You will be required to answer in approximately three typed pages using two readings that I provide
question 1) Despite years of archaeological excavations in the Maya area, there remains much debate over the decline or collapse of the lowland Late Classic Maya.Using the two articles below and reflecting on class discussions consider the nature of the Maya collapse along with the most likely conditions or root causes that led to the demise of many Maya sites. Be sure to clearly discuss the point of view of each author along with your own analysis and interpretation.
Demarest, Arthur A.2013 The collapse of the Classic Maya kingdoms of the southwestern Peten: Implications for the end of Classic Maya civilization.In Millenary Maya Societies: Past Crises and Resilience, edited by M. Charlotte Arnauld and Alain Breton, pp. 22-48.Papers from the International Colloquium, “Societies maya millenaires: crises du passe et resilience”, Musee du quai Branly, Paris, July 1-2, 2011. Turner, B.L. II and Jeremy A. Sabloff2012 Classic Period collapse of the Central Maya Lowlands: Insights about human-environmental relationships for sustainability. PNAS 109(35): 13908-13914.As with all formal papers, you should include a bibliography listing all the references used for this paper. Feel free to cut and paste the references as I have them listed below. Any standard format for the bibliography (eg. MLA or APA) is acceptable as long as you are consistent in the format that you use for all your references.In the body of the paper, you should give in text citations for all quoted and paraphrased material and for any factual information or ideas that are not common knowledge in the field. It is fine to use direct quotations but use them sparingly and only when the author worded something in a particularly insightful or convincing way. Otherwise, paraphrase in your own words but still give them credit for the information. An easy format used in most anthropology journals involves parenthetical citations placed in the sentence. For example: “Binford (1968:271) has suggested that Mousterian tools are . . . ” or “Mousterian tools are thought to be . . . (Binford 1968:271).” Acknowledging the sources of your ideas is absolutely essential because to do otherwise is plagiarism. Please consult the syllabus for policies on plagiarism, but I will repeat that plagiarism is a serious offense.
