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Campus | Bryn Mawr |
Semester | Fall 2020 |
Registration ID | ARCHB104001 |
Course Title | Agriculture & Urban Revolution |
Credit | 1.00 |
Department | Environmental Studies |
Instructor | Bradbury,Jennie |
Times and Days | MWF 11:10am-12:00pm
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Room Location | |
Additional Course Info | Class Number: 2064 This course examines the archaeology of the two most fundamental changes that have occurred in human society in the last 12,000 years, agriculture and urbanism, and we explore these in Egypt and the Near East as far as India. We also explore those societies that did not experience these changes.; This course examines the archaeology of the two most fundamental changes that have occurred in human society in the last 12,000 years, agriculture, and urbanism, and we explore these in Egypt and the Middle East as far as India. We also explore those societies that did not experience these changes. Via assigned readings, class work and lectures we will consider the varied factors which led (or did not lead) to the adoption of agriculture and urbanization. Using archaeological, textual, and ethnographic material we will question what the core building blocks of agricultural and urban life are. We will also discuss the impacts these developments have had, and continue to have, on modern society and culture in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Themes covered will include societal organization, identity (gender, ethnicity, culture, personhood etc.), communication, and the relationship between humans, animals and the environment. The class will also begin to address the relationships between colonialism and archaeology in SW Asia and explore what the future of a post-colonial and anti-racist archaeology looks like in this region. Approach: Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC), Inquiry into the Past (IP); Haverford: A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts) (A), Humanities (HU) This class will be taught in hybrid mode. It will combine in-person and online lectures and class exercises, in addition to in-person and remote discussion sessions. The class is broken up into three sessions per week, M/W/F (11.10-12pm). The classes on a Monday and Wednesday will be mainly lecture based and these will be held in-person and will also be recorded for asynchronous remote viewing. Each student is only expected to attend/listen to the lecture once, but the recordings will be made available to everyone in the class, incase they should wish to double check details or aspects they have missed. Fridays are dedicated to class discussions and exercises and each student (whether participating remotely or in-person) will contribute to a discussion document which we will then explore during class. Class discussions will be held synchronously, both in-person as well as remotely. The class will be divided up into three groups and, if necessary, for those participating from different time zones, an alternative timeslot may be set aside for these Friday discussions. Zoom will be used for remote participation with the recorded lectures being accessible via Moodle. Class readings and course materials will be available via Moodle and we will be using and accessing a range of materials from archaeological websites, to podcasts, to virtual site tours and digital reconstructions. |
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