activity, lessons from the past

There are a small but potentially growing number of archaeologists that believe the prehistoric past can and should inform our understanding of contemporary problems such as social and environmental sustainability.  Some of these archaeologists are looking at long sequences of human-environmental interactions and the causes of social transformations for insights.  See, for example the IHOPE project.  

In this activity, you will consider whether the past can inform the present.  On Blackboard, please find and read the chapter about the Anasazi written by Jared Diamond.  Diamond is not an archaeologist and his book, "Collapse: Why Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" is written for non-archaeologists.  Also, please find and read the chapter by Michael Wilcox, "Marketing Conquest and the Vanishing Indian."  

After thinking about both readings, please consider the question of if the past can or cannot provide insights that can be used to address current and/or future social and environmental problems.  Create an argument map that displays in your own opinion and words your thesis and argument.  Then, following the structure you have used to map your argument, write a one to two page argument of your answer to the question.    

Please turn in both your argument map and essay-style argument.