AR265: ART BEFORE CORTES
SPRING 2007
Instructor: Linnea
Wren
FAA
208
Ext.
7380
Texts: See
Syllabus
Michael
Coe, Mexico
Robert
Sharer, The Ancient Maya
Mary
Ellen Miller, The Art of Mesoamerica
Mary Ellen Miller, Maya Art and
Architecture
Nicolai Grube and Simon Martin, Maya
Kings and Queens
Course Web
Site: http://www.gustavus.edu/~lwren/Cortez/precolumb.html
Week 1 February
5-11
Reading:
CoeÑMexico
Introduction
Early
Hunters
The
Archaic Period
Formative
Period: Early Villages
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
Preface
Introduction
The
Setting
Subsistence
Systems
MillerÑThe
Art of Mesoamerica
Introduction
Week 2 February
12-18
Reading:
CoeÑMexico
Formative Period: Early Civilizations
MillerÑThe
Art of Mesoamerica
The Olmecs
The Late Formative
Monday, Feb 12: Assign Olmec Art and
Critical Reading:
(Due Friday Feb 16)
Stage
1: Summary
Read
the following scholarly article.
David C. Grove, ÒPublic Monuments and
Sacred Mountains: Observations on Three Formative Period Sacred Landscapes,Ó in
Social Patterns in Pre-Classic Mesoamerica. Edited by David C. Grove and Rosemary A.
Joyce. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC. 1999, pp. 255-298.
You can download this free at the web
site for Dumbarton Oaks.
Go to Publications, Electronic texts,
Pre-columbian Studies, Social Patterns in Pre-Classic Mesoamerica, and then to
the specific article.
Write a summary of the article. See the
description of the Summary. 900-1200 words.
Identify and discuss the thesis.
Identify and explain three important ways
in which the author supports his thesis.
Identify and explain one potential
difficulty.
Identify and discuss the conclusion.
Summary
Olmec Art and Critical Reading, Stage 1
Due Friday, Feb. 16
A summary is both a mental process and a
written product. You see summaries often in the middle of other, longer pieces
of writing. Authors of articles or textbooks frequently summarize a point of
view opposed to their own, a body of research that precedes their own research,
or events that help to establish a context for their own remarks. You will find
uses for summary throughout your college writing career as you write analysis
and argument essays, lab reports, exams and research projects.
A
summary is both a kind of analysis and a servant of analysis. It is itself
analysis in that it requires you to distinguish the main points in an argument,
or stages in a process or events in a lifetime. Often you must extract material
for a summary from a larger discussion of several topics. It calls upon you to
read carefully an analyze what you have read in order to tell your audience what
is important in what you
read. It serves analysis in that it sets up what a reader needs to know to be
persuaded by your point of view. Without a summary, your analysis is incomplete
and unpersuasive.
Purpose:
Write
a summary of the required reading. The summary should convey the author's main
argument(s) to your audience, the way(s) in which the author develops what s/he
argues, and the potential difficulties with the authorÕs argument or evident.
Be sure that your summary identifies and explains the following:
Identify and discuss the thesis.
Identify and explain three important ways
in which the author supports his thesis.
Identify and explain one potential
difficulty.
Identify and discuss the conclusion.
Your
finished product should give a clear, concise distillation of the reading such
that someone who has not read it will still know what it is about and how the
argument develops logically.
Audience, format, and language:
The
length of the summary should be at least 900 words, though probably closer to
1200 words. More than that indicates that your summary is not concise enough
and needs editing. Remember that this is an analysis and must have an
appropriate introduction with a thesis statement.
Week 3 February
19-25
Possible visit by Francis Yellow on
Mon Feb 19
Wed, Feb 21: Assign Olmec Art and
Critical Reading:
(Due Friday, February 23)
Stage 2: Research and Reference List
Reread
the same article.
David C. Grove, ÒPublic Monuments and
Sacred Mountains: Observations on Three Formative Period Sacred Landscapes,Ó in
Social Patterns in Pre-Classic Mesoamerica. Edited by David C. Grove and Rosemary A.
Joyce. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC. 1999, pp. 255-298.
Focus
on the pages pp. 255-265.
Research and Reference List
Olmec Art and Critical Reading:
Stage 2
Due Friday, February 23
In the
above assignment, you discussed the article in terms of what you learned. In
this assignment, you will list what you could learn in order to understand the
article more fully. This would include vocabulary words, phrases, places, and
theoretical concepts. David Grove also refers to ideas of other authors and he
discusses other monuments. He cites many authors, but we donÕt need to read
every author. In some cases, Grove is citing an author, and his brief description
of that author's ideas is very clear. In other cases, Grove is referring to a
complex idea of an author, and knowing more of the authorÕs ideas would help us
understand both the author's and Grove's ideas much more fully. Finally, Grove
refers to sculptures and architectural structures that he does not illustrate.
The costs of publications do not allow him to reproduce photographs and
drawings of all sculptures and architectural structures that he mentions. Yet
to make sense of Grove's ideas, we need to be familiar with those monuments.
