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Spring 1999

Instructors:    Drs. Bruce Huckell and Joseph Powell

Offices:         Anthropology Annex Rm. B-06E (Huckell)
                     Anthropology Rm. 161 (Powell)

Hours:         By appointment only (Huckell)
                    Thursdays 1- 4pm and by appointment (Powell)

Phone:         277- 4491(Huckell)
                    277-1538 (Powell)

Email:         bhuckell@unm.edu
                    jpowell@unm.edu

Brief Description:
This course examines the peopling of the Americas through an integration of data from biological anthropology and archaeology. Students will become acquainted with the cultural and ecological conditions of the terminal Pleistocene in both the New and Old World, as well with the basic research methods and data used to assess the biology and culture of Paleoindians. Material will be introduced through short introductory lectures, followed by detailed discussion of assigned readings on geomorphology, paleoecology, archaeology, demography, genetics, skeletal and dental morphology and other relevant topics.

Grading and Course Requirements:
Grades for students enrolled in the undergraduate section of the course will be based on a cumulative midterm (50%) and final exam (50%). No final paper is required for undergraduates.

Students enrolled for graduate credit will be graded based on their presentation and discussion of articles assigned for class (15%), an in-class presentation (15%), and an original research paper (70%). Students enrolled for graduate credit must produce a paper of publishable quality based on an analysis of actual biological and/or archaeological data relevant to the peopling of the Americas, and will present these results in a final "symposium" at the end of the semester (see course schedule). All paper topics must by approved by the instructors through submission of a paper abstract. Students should note that final papers will not be accepted after the due date.

Readings:

Because there is no suitable textbook for this course, extensive selections from the current literature will serve as the basis for class discussion and student research papers. The reading list is, at times, formidable, but many of the articles are brief and (we hope) interesting. Please be prepared to discuss and summarize the required readings. All readings will be placed on reserve in the Clark Field Archive, Anthropology Rm. 172. The reading list will be distributed in class, and will be posted to the class web site at:

http:// www.unm.edu /~jpowell /paleoind.htm

during the first week of classes.