|
Date |
Topic |
Assignment |
|
August 23 |
What is collapse? |
|
|
August 28 |
Why does collapse
happen (pt. 1) |
Diamond “Prologue” |
|
August 30 |
How are complex
societies vulnerable? |
“The Tragedy of the
Commons” on the web |
|
September 4 |
Rapa Nui— |
Diamond ch. 2 |
|
September 6 |
Competing explanations
for the |
“Rethinking |
|
September 11 |
Film and Discussion |
|
|
September 13 |
Early Mesopotamian
collapse |
“The Collapse of
Ancient Mesopotamian States and Civilization” on electronic reserve |
|
September 18 |
Final Mesopotamian
collapse |
“Salt and Silt in
Ancient Mesopotamian Agriculture” on the web |
|
September 20 |
Discussion and review |
|
|
September 25 |
Exam 1 |
|
|
September 27 |
Mayan collapse and
drought |
Diamond ch. 5 |
|
October 2 |
Mayan collapse and
warfare |
“Explaining the
collapse” on electronic reserve |
|
October 4 |
Film and discussion |
Term paper topics due |
|
October 9 |
Fall Break |
|
|
October 11 |
Collapse by Invasion |
|
|
October 16 |
Violence and Stupidity |
Diamond ch. 10 |
|
October 18 |
Outline of Imperial
Roman History |
Tacitus “Annals, Book
I” on the web |
|
October 23 |
The first fall of |
Gibbon “Chapter X” on
the web |
|
October 25 |
The second fall of |
Gibbon “Chapter XXXVI”
on the web |
|
October 30 |
Discussion and exercise |
|
|
November 1 |
Exam 2 |
|
|
November 6 |
Economy and Systems |
“Evaluation: complexity and marginal returns” |
|
November 8 |
Senate and Army |
|
|
November 13 |
|
|
|
November 15 |
Why does collapse
happen? (pt. 2) |
Diamond, ch. 14 Term papers due |
|
November 20 |
Irrationality and Folly |
|
|
November 22 |
Thanksgiving Break |
No Class |
|
November 27 |
Collapse as a
Cautionary Tale |
|
|
November 29 |
Discussion and exercise |
|
|
December 4 |
Last Day of Class Exam 3 |
|