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Maya Archaeology

Vak
2024-2025

Admission requirements

  • World Archaeology 3.2 obtained;

  • This is a seminar with a limited number of participants (20 students), for Archaeology students exclusively.

Description

This course will focus on the Maya Area, a region that includes modern day Guatemala and Belize and parts of Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras. The course will cover architecture, politics, economy, art, and other aspects of people’s everyday lives. We will also explore how archaeology is practiced in this region, focusing on the questions and techniques that have shaped our knowledge of this ancient civilization.

Week 1: Introduction to Mesoamerica and Maya Archaeology
Week 2: The Preclassic Period
Week 3: The Early Classic Period
Week 4: The Late Classic Period
Week 5: The Postclassic Period
Week 6: The Colonial Period
Week 7: Class presentations

Course objectives

  • Gain familiarity with the Maya culture and history;

  • Gain familiarity with how Mesoamerican archaeology has been studied and practiced;

  • Gain familiarity with the current debates in the archaeology of the Maya Area;

  • Develop skills in in leading and participating in group discussions;

  • Develop skills in communicating research findings orally and in writing.

Timetable

Course schedule details can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button.

Mode of instruction

  • 6 Lectures (6 x 2 hours with 1h lecture, 10 min break, 30 min discussion);

  • Literature;

  • Weekly assignments (image post).

Assessment method

  • Weekly image posts (10%);

  • Participation in class discussion (10%);

  • 10 minutes presentation (20%);

  • 2000-word final research paper (60%);

  • The essay will be returned providing full feedback on narrative style, structure, argument development, clarity of language and approach to the question.

The retake will consist of (re)writing the essay.

Assessment deadlines:
The dates of exams and retakes can be found in MyTimetable. The deadlines of papers, essays and assignments are communicated through Brightspace.

Reading list

Readings will be announced later.

Registration

Registration start dates for the BA2 seminars differ from the registration dates of the regular courses.

Registration will take place with the use of forms. These will be e-mailed by the Administration Office to all BA2 students at the beginning of March.

Contact

For more information about this course, please contact Dr. A. (Alejandra) Roche Recinos.

Remarks

Compulsory attendance.