DSBcB52 History of the Pre-Columbian Cultures of America

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Ondřej Pivoda, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Jarmila Bednaříková, CSc. (alternate examiner)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Ondřej Pivoda, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 12:00–13:40 A21, except Tue 14. 11.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Students will understand the historical and cultural development of important civilizations of the native peoples of North, Central and South America. They will learn about their cultural specifics, forms of government, religious systems, art, languages and literatures. They will understand the circumstances of their conquest by Europeans in the context of contemporary European history and learn how their traditions continue to influence the political and cultural development of some countries of Central and South America.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to: - identify important civilizations of pre-Columbian Americas; - know their main cultural centers and archaeological sites; - place individual pre-Columbian civilizations and stages of their development in a broader historical context; - get to know their cultural specifics, economy, forms of government, religious systems, art, languages and literature; - to identify their influences in the later historical and cultural development of contemporary states, especially Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia; - to correct some mistakes and half-truths about pre-Columbian civilizations.
Syllabus
  • 1) historical-anthropological division of indigenous American civilizations, basic terms
  • 2) pre-Columbian North America: Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian culture, Natchez, Iroquois, Northwest Coast
  • 3) Southwestern North America: Hohokam, Mogolloon, Anasazi and contemporary Pueblans
  • 4) Beginnings of Mesoamerica, the Olmecs, Veracruz, first sites in Oaxaca and Central Mexico
  • 5) Nahua culture: Teotihuacán, Toltecs, Aztecs
  • 6) Origins and Classical era of Maya culture, sites, writing, decline
  • 7) Postclassic Maya, other cultures of Mesoamerica (Mixtec, Zapotec, Tarascan...)
  • 8) Central America (Lenkos, Panamanian Chibchas) and Colombia (Tairona, Muisca)
  • 9) The beginnings of civilization in Peru, Chavín, Paracas, Nazca, Mochica
  • 10) Development of Andean civilizations: Tiwanaku, Wari, Chimú
  • 11) The Incas and their empire
  • 12) The Age of voyages, conquista, clash of cultures; what remains of the legacy of pre-Columbian civilizations today
  • 13) completion, final discussion
Teaching methods
Lectures
Assessment methods
active participation in classes
ongoing preparation for classes (reading of recommended literature)
oral exam or essay
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2023/DSBcB52