| Summary: | As stated in the title, this thesis is an introductory course of study in New World Archaeology designed and structured for high school students as a one semester course. It is divided into seven teaching units that cover prehistoric culture areas of the Americas; (1) Arctic; (2) California Coast; (3) Southwest; (4) Great Plains; (5) Mississippi and Eastern Woodlands; (6) Mesoamerica, and (7) Peruvian coastal and highland subareas with an overview of other culture areas of South America. The culture areas include descriptions of and discussions on environment, archaeological sites, materials found, archaeological significance of the materials, and some of the problems that confront archaeologists in providing explanations to cultural changes that appear evident in the archaeological materials. The term "prehistoric cultures," as used throughout the teaching units, refers to cultures that were in existence prior to European contact. Late cultures refer to those that were flourishing before and at the time of European exploration and subsequent conquest. Each teaching unit consists of four sections: (1) discussion of cultural area with numerical notation to references; (2) review unit with vocabulary, written class assignments, and listing of visual aids; (3) notes and references to sources of archaeological literature used, and (4) a list of books that relate to the unit as further suggested reading for students. Archaeological terms are underlined and explained as they occur within the context of each teaching unit. Hypotheses and theories are presented on a language level comprehensible to students with a wide range of reading and writing skills. Accompanying the course of study are eight hundred slides that are consecutively numbered and contained in two slide boxes. An Appendix has been provided, listing, describing, and correlating the slides with each culture area unit. Illustrations of charts, time lines, diagrams, drawings, and maps are dispursed throughout the teaching units. Includes bibliographical ...
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