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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.<br>
<br>
<hr width="100%" size="2"><b>Description</b><br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
<b>Required Text and Readings</b><br>
<br>
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). <br>
<br>
All other required readings will be available as photocopies (PC), or
through internet access at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca">http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca</a> (E), or from
books on reserve in Porter Library (R). Suggestions for further
reading will be available electronically at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca">http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca</a>
(E), or on Reserve in Porter (R).<br>
<br>
<b>Requirements & grading</b><br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dr David Lubell
Department of Anthropology
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1
Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dlubell@uwaterloo.ca">dlubell@uwaterloo.ca</a>
Webpage: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/~dlubell/index.htm">http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/~dlubell/index.htm</a>
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