Nature and Culture
Overview
This module introduces students to the ways that archaeology is integrated
into ecosystems research and management by using the examples of the
debate on the pre-Columbian occupation of Amazonia and through the discussion
of natural and cultural resource management in the U.S. Learning activities
include the reading journal, a guided discussion of the Amazonia readings,
a film (followed by discussion) on sustainable agricultural practices
in a community (Ladakh) in Kashmir (and their abandonment with modernization),
and an exploratory writing and small-group assignment on cultural and
natural resource management in the U.S.
This modules relates to other modules where the application of archaeological
knowledge to modern problems is discussed. It also repeats the theme
of multiple claims to archaeological resources (or their interpretation),
the kinds of conflicts that can arise, and how these conflicts might
be resolved (e.g., through public education and participation).
Lesson Objectives/Reading Journal Topics
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify three ways (using concrete examples) that archaeology can
contribute to current debates about environmental degradation, conservation,
and sustainability.
- Define the “pristine myth” of the New World and how it
has been questioned by archaeology and related disciplines. Explain
the implications for management and development policies or practices.
- Describe the links between cultural and natural resource management
in the U.S.
- Identify the “stakeholders” in the management of cultural
and natural resources on public lands in the U.S., the kinds of conflicts
that can arise, and how conflicts are resolved.
Matrix Principles
Stewardship (of natural and cultural resources), Diverse Interests (discussion
of conflicting claims over these resources), Social Relevance (discussion
of conservation and sustainability and the negative consequences [like
environmental degradation] of not considering humans as part of ecosystems),
Communication (journal writing, exploratory writing, small-group exercise
where students must listen to each others' ideas and opinions), and
Real-World Problem Solving (small group exercise requiring role playing).
Instructional Procedures
Class 1
Readings
van der Leeuw, Sander, and Charles L. Redman
2002 Placing Archaeology at the Center of Socio-Natural Studies. American
Antiquity 67(4):597-605.
Mann, Charles C.
2002 1491.
The Atlantic Monthly 289(3):41-53.
Mann, Charles C.
2002 The Real Dirt on Rainforest Fertility. Science 297:920-923.
Optional:
Heckenberger, Michael J., James B. Peterson, and Eduardo Goés
Neves
1999 Village Size and Permanence in Amazonia: Two Archaeological Examples
from Brazil. Latin American Antiquity 10(4):353-376.
Format: Discussion
Discussion centers on the “pristine myth” and the importance
of understanding the extent of human impacts on past environments for
modern land use and management. No special equipment needed.
Class 2
Video: Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh
Format: Video and discussion
View video and discuss the relationship between environment, technology,
culture, and history at Ladakh and the changes with modernization. Materials
include the film Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh and
a VCR. Assessment based on participation in discussion.
Class 3
Readings
Lipe, Bill
1995
The Archaeology of Ecology. Common Ground 8(1).
Sittler, Meghan
2002 The Role of Cultural Resources in the Green Debate—Fit for
Man and Beast. SAA Archaeological Record 2(5):24-25. (Complete
issue available at http://www.saa.org/publications/thesaaarchrec/nov02.pdf).
Wang, Grace A., Dorothy H. Anderson, and Pamela J. Jakes
2002 Heritage
Management in the U.S. Forest Service: A Mount Hood National Forest
Case Study. Society and Natural Resources 15:359-369. (Link
must be accessed through a computer on the PSU network).
Format: Discussion and small-group exercise
Past two classes are briefly summarized. Students are then given an
exploratory writing assignment followed by discussion on linking cultural
and natural resource management and on the techniques for identifying
the links between people and nature in the archaeological record. Students
are given a handout with questions,
and they write out their answers, followed by discussion. They are then
divided into groups (four students each) and given a second set of questions
where they are asked to take the role of archaeologists in a team jointly
managing cultural and natural resources in a national forest (based
on one of their readings). The group answers are then discussed with
the whole class. NOTE: We ran out of time this year. The two assignments
may have to be combined into one. Assessment based on participation
in discussions.