1. Make
a list of the words, phrases, places, concepts and monuments that we should
understand in order to understand GroveÕs ideas. Do not include all. Choose
what is important in terms of the investment of time it takes to recover the information. You will identify approximately
15 entries. Include the page
number and the full sentence in which each occurs. Put word, phrase, etc in
BOLD FACE.
2. Make
a list of the authors whom Grove cites and whose ideas are crucial to GroveÕs
thesis. Do not include every single scholar cited by Grove. Choose those
scholars who are most important in terms of the ideas that Grove presents.
Learning about the scholar's research and ideas represents a considerable
investment of time, so you want to identify the scholars who are crucial to
understanding Grove's topic fully. You will identify 4 scholars. Quote the
paragraph and include the page number in which Grove refers to another author.
Then describe in a complete paragraph the reason why learning about this
scholar is important in terms of understanding Grove's thesis.
Week 4 Feb.
26-March 4
Reading:
CoeÑMexico
The
Classic Period
MillerÑThe
Art of Mesoamerica
Teotihuacan
Classic
Monte Alban, Veracruz and Cotzumalhuapa
Olmec Art and Critical Reading:
Stage 3: Contextual Research
Library Visit on Mon, February 26 and
Wed, Feb 28
Due Wed Mar 7
As a class, we will have created a master
list on Wed, February 21 and divided the task of understanding GroveÕs words,
phrases, places, concepts, monuments and references between us. Complete your
contextual research as described below.
You will present the information in class
as we re-read the article together. Our class discussion will focus on the way
that our understanding of the article has been increased.
Be sure to bring in enough copies for
me and for every other member in class. Also bring in your copy of David
Grove's article.
Possible hour exam question:
How has
the contextual research that you completed and that two other class members completed
increased your understanding of Grove's article?
Olmec
Art and Critical Reading: Stage 3.
Contextual
Research
Due Wed, March 7
In this stage of critical reading, you
will research terms, phrases, places, concepts, monuments and scholarly ideas
on the master list that are assigned to you. We will spend Wed and Fri in the
library and will be assisted by the librarian staff. You will be shown
bibliographic tools and reference sources by the staff that will help you in
this stage of critical reading.
1.You will prepare complete explanations
of the terms, phrases and concepts for which you are responsible.
2. You will also need to have maps, as
well as explanations, for places, and images, as well as descriptions, for
monuments.
Several reference sources that will be
very helpful for this part of the assignment are:
Joel
Palka, Historical Dictionary of ancient Mesoamerica. Scarecrow Press, 2000
GAC
F1434.H57 2000
REW Adams
and Murdo J. MacLeod, The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the
Americas, V. 2,
Mesoamerica. Cambridge University Press, 1996
GAC
E77.N62.1996
Susan Toby
Evans and David Webster (eds.), Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: an Encyclopedia. Graland Publications. 2001
GAC
F1218.6 A73 2001
David L. Webster and Susan Toby Evans,
editors. Archaeology of ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. New York, Garland Pub. 2001.
GAC
Library Reference. Main Floor. F1218.6 .A73 2001
David Carrasco, editor. The Oxford
Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central
America. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2001
GAC
Library Reference. Main Floor. F1218.6 .O95 2001.
3. Your research on other scholarly ideas
cited by Grove will require you to read at least on important article written
by that scholar that is relevant to Grove's article and ideas. To locate such
an article, you can use several techniques. You can look up the source cited by
Grove. You can use electronic databases recommended by the librarian staff,
including JSTOR and Arts and Humanities Search.
In addition, you can go to a great
on-line bibliography specific to Mesoamerican studies. That resource is
www.FAMSI.org
On the home page, under the brown bar,
click on Bibliography.
Then click on Search the Bibliografia
Mesoamericana.
You can search by author.
Prepare a summary of the research and
ideas of the scholar as relevant to Grove's article. Many scholars are
prolific, so you must choose the scholarly research and ideas that are
referenced by Grove.
Your
summary for this section should be a minimum of 750 words.
Week 5 March
5-11
Individual Mesoamerican Studies Critical
Reading, Thinking and Research Presentation:
Discuss on Wed, March 7 and due on March 12
Stage 1: Research Guide 1
Web Site assignment and possible hour exam question:
Teotihuacan and in-class analysis of the
archaeological web-site posted by the University of Arizona
http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo
1. Discuss
the important topics covered in the course texts on Teotihuacan.
2.Describe one aspect of the
archaeological field project that is not covered in the readings on Teotihuacan
and that we discuss from the web site.
