ANTHRO 101

World Archaeology


Please note: this is archived course information from 2017 for ANTHRO 101.

Description

A survey of world archaeology from the emergence of culture over two million years ago to the first cities, including coverage of the Pacific region. Topics and regions covered include: the archaeology of human evolution, development of food production, first settlement of the Americas, Australia and the Pacific, development of social complexity and the origins of the state with reference to developments in the Near East, Mesoamerica and China. The course concludes with examination of the prehistory of the Pacific.

At the end of the course you are expected to have grounding in human cultural evolution over the last 2 million years. You will be able to discuss the following topics:

  • The difference between modern theories of cultural evolution and earlier ideas of unilineal cultural evolution
  • The significant developments that led to the emergence of modern humans from our archaic ancestors
  • Social and cultural changes associated with the domestication of plants and animals
  • Changes that accompanied the beginnings of social complexity
  • The significance of the rise of complex society
  • Methods used to find and analyse archaeological materials

View the course syllabus

Availability 2017

Semester 1

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s) Professor Peter Sheppard

Assessment

Coursework + exam

Points

ANTHRO 101: 15 points