This morning was the first meeting of my Forbidden Archaeology course. I had the students (n = 18 in attendance today) anonymously fill out simple "pre-course" questionnaires to help me gauge something about their level of familiarity with the various non-mainstream claims about the past that we'll be discussing. It was one of the first things I did other than turn on the lights and make sure I was in the right classroom. In other words, my blathering didn't influence them at all. Here are some of the results.
They're Not Watching What's on The History Channel
Each student described his/her familiarity with four television programs (America Unearthed, Ancient Aliens, Search for the Lost Giants, and the classic In Search Of . . .) using an ordinal scale going from "I've never heard of it" to "I've seen every episode." Ancient Aliens was the clear winner in terms of familiarity, with over half of the students reporting that they'd seen at least one episode. Several students had heard of America Unearthed and Search for the Lost Giants, but only a few reported actually watching an episode. Almost as many students reported familiarity with In Search Of . . . (which ended production in 1982) as with Search for the Lost Giants.
They're Not Watching What's on The History Channel
Each student described his/her familiarity with four television programs (America Unearthed, Ancient Aliens, Search for the Lost Giants, and the classic In Search Of . . .) using an ordinal scale going from "I've never heard of it" to "I've seen every episode." Ancient Aliens was the clear winner in terms of familiarity, with over half of the students reporting that they'd seen at least one episode. Several students had heard of America Unearthed and Search for the Lost Giants, but only a few reported actually watching an episode. Almost as many students reported familiarity with In Search Of . . . (which ended production in 1982) as with Search for the Lost Giants.
It's pretty clear that the students in the class aren't watching what's on The History Channel. These results are consistent with informal polls I've taken in my classes in the past. Asking for a show of hands of "who has watched this?" and "who knows about this show?" has produced little positive evidence that these programs are penetrating into traditional college-age markets. I just don't think people in their twenties are paying much attention to them.
Most of Them Have Heard of Atlantis, but . . .
I gave the students a list of some things that we'll be discussing over the course of the semester, asking them to simply circle the ones they were familiar with. Not surprisingly, Atlantis was familiar to most of the class. Downhill from there, the majority of the students had heard of the Knights Templar (not necessarily in connection with current "fringe" claims about them, however) and the "Mound Builders." Recognition of terms connected to giants was at less than fifty percent. A smattering of students had heard of some of the terms associated with current claims for pre-Columbian transoceanic contact. Lemuria and OOPArt struck out completely.
I gave the students a list of some things that we'll be discussing over the course of the semester, asking them to simply circle the ones they were familiar with. Not surprisingly, Atlantis was familiar to most of the class. Downhill from there, the majority of the students had heard of the Knights Templar (not necessarily in connection with current "fringe" claims about them, however) and the "Mound Builders." Recognition of terms connected to giants was at less than fifty percent. A smattering of students had heard of some of the terms associated with current claims for pre-Columbian transoceanic contact. Lemuria and OOPArt struck out completely.
So that's where we're starting. It doesn't look like this group of students has paid a lot of attention to the stuff on TV, and most of them are not familiar with many of the basic ideas and things we'll be discussing. I'll be interested to find out what they find compelling (or not, as the case may be) about engaging with the various claims we'll be talking about.
Next week we'll be talking about science vs. pseudoscience, how archaeology can be done as a science, and what constitutes archaeological evidence. And I'll be giving them a whirlwind 45 minute tour of the "mainstream" view of human prehistory and history, from hominin origins 5-7 million years ago to the Industrial Revolution.
Next week we'll be talking about science vs. pseudoscience, how archaeology can be done as a science, and what constitutes archaeological evidence. And I'll be giving them a whirlwind 45 minute tour of the "mainstream" view of human prehistory and history, from hominin origins 5-7 million years ago to the Industrial Revolution.
RSS Feed