Individual
Mesoamerican Studies Critical Reading, Thinking and Research Presentation:
Discuss on Wed, March 7 and due on Mon March 12
We are going to read and research topics
that are the focus of recent archaeological projects We will begin by reading a
primary document, the actual archaeological report. Most archaeological reports
include information that covers many topics. The information presented in the reports
will become the basis of later, more specialized articles in which the
investigator(s) will focus on one data subset and develop more fully a thesis
on a specified topic. In your reading and research for your Individual
Mesoamerican Studies Critical Reading, Thinking and Research Presentation, you will be doing this. You will focus
on one aspect of the data, evaluate the possible interpretations that are
presented for that topic and data subset, research a theoretical model which
you can apply to data to understanding an ancient Mesoamerican culture, and
research parallel data sets in other scholarly studies. In addition to critical
reading and thinking, you will go through a process of research and synthesis
leading to a substantive research presentation.
Stage 1: Research Guide 1
Choose an archaeological report from the
list of FAMSI Research Reports in this syllabus. Only one student per report. This will
be the basis of your Individual
Mesoamerican Studies Critical Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project. You will develop this through several
stages throughout the course.
Go to the web site of the Foundation for
the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI) at www.famsi.org
On the home page, you will find a brown
bar. Under the brown bar, is a link, Grantee Reports
Read your report and complete Individual Mesoamerican Studies Critical Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project. Research Guide 1.
FAMSI
Reseach Reports
Cave Research
Cave Research ÐUp to 8 people, each
focusing upon a critical reading of one article. Only one person per article.
Everyone who chooses a cave research report must read the abstracts of all
of the following and must search all the bibliographies:
1.Karen Bassie, The JoljaÕ Cave Project
2001
Cave
paintings of Early Classic Rituals
Possible
association with Period Ending ceremonies
Iconography
related to creation
Glyphs
include personal names and scribal names
Importance
of mountain god, Ix Chel, Itzamna and God N
2. Brent Woodfill, Archaeological
Investigations in the Candeleria Caves and La Lima, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Pilgrimage
as focus of ritual activity
Trade
routes and ritual use connected
Ritual
paraphernalia and structures are connected
Caves
connected with occupational sites
Ceramics,
ethnicity and immigration
Distinctiveness
of region
3. Juan Luis Boor, Caves Branch Caves:
Archaeological Field Report, 1997
Different caves within small geographic
region served specialized functions in various rituals carried out by a single
Maya community
Are rituals practiced by ruling elites of
powerful sites different from rituals practiced by smaller communities without
ruling elites
Is propitiation of water universal?
Caves as underworld spaces?
Is the Maya world view of the quincunx
universal?
4. Michael Smyth, A New Study of the
Gruta de Chac, Yucatan, 1998
Relationship
between cave and settlement
Function
of Gruta to gather water? Sacred
place? Pilgrimage?
What
was the period of use and ritual activities?
Was
result of sacred site utilization to draw settlers to region?
What were water propitiation rites? Were
they connected to special forms of ceramics?
Was there a connection between
substantive and symbolic control of critical sources like water and the power
of the elite class?
What explains the Terminal Classic growth
of the region?
5. Holley
Moyes, Changes and Continuities in Ritual Practice at Chechem Ha Cave, Belize:
Report on Excavations conducted in the 2003 Field Season.
Models
of space
Change
over time in ritual practice
Speleothems
as ritual objects
Caves
may have attracted settlers to area
Pan
Mesoamerican settlement pattern choice researched by Angel Garcia-Zambrano and
Maria Elena Bernal-Garcia
Other
theories of cave ritual should be research (Andrea Stone, Karen Bassie, James
Brady, Mary Pohl)
6. James Fitzsimmons, Kings of Jaguar
Hill: Mountains and Caches at Zapote Bobal
Women are royal brides alongside male
captives
Hix Witz elites give tribute to lords of
Yaxchilan
Site was ally of Dos Pilas and refuge for
exiled rules
Royal palace identified
40 hieroglyphic altars and stelae found
rulers manufactured their history and
manifested it on the landscape
Cache of 7 bundled stones indicating a
period ending ceremony
ÒDancingÓ Chan Ahk on stela 12
recreates the underworld dances of the maize god
7. Michael Love, The Context and
Associations of Monument 3 from la Blanca, Guatemala
Earthen sculpture is almost unique
Evidence of early ritual
Quatrefoil and Olmec connection to Maya
Validity of oppositions such as
public/private, ritual/utilitarian, Great Tradition/Little Tradition
Divination and underworld in
cosmovision
Domestic ritual and womenÕs rituals and
ceramic figurines
8. Arthur Demarest, Cancuen
Archaeological Project
Region not understood
Interaction between highlands of
Guatemala and lowland Peten
Located at start of Pasion/Usumacinta
River system and is involved in trade and transport
Sacred geography evident. Is absence
of pyramids connected with presence of cave towers?
Political alliances created with Tikal
and/or Calakmul which also involved economic interactions
Royal palace
Death and upheaval in mass burial
Human use of environment, as well as
climate change, may have been involved in Maya collapse in this area
Cache
Research
Cache Research ÐUp to 6 people, each
focusing upon a critical reading of one article.
Only one person per article.
Everyone
who chooses a cache research report must read the abstracts of all
of the following and must search all the bibliographies
1.
