An important part of my Forbidden Archaeology class this semester is teaching students to independently understand, evaluate, and communicate about claims concerning the human past. The topical subject matter of the course is, obviously, focused on so-called "fringe" claims that fall outside of what mainstream archaeologists typically spend energy considering but are strongly represented in popular media. The students should come out of the class having a general understanding of the tools and processes we use to learn about the past and discriminate credible from non-credible explanations.
The "missing giant skull" from the Morhiss Mound (Texas) is neither missing nor giant.
Each student will be writing three blog posts. The topics of the posts for the "giants" section, in general, are concerned with understanding or evaluating claims, evidence, or context related to historic or contemporary ideas about giants. I tried to assign topics that would encourage students do a little online digging and, hopefully, contribute something new to the discussion.
Effective communication in a blog post is not the same as effective communication in a term paper. This is the first time that many of these students have written in this kind of format, and it is my first time working simultaneously with twenty different individuals writing about twenty different topics. Ideally the process will get smoother and faster as the course continues.
Here are the first of the "giants" posts to go live:
Please feel free to leave comments for the students: it's in their job description to interact with people about their posts (as long as it stays constructive).
Effective communication in a blog post is not the same as effective communication in a term paper. This is the first time that many of these students have written in this kind of format, and it is my first time working simultaneously with twenty different individuals writing about twenty different topics. Ideally the process will get smoother and faster as the course continues.
Here are the first of the "giants" posts to go live:
- Klaus Dona's Travelling Giant Show (by Kate)
- The Missing Morhiss Giant: Not Missing and Not Giant (by Wendy Dollar)
- Kap Dwa: The (Real?) Story Behind the Two-Headed Giant (by Tucker Kovalchek)
- Giant Mound Builders in Wisconsin…Eh (by Judy in Disguise)
- Giants: What Do People Think? (by Fred C)
Please feel free to leave comments for the students: it's in their job description to interact with people about their posts (as long as it stays constructive).
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