ang5166 - Problems in Maya Studies
Arlen Chase

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Syllabus

Goals and Themes:

This course seeks to consider the problems encountered in making interpretations about ancient Maya civililzation. By reading and discussing the assigned materials, students will strengthen their analytical and evaluative skills as well as gain an understanding of historical and theoretical foundations in Maya archaeology.

Course Requirements:

All students are expected to read the assigned readings by the beginning of the week that they are listed in the syllabus (unless otherwise informed). Postings should be done on each reading during the week that they are assigned. The postings for each reading should consider the following points: What is the main point of the article? How are terms defined and what assumptions are made (stated and unstated)? What criticisms are aimed at other works? What solutions are offered? How does the article align with other positions in the field? This summer class with follow an independent study format in which the student posts on the assigned articles every week and can find me in Phillips Hall 309E for questions and further discussion; all should be posted on the web by 5 PM Friday of the respective week the reading is assigned (with the exception of the last week, when all postings are due by 5 PM on Wednesday June 20). Grading will be done on a point system. Each posting is worth approximately 3.5 points; there are 29 postings worth 101.5 points. Late postings will result in a penalty of 1 point per posting. No postings will be accepted after June 20. Grades will be based on the posting points earned and on the quality of the posted summaries.

Resource Books that can be Consulted for Further Information:

1. Adams, R.E.W. 1977 Ed., The Origins of Maya Civilization, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
2. Ashmore, Wendy 1981 Lowland Maya Settlement Patterns, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
3. Chase, Diane Z. and Arlen F. Chase 1992 Eds., Mesoamerican Elites: An Archaeological Assessment, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
4. Chase, Arlen F. and Prudence M. Rice. 1985 The Lowland Maya Postclassic, University of Texas Press, Austin
5. Culbert, T. Patrick 1973 The Classic Maya Collapse, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
6. Culbert, T. Patrick 1991 Classic Maya Political History: Hieroglyphic and Archaeological Evidence, Cambridge University Press, New York.
7. Friedel, David A. and Jeremy A. Sabloff 1984 Cozumel: Late Maya Settlement Patterns, Academic Press, Orlando.
8. Harrison, Peter D. and B. L. Turner II. 1978 Eds., Pre-Hispanic Maya Agriculture, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
9. Martin, Simon and Nikolai Grube 2000 Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya, Thames and Hudson, New York.
10. Sabloff, Jeremy A. and E. Wyllys Andrews V. 1986 Late Lowland Maya Civilization: Classic to Postclassic, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, Cambridge.
11. Sharer, Robert J. 1994 The Ancient Maya, Stanford University Press, Stanford.
12. Schele, Linda and David Friedel 1990 A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, Morrow, New York.
13. Schele, Linda and Peter Matthews 1998 The Code of Kings: the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs, Scribner, New York.
14. Schele, Linda and Mary Ellen Miller 1986 The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth.
15. Thompson, J. Eric S. 1966 The Rise and Fall of Maya Civilization, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
16. Thompson, J. Eric S. 1970 Maya History and Religion, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
17. Tozzer, A.M. 1941 Landa's Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge.
18. Willey, G. R. and Jeremy A. Sabloff 1980 A History of American Archaeology, W.H. Freeman, San Francisco.