[Anthsoc] ANTH 400 course, winter 2011

[David Lubell]

I am thinking about offering a seminar on the Transition to Food 
Production in winter 2011, but it doesn't make sense unless there's 
sufficient interest.  The course could meet either twice a week for 90 
minutes each time (my preference) or once a week for three hours.  
Here's a brief summary of what I have in mind.  Can I please get some 
sense from those who will 3rd and 4th year students then about whether 
or not you'd be interested in taking it?  I'm not asking for a promise, 
just some idea of how many might want to take such a course if it is 
offered.  Thanks.

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*Description*

The change from hunting and gathering to food production, marks one of 
the major transitions in human prehistory.  The effects can be seen in 
the biology and behaviour of the human populations before and after the 
change as well as in the plants and animals they manipulated.  However, 
not all human populations underwent this transition, and there is no 
universal cause identified.

We  will examine the tempo and mode of change in prehistoric economic 
systems, first examining those regions for which the data are most 
abundant (southwestern Asia, Europe, Mesoamerica) and then looking more 
cursorily at regions for which the data are less well documented 
(sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia, China, Japan, north and south 
America).  We will examine the processes by which the change appears to 
have taken place, as well as the biological, social and technological 
consequences of the change.  Time permitting, we will examine situations 
in which food production was not adopted.

*Required Text and Readings*

Barker, G. (2009) The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory: Why did 
Foragers become Farmers?  Oxford University Press (978-0199559954 -- 
paperback edition of 2006 hardcover, available from online suppliers 
like Amazon.ca for about $65).

All other required readings will be available as photocopies (PC), or 
through internet access at http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca (E), or from 
books on reserve in Porter Library (R).  Suggestions for further reading 
will be available electronically at http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca (E), or 
on Reserve in Porter (R).

*Requirements & grading*

This course will be a seminar.  Therefore, students must read the 
required material before class so that they can participate in 
discussions.  One class will be a lecture and the other will be lecture 
and discussion with short (no more than 15 minute long) presentations by 
students on readings and topics to be drawn from a list distributed at 
the beginning of term or topics of interest to individuals that are not 
on that list..  Each student will make two presentations (PowerPoint is 
encouraged), the dates to be determined after discussion at the 
beginning of the term.  An outline (one page maximum) must be available 
to the class at the time of presentation, and a written version, no more 
than five pages, given to the instructor within one week of the class in 
which the presentation is given.  Thirty five percent (35%) of the final 
grade will be based on these presentations and short reports.

A research paper on a topic approved in advance by the instructor 
(maximum 30 pages double-spaced text including figures and tables but 
exclusive of the bibliography) will count for 65% of the final grade.  
This paper, which must demonstrate a grasp of both data and theory, can 
examine the evidence from a particular region or for a particular 
process, or for the relationship between environmental and economic 
change, or a comparison of two or more regions, processes, etc.  
Standard in text anthropological citation and referencing as well as 
bibliographic format must be followed.  See the instructions for authors 
of one of the major journals such as American Anthropologist, American 
Antiquity, Current Anthropology.  Avoid footnotes!  The paper is due by 
noon on Thursday 21 April 2011.  In the absence of a Verification of 
Illness Form from UHS or a personal physician, ten percent (10%) will be 
deducted for each late day including statutory holidays.

-- 
Dr David Lubell
Department of Anthropology
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1

Email: dlubell at uwaterloo.ca
Webpage: http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/~dlubell/index.htm

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