James
Fitzsimmons, Kings of Jaguar Hill: Mountains and Caches at Zapote Bobal
Women are royal brides alongside male
captives
Hix Witz elites give tribute to lords of
Yaxchilan
Site was ally of Dos Pilas and refuge for
exiled rules
Royal palace identified
40 hieroglyphic altars and stelae found
rulers manufactured their history and
manifested it on the landscape
Cache of 7 bundled stones indicating a
period ending ceremony
ÒDancingÓ Chan Ahk on stela 12 recreates
the underworld dances of the maize god
2.
James
Garber, The Early/Middle Formative Kanocha Phase (1200-850 BC) and Kathryn
Brown, Investigations of Middle Preclassic Public Architecture at the site of
Blackman Eddy, Belize
Development of Maya world view and ritual
behavior associated with rulership
Dedication and termination rituals
Triadic architectural arrangement
3 stone hearth
Architectural use of masks and material
symbol system associated with kingship
Ritual deposit with shells and the
importance of water imagery
Ritual behavior and creation mythology
3.
Thomas
Guderjen, Documentation of the Blue Creek Jade Shaft
See his later publication in The Sowing
and The Dawning: Dedication and Termination Ritual Events in the Archaeology
and Ethnology of Mesoamerica. Edited by Shirley Mock, University of New Mexico,
1998. GAC F 1435.3.R56.S68. 1998 Oversize
4.
Arlen Chase
and Diane Chase, Southeast Sector Settlement, A Stucco Statue and Substantial
Survey: The Caracol 1997 Season
Tombs, caches, ceramic box, stucco statue
of figure on throne.
Descriptive. Place in context of theories
of kingship and caching.
5.
Juan
Antonio Valdes, Chocola Archaeological Project, Guatemala,
Maya pre-classic and classic periods
What happened in southern Guatemala that
gave it its distinctive and seminal character?
Sociopolitical processes that led to
development to urban societies
Northern sector was seat of local power
and southern sector was household area of common people
Caches were axis mundi and represented
rituals of creation
Water management was important
(Karla Davis-Salazar has articles on
water management)
Arthur Demarest has article on galactic
politics that would be good start for theories of politics
T. Culbert has edited book on Maya
political history
6.
Karla
Davis-Salazar, A Study of Early Classic Maya Ritual at Copan, Honduras
Ritual deposits at Copan with
hieroglyphic monument and burial (Motmot)
Relationship between political events and
religious beliefs
Ritual activities-what is universal and
what is distinctive in different city-states?
Ritual termination rituals
Caches of 3 stones and 4 jade earflares
representing Maya cosmos
Women and Gender Roles Research
Women and Gender Roles ResearchÐUp to 4
people, each focusing upon a critical reading of one article.
Only one person per article.
Everyone who chooses a women and gender
research report must read the
abstracts of all of the following and must search all the bibliographies.
1.
Maria
Aviles, The Archaeology of Early Formative Chalcatzingo, Morelos, Mexico
Early Formative Period (1500-900 BC)
Rise of early sociopolitical complexity
at Chalcatzingo
What was public architecture: What were
the forms? Temples? MenÕs house?
New stone monument of man, Monument
32, is mirror image of Monument 21, depicting woman
May be marriage alliance between
Chalcatzingo and neighboring site
2.
Michael
Love, The Context and Associations of Monument 3 from la Blanca, Guatemala
Earthen sculpture is almost unique
Evidence of early ritual
Quatrefoil and Olmec connection to Maya
Validity of oppositions such as
public/private, ritual/utilitarian, Great Tradition/Little Tradition
Divination and underworld in cosmovision
Domestic ritual and womenÕs rituals
and ceramic figurines
3. James Fitzsimmons, Kings of Jaguar
Hill: Mountains and Caches at Zapote Bobal
Women are royal brides alongside male
captives
Hix Witz elites give tribute to lords of
Yaxchilan
Site was ally of Dos Pilas and refuge for
exiled rules
Royal palace identified
40 hieroglyphic altars and stelae found
rulers manufactured their history and
manifested it on the landscape
Cache of 7 bundled stones indicating a
period ending ceremony
ÒDancingÓ Chan Ahk on stela 12 recreates
the underworld dances of the maize god
4. Jason Yaeger, Revisiting the
Xunantunich Palace
Palace as place for power negotiations
Palace for private or semi-private
religious experience
Palace for interacton between
elites/commoners
Palace for diplomatic meetings
Palace as stage for public consumption
Palace as residential compound
Demonstrates changes in nature of
political authority and legitimacy
Xunantunich linked to Naranjo and may be
cadet lineage
Patolli boards incised in plaster.
Graffitti from visions
One graffito has enlarged phallic
imagery
Laura Amrheim has studied phallic
imagery and proposed theoretical
framework of understanding
Palace
Research and Elite roles
Palace ResearchÐUp to 5 people, each
focusing upon a critical reading of one article.
Only one person per article.
Everyone who chooses a palace
research report must read the
abstracts of the following and must search all the bibliographies.
