060068 VU Prehistory of North America (2020W)

This lecture series presents an overview and synthesis of North American prehistory, covering the major regions and extending from the first people in North America to the development of complex societies prior to European contact. Lectures and readings will focus on ecological and cultural history. Discussions will focus on regional differences in environments, ways of making a living (economy), and socio-political complexity. Topics will include an overview of the history of North American archaeology, the first people in North America, early hunter-foragers, mound-building cultures, the Hopewell interaction sphere, the Northwest Coast, Great Basin, Great Plains, Pueblo southwest, Mississippians, Iroquoians, Algonkians, and the emergence of complex societies.

Aims:
To introduce principal cultures and regions in ancient North American Prehistory, and gain an understanding of the immense geographical breadth of the continent.
To provide evidence and examples of the diversity of life ways of ancient North Americans
To increase skills in critical thinking, reading, developing arguments, and communicating through writing and speaking.
Students should be able to locate and utilize resources about archaeological sites and cultures in North America.

Methods:
Lecture, readings, group discussions, written summaries, written paper

Die Lehrveranstaltung ist als Präsenzveranstaltung geplant. Im Falle der Überschreitung der durch Verordnung eingeschränkten Kapazität des für die Lehrveranstaltung gebuchten Raumes durch vorliegende Anmeldungen wird die Lehrveranstaltung als Mix angeboten (MIX: Teilung der LV in Gruppen, die in wöchentlichem Wechsel in Präsenz bzw. in asynchron-digitaler Form durch Aufzeichnungen an der Lehrveranstaltung teilnehmen). Im Falle eines erneuten Lock-Downs wird auf rein digitalen Unterricht umgestellt.