are deducted per week.  An excused late assignment turned in four weeks late is worth 80% of the original point total.  An unexcused assignment turned in four weeks late is worth 30% of the original point total. Simply put—MAKE UP ASSIGNMENTS WITHIN TWO WEEKS!!  Excused long absences due to illness, family problems or other disasters should be negotiated with Dr. Reber—notify her by e-mail as soon as you know you have a serious problem. 

 

Exams:  A midterm and final exam are given in this class, which together make up 50 % of the grade.  The midterm exam will be held on Thursday, October 11 with a review session on Tuesday, October 9.  Material covered until Tuesday, October 2 will be covered on the midterm.  The final will be held on Tuesday, December 11 at 8 AM.  Two-thirds of the final will cover the 2nd half of the class.  The remaining 1/3 will cover essential concepts from the first half of the class.  The review session for the final will be December 4, the last day of class.  Do not attempt to take the final at any time other than that assigned unless you have a very good reason.

 

Written Assignments:  A term paper has been assigned for this class on a topic of your choice.  It should be 5-10 pages long, typed, double-spaced, in 10-12 point font and with 1-inch margins, with at least 4 sources, one of which should be from the last 10 years.  Topics should be chosen in consultation with Dr. Reber, and are due on September 20.  The papers are due November 6, but turning in the paper early is deeply appreciated, and is worth a bonus to the class participation grades.  Citation should be in MLA or American Antiquity format—American Antiquity is a typical archaeological format.  Late term papers will be marked off 10% for every two days late, although extensions can be negotiated ahead of time for good reasons.  If you negotiate an extension after the due date, it will be marked off until the day on which you got your extension.  Talk to me! 

 

If your computer crashes, or a print-out is not possible, you may turn the paper into me on disk; please do not turn them in electronically without warning me in advance, as my e-mail account tends to explode under pressure. 

 

One-page written assignments will be given as in-class exercises or as homework throughout the semester.

 

Reading Assignments:  the textbook for this class is Crabtree and Campana’s Exploring Prehistory.  Readings from this book, as well as others, will be given throughout the semester.  Additional readings will be placed on electronic reserve, which can be found on the library website, and also on the class website.   For the status of reserves, check the website or Dr. Reber.  If reserves have been lost, mangled, scrambled, de-linked or disfigured in a particularly interesting way, e-mail Dr. Reber immediately! 

 

Web Page:  The class web page is linked to Dr. Reber’s personal web page, http://www.uncwil.edu/people/rebere.  The syllabus, course assignments, related links, and text of assignments will be posted on this site, as well as a brief schedule of readings and class topics coming up.  Occasional web bonus points will be posted on the web page that will not be mentioned in class.  The finer points of the class schedule will ALWAYS be posted, and may be viewed as official; Dr. Reber posts dates and information on the web so that she doesn’t have to remember it—always check the web first!

 

Odds, Ends, and Pet Peeves:  Please turn off cell phones in class!!

 

Please back your papers up to disk, CD, or flash memory when writing them. 

 

Point totals will be handed back to students twice during the semester—at the midterm and before the final.  Anyone wanting point totals at any other times should ask Dr. Reber.  Grades and point totals may be sent via e-mail if you give permission.  Please keep in mind that basic mathematics applies to the grades—even if you turn in late assignments for 50%, you will need a B in other categories to get a C in the class.  Since 20 bonus points are offered per semester, point grubbing is, well, pointless and will be ignored.

 

Plagiarism is defined as using someone else’s work without citing it, and can be divided into direct copying, mosaic copying, and insufficient attribution.  It hurts three groups of people:  the person plagiarized, as their work has been stolen; classmates, since it unfairly sets the curve and unrealistically raises the performance bar; and the plagiarist, since you can’t get a decent education stealing other people’s work.  It is grounds for a minimum penalty of failure on the assignment and a long discussion with Dr. Reber about exactly why it is a bad idea.  The potential maximum penalties are decided by the Judicial Board or Dean of Students.  Don’t do it!!