1. James Fitzsimmons, Kings of Jaguar
Hill: Mountains and Caches at Zapote Bobal
Women are royal brides alongside male
captives
Hix Witz elites give tribute to lords
of Yaxchilan
Site was ally of Dos Pilas and refuge
for exiled rules
Royal palace identified
40 hieroglyphic altars and stelae found
rulers manufactured their history and
manifested it on the landscape
Cache of 7 bundled stones indicating a
period ending ceremony
ÒDancingÓ Chan Ahk on stela 12 recreates
the underworld dances of the maize god
2. Juan Antonio Valdes, Chocola
Archaeological Project, Guatemala,
Maya pre-classic and classic periods
What happened in southern Guatemala that
gave it its distinctive and seminal character?
Sociopolitical processes that led to
development to urban societies
Northern sector was seat of local
power and southern sector was household area of common people
Caches were axis mundi and represented
rituals of creation
Water management was important
(Karla Davis-Salazar has articles on
water management)
Arthur Demarest has article on galactic
politics that would be good start for theories of politics
T. Culbert has edited book on Maya
political history
3. Brett Houk, Chan Chich Protoclassic
Tomb Project
Maya understanding of death
Exotic artifacts indicate elite status
Royal insignia found
Serpent bar and manikin scepters found
representing divine kingship
Theories of political transition of
Maya polities
3.
Arthur
Demarest, Cancuen Archaeological Project
Region not understood
Interaction between highlands of
Guatemala and lowland Peten
Located at start of Pasion/Usumacinta
River system and is involved in trade and transport
Sacred geography evident. Is absence of
pyramids connected with presence of cave towers?
Political alliances created with Tikal
and/or Calakmul which also involved economic interactions
Royal palace
Death and upheaval in mass burial
Human use of environment, as well as
climate change, may have been involved in Maya collapse in this area
4.
Takeshi
Inomata, Aguateca Archaeological Project: A Study of Maya Household
Organization and Domestic Activities (and) Documentation of Floor Assemblages
from Aguateca, Guatemala
Maya Palaces and their multiple uses
Society organized around households
Gendered use of space
5.
Jason
Yaeger, Revisiting the Xunantunich Palace
Palace as place for power negotiations
Palace for private or semi-private
religious experience
Palace for interacton between
elites/commoners
Palace for diplomatic meetings
Palace as stage for public consumption
Palace as residential compound
Demonstrates changes in nature of
political authority and legitimacy
Xunantunich linked to Naranjo and may be
cadet lineage
Patolli boards incised in plaster.
Graffitti from visions
One graffito has enlarged phallic imagery
Sacred Constructed Space Research
Sacred constructed spaceÐUp to 3 people,
each focusing upon a critical reading of one article.
Only one person per article.
Everyone who chooses a sacred constructed
space research report must read
the abstracts of the following and must search all the bibliographies.
1. Maria Aviles, The Archaeology of Early
Formative Chalcatzingo, Morelos, Mexico
Early Formative Period (1500-900 BC)
Rise of early sociopolitical
complexity at Chalcatzingo
What was public architecture: What
were the forms? Temples? MenÕs house?
New stone monument of man, Monument 32,
is mirror image of Monument 21, depicting woman
May be marriage alliance between Chalcatzingo
and neighboring site
2. James Garber, The Early/Middle
Formative Kanocha Phase (1200-850 BC) and Kathryn Brown, Investigations of
Middle Preclassic Public Architecture at the site of Blackman Eddy, Belize
Development of Maya world view and ritual
behavior associated with rulership
Dedication and termination rituals
Triadic architectural arrangement
3 stone hearth
Architectural use of masks and
material symbol system associated with kingship
Ritual deposit with shells and the
importance of water imagery
Ritual behavior and creation mythology
3. Timoth Pugh, An Archaeological
Investigation of Mayapan Style Ceremonial Groups in the Central Peten
Late Postclassic site with nearly
identical architecture to Mayapan
Possible migration of people as explanation
Ritual practice and performance, as well
as ritual space construction are discussed as being affected by population
movements
Individual Mesoamerican Studies Critical Reading,
Thinking and Writing Project.
Research Guide 1
Due Mon, March 12
1.
Describe the project. What is its purpose, scope and significance?
2. What
important data has been recovered related to topic that you will be
researching? (Sacred geography, cache research, women and gender roles, palaces
and elites, or sacred constructed space) Do NOT describe all the data that is
in the report. The archaeologist must report everything, but you must select
the relevant data that you will utilize in developing your research paper.
3. Look at
your textbooks. What information in your textbooks relates to your topic? What
theories are presented in your texts and/or the entries in these sources that
will help you to develop your interpretation of the data in the FAMSI Research
Report?
4. Go to
the encyclopedias listed here and find the relevant entries. Use them to
clarify topics in the report that you do not understand. Then record the
information and theories in the relevant entries that will be helpful to you in
developing your interpretation of the data in the FAMSI Research Report.
David L. Webster and Susan Toby Evans,
editors. Archaeology of ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. New York, Garland Pub. 2001.
