All of your answers must be double-spaced, 12 point font, with 1” margins. Each answer must be between 1 and 2 pages in length.
Your answer to each question is worth 40 points and will be graded based on the following criteria: 1) how well you answered all aspects of the question; 2) use of specific examples to support your essay when asked to do so, 3) quality of writing (how well did you express your ideas?) and organization (introduction, body, and conclusion), and 4) correct referencing and citation of sources. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors or failure to staple paper will result in deductions.
You may only use material presented in lecture or assigned readings. Use of other sources or two students whose work is so similar it is obvious they did not work independently will result in a 0/120 with the potential for further disciplinary action.
All published sources must be cited in text and referenced in a bibliography on a separate page at the end of your exam. In text citations should be in done as in the following example — Archaeological inference requires data to support it (for example: Snow 2010:5). Use page numbers when appropriate. Try to avoid using direct quotes from published sources. Paraphrase ideas in your own words as much as possible. Excessive use of the exact wording of the authors will result in a lower score.
The text of your essays must be double-spaced but the references in your bibliography should be single-spaced.
You must include a bibliography on a separate page. Grammar, spelling errors, and mistakes in the formatting of your bibliography will count as deductions from the total possible points of 120.
Your bibliography of cited references must be in the following format:
REFERENCES CITED
Snow, Dean R
2010 Archaeology of Native North America. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Hassler, Peter
1992 Human Sacrifice Among The Aztecs? World Press Review. Dec. 1992.
Vento, Arnold Carlos
1995 Aztec Myths and Cosmology: Historical Religious Misinterpretations and Bias. Wizcaso
Sa Review11:1-23.
In class lecture material should be cited in the text as (Neal Endacott, Marna Carroll, or Sharron Connor personal communication 2013). Personal Communication is cited in text but not the bibliography). Just cite one of our three names depending on who gave the lecture.
Your questions are:
1. Discuss Mayan writing and art, and archaeological contextual data, as sources of information on Mayan human sacrifice? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each one? Describe the osteological taphonomic evidence for Mayan human sacrifice presented in class. Did you find it convincing? Why or why not?
2. Provide an account of the best reason supporting the view that the Aztec practiced institutionalized human sacrifice. Provide an account of the best reason supporting the view that the Aztec did not practice institutionalized human sacrifice. Include justification for these choices.
3. Read all, including intro before trying to answer.
Ok, this is the ‘big one’, for all the marbles. I basically want you to tell me what you learned in this class this quarter. Easy one, right? Well, of course not, this is the final, people! So here is the actual question:
Most of the information about Native American people that the average person has comes from school, the media, science originating outside American Indian culture. Considering what you now know, how does this solely etic view limit the ability to understand and accurately interpret archaeological materials related to these cultures? Provide some examples of how integrating the cultural knowledge and emic view of Native Americans (or specific groups of them) has brought about a greater understanding of their pre-contact history. You may include how it changed your understanding or interpretation of this material too. Discuss also how the challenge of Native American activists such as Vine Deloria to accepted scientific paradigms (like the peopling of the Americas via Bering land bridge) led to a re-examination and emergence of new theories. Finally, what is the next step? How do we continue the process of bringing together the etic and emic information streams?
Topics to think about/use (many more too- just listing some here)
Peopling of the Americas
Native Ameican oral tradition
Views of history and time
Native value systems
The human sacrifice question
Perceptions of gender, gender roles
Treatment of Native American remains and culturally significant materials
