ARCHY 525 A: Archaeology of Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Winter 2021
Meeting:
MW 10:30am - 12:50pm / * *
SLN:
10426
Section Type:
Lecture
Joint Sections:
ARCHY 325 A
Instructor:
ONE ADDITIONAL HOUR TO BE ADDED PER WEEK - TBD OFFERED VIA REMOTE LEARNING
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Banda shot.jpgWinter 2021

What is this class about?
When and how did people first get to the islands of the Pacific? What was life like once they arrived? This course encompasses the history of the human occupation of the tropical Pacific islands, especially Island Southeast Asia (ISEA), and Oceania. This is a huge area covering nearly 1/3 of the earth's surface, with a fascinating and varied human history. Modern humans first appear in this region over 40,000 (and probably 65,000) years ago and there is evidence for other hominim species even earlier. Other parts of the region were some of the last places on earth to be discovered and occupied by humans. We will focus on the current debates about island biogeography, human migrations, long distance maritime trade, political structures, culture contact and colonialism, with an emphasis on the analysis of the primary archaeological and documentary data. 

Meet your instructor, Peter Lape
I am an archaeologist, professor in the Department of Anthropology and Curator of Archaeology at the Burke Museum. My research is focused on Island Southeast Asia, where I am currently exploring trade and human responses to climate change from 4,000 to 1,000 years ago on small tropical islands in eastern Indonesia. I am fascinated by small islands. I also love sailing and kayaking and dream of being a surfer.

 What can you learn in this class?

  • Figure out the strange and wonderful ways anthropologists and archaeologists see the world around them.
  • Understand the geography and chronology of the human occupation of the tropical Pacific island region as known from current archaeological data, as well as from genetic, linguistic and documentary evidence.
  • Examine the limits of that data, current questions and debates in the archaeology of the region in the context of the history of social and political factors that have shaped those debates.
  • Develop analytical reading, writing and public speaking skills.

What are the assignments and how are grades calculated?
This is a discussion-oriented course with minimal instructor lectures. For this to work, we all need to do the assigned reading on time and be prepared to participate in enthusiastic talking and questioning when we meet as a group. I find grading to be a deeply unpleasant task, and I wish we could all just enjoy our time together learning new things. But UW doesn't work that way, so here is how I will figure out what grade to give you at the end of the quarter:

  •     10% class participation during class meetings, in office hours or other communication
  •     20% discussion board reading responses
  •     10% map quiz
  •     10% island report
  •     25% public article paper (including peer review of other's papers)
  •     25% grant proposal paper (including peer review of other's papers)

Note: There will likely be changes to the syllabus over the course of the quarter, so check this Canvas site frequently. However, criteria and due dates for major assignments will not change.

How to contact me outside of class meeting times:
Feel free to use the Canvas message system or email. Please start your message with a polite greeting and use a helpful subject heading. Also, please be nice, spell things correctly, and use complete sentences. I will answer your message as soon as I can within normal business hours.

I hold weekly office hours on Zoom, Wednesdays 12-12:30 pm. Feel free to drop in anytime (there is a waiting room to allow one student at a time). I will also be on Zoom about 10-15 minutes before class and am happy to chat and answer questions then too. If none of those work for you, message me to set up an appointment.

What are the rules and policies?

Zoom protocols:

It isn't possible to replicate the in-person class environment on Zoom, but this is how we will attempt to make these meetings fun and inspiring (and hopefully not exhausting and soul crushing).

  • You will need to log in using your UW NetID to be allowed in to Zoom sessions.
  • Please turn your camera on for class discussion and breakout rooms, unless it seriously impacts your internet bandwidth; you can turn your camera off while someone (me or a guest) is doing a lecture or presentation
  • Please have your preferred name (first and last) and your pronoun preference set on your Zoom profile.
  • Feel free to use the chat for questions that come up during lectures.
  • Zoom class sessions will be recorded and made available after each class; due to the importance of seminar discussion in this class, my preference is for students to join the synchronous (live) class sessions, but you have the option to view or review class lecture and discussion at any time in the quarter.

Other normal-times policies:

  • Late submissions will not be accepted unless you make alternate arrangements prior to the due date. Get those assignments in on time or accept the consequences.
  • Please do not email asking for a summary of a class you missed (that is why the sessions are recorded), but I am happy to answer any other questions at any time via Zoom chat during class, via Canvas message outside of class or during office hours on Wednesdays 12-12:30.
  • I welcome ongoing feedback about the class. Please feel free to send me suggestions for improvement at any time during the quarter.
  • You are expected to produce your own work in this class. Plagiarism or any other form of cheating will not be tolerated. There won't really be any good opportunities to cheat, actually. All students are expected to uphold the University of Washington standard of student conduct.
  • I am committed to meeting the needs of all class participants. The Disabled Student Services (DSS) Office coordinates academic accommodations for enrolled students, University staff, and academic personnel with documented disabilities. I am happy to discuss ways of expanding access to this class that are not only mandated by law.
  • College can be a difficult time, especially during a global pandemic. The UW has comprehensive Counseling and Mental Health Services, including individual and group counseling as well as 24/7 counseling and crisis support through My SSP.
Catalog Description:
History of the human occupation of the South Pacific Islands, especially Indonesia, Philippines, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Focus on current debates about human migrations, long distance maritime trade, political structure, culture contact, and colonialism. Emphasis on the analysis of the primary archaeological and documentary data.
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
March 28, 2024 - 12:52 am