GAC
Library Reference. Main Floor. F1218.6 .A73 2001
David Carrasco, editor. The Oxford
Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central
America. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2001
GAC
Library Reference. Main Floor. F1218.6 .O95 2001.
Joel
Palka, Historical Dictionary of ancient Mesoamerica. Scarecrow Press, 2000
GAC
F1434.H57 2000
REW Adams
and Murdo J. MacLeod, The Cambridge history of the native peoples of the
Americas, V. 2,
Mesoamerica. Cambridge University Press, 1996
GAC
E77.N62.1996
Week 6 March
12-18
Class
Reading:
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
The
Origins of Maya Civilization
The
Pre-classic Maya
Individual Mesoamerican Critical
Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project
Discuss on Wed, Mar. 14 and Due on Wed. March 21
Stage
2: Research Guide 2
Individual Mesoamerican Studies
Critical Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project.
Research Guide 2
Due Wed. March 21
1.
In this stage, you will examine other current research related to your topic.
You are assessing how your research fits into current research.
To find out, read the other reports in
FAMSI related to your topic. You should have a strategy for this. You will want
to skip sections of the reports that are not related to your topic, and focus
your time and attention and the ideas and data that are relevant.
a. Study the data reported by other
researchers related to your topic. What is similar and dissimilar?
b. Consider the theoretical ideas on the
data being proposed by the researchers of other projects. Assess the strengths
and weakness of these ideas.
c. What theoretical perspective best fits
the data in the project that you are studying?
d. Does this theoretical perspective
explain the similarities and differences in several databases, or is the data
too diverse to be explained by a single theory?
2. Create your bibliography. Identify and
locate 6 scholarly print sources.
a.To locate these sources, scan the
bibliographies of your FAMSI report and the related FAMSI reports. You will
find that some reports have much more complete bibliographies than others. For
example, Karen Bassie discusses many more theoretical perspectives related to
sacred geography and caves and has a more complete bibliography than the other
research reports dealing with caves and sacred geography. Your own report may
have a short bibliography that omits important sources and you will therefore
need to look beyond a single bibliography. You should also look at the
bibliographies in the relevant entries of the encyclopedias previously listed
in the course syllabus.
b. Go to the FAMSI web site. Look under
the brown bar to the link Bibliography.
Click on that link and then click on the
link, Search the Bibliografia Mesoamerica
You can search by topic. For example, you
can type in the bar, Search For: Maya Palaces, and get a wealth of citations.
Choose the most recent citations.
c. Another resource is Dumbarton Oaks. www.doaks.org
At the bottom of the home page are links.
Click on Pre-columbian Studies
Go to Research Library-HOLLIS (library catalog)
This links you to the Harvard University library, the largest university library in the country with one of the largest and best catalogued collections of relevant books. You can search by author or keyword. You can record the information and then go to the ILL desk at GAC and interlibrary loan the material.
MN Link in our library system links you to the U of MN library. You can interlibrary loan on-line, but the collection and the cataloging system are not as good.
At Dumbarton Oaks, you can also try the electronic texts. Click on Pre-Columbian Studies.
Then click on Electronic Texts.
Several scholarly texts related to some
of your topics are posted electronically and can be downloaded. I would especially
suggest the following:
Gender in Pre-Hispanic America
Social Patterns in Pre-Classic
Mesoamerica
Function and Meaning in Classic Maya
Architecture
Week 7 March
19-25
Individual Mesoamerican Critical
Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project
Stage
2: Research Guide 2 Due
on Wed. March 21
Web Site Analyses and possible hour
exam question
Examine
the web site that has been created by the archaeological field project at El
Ceren.
1. Analyze the project being conducted at
El Ceren by Payson Sheets in regard to the information being recovered. What is
being recovered that is not usually preserved in the archaeological record? How
has this happened at the site? How does this excavation expand our knowledge of
ancient Mesoamerica?
2. In what ways is the study of
non-elites important to understanding an ancient society? To a modern society?
What surprises you at El Ceren in terms of your expectation for how a non-elite
pre-Columbian society functioned?
3. Choose 2 architectural structures or
artifacts that have been revealed or recovered by the project and describe
their context, function, and meaning.
Hour ExamÑMarch 23
Week 8 March
26-April 1
Reading:
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
Trade
and External Contact
Subsistence
Systems
The
Organization of Maya Society
Ideology
and Cosmology
Arithmetic,
Calendrics and Astronomy
Language
and Writing
Web
Site Analyses and possible hour exam question
Examine
the web site that has been created by the archaeological field project at El
Pilar.
http://www.marc.ucsb.edu/elpilar/
1. Analyze
the project being conducted at El Pilar in terms of the ethical
responsibilities assumed by Anabel Ford in regard to her concerns for the
environment, for respecting the local population, and for addressing national
conflicts between Belize and Guatemala.
