Today we will continue to explore Yali's question. We will start class with a scored discussion of Chapter 4 ("Farmer Power") of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Question of the Day
How did the Neolithic Revolution transform the lives of those affected by it?
Focus Questions
What is Yali's question, what does it mean, and why is it important?
What role did geography play in the development of permanent settlements?
Let's define an economy as the goods and services that are produced by a society, how they are produced (including technologies), and how they are distributed (including technologies). Using this definition, how did the economies of early societies change as a result of the Neolithic Revolution?
Let's define politics as the set of relationships involved in the use of power and authority in a society. Using this definition, what were the political effects of the Neolithic Revolution in early societies?
For now, let's confine social and cultural considerations to the status of individuals in society (socio-economic class), religion, and language. Using this definition, what were the social and cultural effects of the Neolithic Revolution in early societies?
hominids
Homo sapiens sapiens
evolution
Paleolithic
Neolithic
agriculture
plant domestication
animal domestication
economic changes
social changes
political changes
Please bring your Cornell notes of the reading to class.
We will begin class with a discussion of Reading #2 (Diamond's "Farmer Power").
Then we will watch video excerpts from Guns, Germs, and Steel and discuss the ideas it presents. Click here to access the questions that you need to complete during the video. Use these notes to help you prepare for your assessment at the beginning of next class.
You will have to define one of the vocabulary terms above at the beginning of next class and explain how it helps us to answer today's question of the day or one of the focus questions. I will choose the term.
You'll have to write one paragraph answering today's Question of the Day ("How did the the Neolithic Revolution transform the lives of those affected by it?") at the beginning of next class. The paragraph should include each of the following:
A strong topic sentence that simply and concisely states your main argument;
5-8 sentences in which you support this argument with specific details and as many of the vocabulary terms above as possible.
What resources do I have to help me prepare for this?
Farmer Power by Jared Diamond, your Cornell notes from it, and our class notes from discussion
Your notes from today's video
Chapter 1 of Voyages
Any outside resources (library or internet) you choose to use, including the "Enrichment" resources linked on this page and others.
Mummy of Hornedjitef: This is one of the 100 objects from the British Museum that the BBC has used to tell its history of the world. Click the link to read about this object or listen to a short podcast on it.
Olduvai stone chopping tool: This is one of the 100 objects from the British Museum that the BBC has used to tell its history of the world. Click the link to read about this object or listen to a short podcast on it.
When Stone Met Stick to Ease Hunters’ Work: New York Times article on the discovery of stone-tipped spears that date back 500,000 years.
Guns, Germs and Steel Videos
Episode 1 of 3: Out of Eden
Episode 2 of 3: Conquest
Episode 3 of 3: Into the Tropics