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IDST 205 How Indians Made America: History Before Columbus
311 students

IDST 205 How Indians Made America: History Before Columbus

Discover America in 1491 Learn about its cities, agriculture, science, and remarkable intellectual achievements.
Created byDavid Wade Chambers
Last updated 1/2012
English

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Course content

1 section • 4 lectures

  • Module 1 Myths of the Primitive and Pristine 'New World'.12:00

    A survey of the widely accepted myths about life and culture in pre-Columbian America.

  • Module 2 Native American Agricultural Achievements21:00

    Module 2 Study Guide elaborates some of the triumphs and achievements of Native American agricultural history before the arrival of Europeans.

  • Module 3 Urbanism and Civilization 23:00

    Module 3 makes a quick survey of five urbanized 'hot spots' in the Americas which developed before the European invasion: Central Andes; Meso-America; Chaco; Cahokia; and Amazonia.

  • Unit 4: Native American Road Systems and Trails9:00
    The first thing to note about early Native American trails and roads is that they were not just paths in the woods following along animal tracks used mainly for hunting. Neither can they be characterized simply as the routes that nomadic peoples followed during seasonal migrations. Rather they constituted an extensive system of roadways that spanned the Western Hemisphere, making possible short, medium and long distance travel. That is to say, the Pre-Columbian Americas were laced together with a complex system of roads and paths which became the roadways adopted by early European invaders and then settlers and indeed were ultimately transformed into major highways.

Description

Far from being a pristine wilderness, the environment of pre-Columbian America was highly constructed and, by world standards, rather densely populated. The aim of this course is to bring that invisible historical reality back into focus with units on cities, extensive roadways, agriculture, knowledge systems and remarkable social and intellectual achievements. This course will change the way you think about Indians as well as the way you think about America. It is offered fully online for college credit through the Institute of American Indian Arts, www.iaia.edu.

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