2. Discuss
the interaction between FordÕs pursuit of her professional quest for data and
theory and her acknowledgment of the public arena in which she conducts her
profession. (About 1 page in length)
3. Choose
2 architectural structures or artifacts that have been revealed or recovered by
the project and describe their context, function, and meaning.
Individual Mesoamerican Critical
Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project
Assign
on Mon, Mar. 26 and Due on Monday April 30
Stage
3: Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Writing an Annotated Bibliography of Books
To prepare an effective
research presentation, you must
make use of scholarly print and electronic sources in the holdings of the
library rather than the internet. To do so, you must be able to find books and
articles, cite sources, summarize information and evaluate materials for your
research need. A bibliography is a list of sources that were used as resource
materials for the presentation at hand.
To complete an annotated
bibliography:
á
Search the
library catalog and journal databases for your topic.
á
Find six books
and/or print articles relevant to your paper
á
Examine the
sources and decide if they are relevant. If not, find others.
á
Xerox the
full bibliographic record for each source
á
On a
separate piece of paper, type the citation for each source following the MLA
guidelines.
á
Beneath
each citation, using your own words, type an annotation. An annotation is a
brief descriptive and evaluative note that provides enough information about
the book so a person can decide whether or not to consult the book
á
To write an
annotation, you will comment, in paragraph form, on the following elements:
o
Content. What
is the source about? How is it relevant to your paper?
o
Purpose. What
is it for? Why was it written/
o
Methods used
to collect data? Where did the information come from?
o
Reliability.
Is the information accurate?
o
Authority. Is
it written by someone who has the expertise to author the information?
o
Currency. Is
it new? Is it up-to-date for the topic?
o
Scope.Coverage.Limitations.
What does it cover? What does the author state that he or she will cover? What
does the source not provide that would be helpful?
Week 9 April
10-15
Reading:
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
The
Early Classic and the Rise of Tikal
MillerÑThe
Art of Mesoamerica
The
Early Classic Maya
MillerÑMaya
Art and Architecture
Chapter 4: Early Classic Sculpture
Week 10 April
16-22
Readings:
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
The Late Classic and the Expansion of the
Lowland States
MillerÑThe
Art of Mesoamerica
The
Late Classic Maya
MillerÑMaya
Art and Architecture
Chapter 5: Late Classic Sculpture
Assignment: Classic Maya Sculpture
Analysis
Assign on Monday April 16 and due Monday,
April 23
Pair with a partner. You will be given a
sculptural drawing of a ruler from Copan and a description of that image.
Identify the physical materials and artistic symbols. Create a color code for
the materials and color the image to make it legible. Then go beyond the
information in the texts I give you to understand the sculpture. Research this
ruler in the Copan chapter of Nicolai Grube's and Simon Martin's book on Maya
Kings and Queens. When
did this ruler reign? What did this ruler do? Then research the symbolism of
the sculpture further. Each person must choose two different elements in the
costume and research those elements, their symbolism and significance.
Some helpful sources will be found in
Late Classic Maya Sculpture Analysis/Bibliography (see course packet).
Present colored drawing and information
in class.
(4 pages maximum).
Your
assignment must conclude with the honor pledge and your signature
Web
Site Analyses and possible hour exam question
Examine
the web site that has been created by the Palenque Cross Group Project at
Palenque.
http://www.mesoweb.com/palenque
1.
What is the purpose of the Palenque Cross Group Project, and why is it
important?
2.
What specialists in what fields are participating, and what is gained by the
interdisciplinary approach?
3.
Choose 2 art works (sculpture or ceramics) recovered in the project and
describe their context, function and meaning.
Week 11 April 23-29
Reading:
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
Terminal
Classic
PostClassic
MillerÑ Maya Art and Architecture
Chapter 6: Sculpture of the North
Assignment: Classic Maya Sculpture
Analysis
Due Monday, April 23. Presentations on
April 23, 25 and 27
Week 12 April
30-May 6
Individual Mesoamerican Critical
Reading, Thinking and Presentation Project
Stage 3:
Annotated Bibliography Due April 30
May
2-May Day. No Class
Reading:
MillerÑ
Maya Art and Architecture
Chapter 7: The Human Form
Chapter
8: Maya Murals and Books
Individual Mesoamerican Critical
Reading, Thinking, Research and Presentation Project:
Discuss on Friday May 4 and due on May
9. 11, 14 and 16
Stage 4: Presentations and papers
Work with the persons who researched similar topics and create a joint
presentation on your topic.
May 9 Cave
Research Presentation
May 11 Cache
Research
May 14 Women
and Gender Roles
May 16 Palace
Research and Elite Roles
Sacred Constructed Space
May 16
Research paper due. This must include
a well developed introductory
paragraph with a clearly stated thesis, argument supporting your thesis with
relevant information and a well developed conclusion. You must also have a
bibliography and you must have clear photocopies of all visual materials
(artifacts, sculptures, architecture, etc) that you mention in your paper.
