Jim Vieira drinking our beer and petting our dog (September 2016). I'm happy to announce that Jim Vieira will be doing his second tour of duty as a guest in my Forbidden Archaeology class. He'll be with us for two class periods in mid-October. During the first class period he'll give his presentation; during the second the students will ask him questions. In between class periods he and I will discuss double rows of teeth, the secrets of the vast academic conspiracy of which I am an important part, and great moments in the history of stone masonry. I'll also make him walk through my art exhibit downtown.
I decided to organize this semester's class around three major claims (I call them "big lies) that undergird much of the fringe archaeology that I'm familiar with: (1) there is a special connection between "whiteness" (as in skin tone) and the human past; (2) Native Americans did not build the large earthen structures of eastern North America; and (3) there is an academic conspiracy to suppress information about the human past. As most of you who follow this sort of stuff know, those three claims are intertwined in numerous interesting ways. The first two go back to the era of European exploration/colonization. The third is used to explain why there is no good evidence for the first two.
When Jim and I talked about this visit I told him a little bit about what we'd be covering this semester. I suggested a few things he might want to discuss in his presentation, but what he says is ultimately up to him. By mid-October we will have talked in class about the history of racial thinking and how it's connected to ideas about "lost civilizations" (e.g., Atlantis) and we'll have just started getting into the nitty gritty of the Moundbuilder myth. The students will have an assignment based on Vieira's visit which will include a short summary/critique of his presentation and the preparation of substantive questions that they can ask him.
The last time he visited, Jim and I talked at length on camera about giant skeletons and double rows of teeth for part of a student project. That footage didn't end getting used in the project and, unfortunately, isn't in my possession. I hop
When Jim and I talked about this visit I told him a little bit about what we'd be covering this semester. I suggested a few things he might want to discuss in his presentation, but what he says is ultimately up to him. By mid-October we will have talked in class about the history of racial thinking and how it's connected to ideas about "lost civilizations" (e.g., Atlantis) and we'll have just started getting into the nitty gritty of the Moundbuilder myth. The students will have an assignment based on Vieira's visit which will include a short summary/critique of his presentation and the preparation of substantive questions that they can ask him.
The last time he visited, Jim and I talked at length on camera about giant skeletons and double rows of teeth for part of a student project. That footage didn't end getting used in the project and, unfortunately, isn't in my possession. I hop
RSS Feed