Week 13 May
7-13
Reading:
MillerÑ
Maya Art and Architecture
Chapter 9: Maya Ceramics
Chapter
10: A World of Hand-held Objects
Individual Mesoamerican Critical
Reading, Thinking, Research and Presentation Project:
Discuss on Friday May 4 and due on May
11, 14 and 16
Stage 4: Presentations
May 9 Cave
Research Presentation
May 11 Cache
Research
May 14 Women
and Gender Roles
May 16 Palace
Research and Elite Roles
Sacred Constructed Space
May 16
Research paper due.
Week 14
May 14-16
Reading:
CoeÑMexico
The
Postclassic
Postclassic
Period: The Aztec Empire
MillerÑThe
Art of Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
after the Fall of the Classic Cities
The
Aztecs
SharerÑThe
Ancient Maya
The
Spanish Conquest
Stage 4: Presentations
May 14 Women
and Gender Roles
May 16 Palace
Research and Elite Roles
Sacred Constructed Space
May 16 Research paper due.
2nd Hour Exam at scheduled time of
final
I reserve the right to alter the syllabus
according to needs of the college professor/class.
Attendance Policy
Class attendance is required. You are
permitted 3 absences without lowering your grade. Each further absence will lower
your final grade by 1/3 a grade. For example, a final class grade of B will be
lowered to B- by a fourth class day absence, to C+ by a fifth class day
absence, etc. No
absences beyond 3 will be excused, no matter what your reason. Use the 3
absences wisely. It is
your decision whether you utilize your 3 absences for personal reasons, health
reasons or family reasons. But any and all absences beyond 3 will result in a
progressive lowering of your class grade. Also note: this is your first and
final warning. I will not be sending out warnings when your
absences exceed 3 and when further absences result in a lowered grade. You must
keep count of your own attendance. I take attendance at the beginning of each
class session. If you are not present at the beginning of class when I take
attendance, you may join the class, but you will be marked as absent. Be on
time.
In case of absence, it is the student's
responsibility to contact a classmate and get caught-up with the contents of
class and with any changes in the syllabus. I will not answer emails about
daily and weekly assignments.
Participation Policy
This course requires that you be active
in asking questions, joining discussions and presenting materials on a daily
basis. While I do not add points to your final grade based on participation, I
do lower your final grade if you do not participate.
Telephone Calls
If you use voice mail and request that
your instructors return your calls, consider the following. What message have
you recorded on your answering machines? Most professors want to respond as
quickly and painlessly as possible. This means that we do not want to listen to
excerpts from your favorite book/poetry/music/or mating calls of animals in the
wild. If you choose to have such a message, I will choose not to listen or
reply.
Reaching me by email is preferable to
telephone. My email is lwren@gustavus.edu
Remember that reaching the email server is different than reaching me. I do not
access my email 24/7. I access my email 2-3 times a day during working hours on
days when I am in the office. I do not access my email in the evening, on
weekends, when I am traveling or on days I am not in the office.
All assignments are due at the beginning
of class. No assignment will be accepted unless it is:
1. Hard copy. Any attempt to
email assignments will be automatically deleted.
2. Typed in a legible, size 12
font
3. Printed out in black dark
ink.
4. Stapled in correct order.
Neither I nor my colleagues nor the department assistant provides staples and
staplers for your assignments. Don't even ask. Assemble your assignments before
coming to class.
Start your assignments early enough to
anticipate computer and printer problems. Mechanical difficulties in printing
out your assignments will be treated no differently than any other reasons for
the tardiness of an assignment.
Late Assignments
Assignments will be penalized by one full
letter grade for each day that they are late. No assignment will be accepted if
it is more than 3 class days late.
Academic Honesty
The faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College
expects all students to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty,
and to refrain from any action which impinges upon the academic freedom of
other members of the college community. In all academic exercises,
examinations, papers and reports, students shall submit their own work.
Footnotes or some other acceptable form of citation must accompany any use of
another's words or ideas. The faculty regards the damaging of library materials
and programs as equally serious violations of the ethical standards of
courtesy, fairness, and honesty that bind together a community of scholars.
Finally, students who serve the college in positions of responsibility in which
they deal with test materials, letters of recommendations, and other matters
which must be held in confidence are expected to maintain confidentiality and
to adhere to the same high standards of personal integrity.
I adhere to this standard on Academic
Honesty. Any violation of this standard will result in failure in this course.
Such a violation will also be reported to the Dean of Students.
Points Points
Week 2
Olmec
Art and Critical Reading ___
Stage
1: Summary 5
Olmec Art and Critical Reading
Stage
2: Research and Reference List 5 __________
Week 4
Olmec
Art and Critical Reading
Stage
3: Contextual Research 10 ___________
Week 5
Individual
Studies
Stage
1: Research Guide 1 10 ___________
Hour
Exam 1 15 ___________
Week 11
Classic
Maya Sculpture Analysis 10 ___________
Week 12
Individual
Studies
Stage
3: Annotated Bibliography 10 ____________
Week 13 and
14
Individual
Studies
Stage
4: Presentations and Research papers 10 ____________
Final Hour
exam 15 ___________