ANTHRO 114P
Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica
Description: Lecture, three hours. Archaeology of pre-Hispanic native cultures of Mesoamerica from late Pleistocene through Spanish conquest, with emphasis on formative sociopolitical developments, classic period civilizations, and Aztec society as revealed by archaeology and early Spanish writing. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2026 - Professor Cheetham is a bit gruff but definitely a very good professor. The workload of his class was quite light in my opinion; although there are readings for every class, these are pretty manageable and I would recommend doing them the night before class if possible. Not all of the reading content is covered in lecture, though, so it's important to keep up with them and take notes. In addition to the readings, there is a map assignment that can be done in a few hours, but it's better to do it over the course of a few days to reduce stress. There is also an essay on a topic in Mesoamerican anthropology of your choosing; first, you must submit a topic statement (to be approved by Cheetham), then, you write the actual essay, 6-8 pages, 1.5-spaced. It's not that bad; you can do it in a few days, like I did, but it's definitely better to space it out because it can feel like a lot. While these have listed deadlines in the syllabus, the professor does not mind accepting late work up until the day of the final. He's a very reasonable professor and his lectures are pretty engaging; sometimes, he'll flip through pictures from his own excavations, etc., but usually he won't have slides or anything. Still, it's easy to follow along, and he'll write down the gist of what he's saying on the board. The midterm and final are not too bad but you have to study; he'll give you some questions that are basically freebies but the rest will be things you'll need to know from the readings or lectures. In my experience, he was kind of passive-aggressive about late attendance on the first day or two, but after that he mellowed out. He responds to emails at lightning speed, and grading isn't much slower. The class doesn't have a Canvas; everything is sent via email. It might sound kind of annoying but it proved to not be a problem at all. Just download the attachments (some might need to be converted to PDF) and keep them in case you need to go back over them to study later. The textbooks are not available via BruinOne but you can find them online or buy them on Amazon for pretty cheap. TLDR: Easy enough class. Draw a map, write an essay, midterm, final, readings for every class. Very manageable workload overall, though. 3 hiccups: professor can be a little gruff on the outside, no Canvas page (only email), textbooks need to be bought in advance (he'll reach out well in advance to tell you).
Winter 2026 - Professor Cheetham is a bit gruff but definitely a very good professor. The workload of his class was quite light in my opinion; although there are readings for every class, these are pretty manageable and I would recommend doing them the night before class if possible. Not all of the reading content is covered in lecture, though, so it's important to keep up with them and take notes. In addition to the readings, there is a map assignment that can be done in a few hours, but it's better to do it over the course of a few days to reduce stress. There is also an essay on a topic in Mesoamerican anthropology of your choosing; first, you must submit a topic statement (to be approved by Cheetham), then, you write the actual essay, 6-8 pages, 1.5-spaced. It's not that bad; you can do it in a few days, like I did, but it's definitely better to space it out because it can feel like a lot. While these have listed deadlines in the syllabus, the professor does not mind accepting late work up until the day of the final. He's a very reasonable professor and his lectures are pretty engaging; sometimes, he'll flip through pictures from his own excavations, etc., but usually he won't have slides or anything. Still, it's easy to follow along, and he'll write down the gist of what he's saying on the board. The midterm and final are not too bad but you have to study; he'll give you some questions that are basically freebies but the rest will be things you'll need to know from the readings or lectures. In my experience, he was kind of passive-aggressive about late attendance on the first day or two, but after that he mellowed out. He responds to emails at lightning speed, and grading isn't much slower. The class doesn't have a Canvas; everything is sent via email. It might sound kind of annoying but it proved to not be a problem at all. Just download the attachments (some might need to be converted to PDF) and keep them in case you need to go back over them to study later. The textbooks are not available via BruinOne but you can find them online or buy them on Amazon for pretty cheap. TLDR: Easy enough class. Draw a map, write an essay, midterm, final, readings for every class. Very manageable workload overall, though. 3 hiccups: professor can be a little gruff on the outside, no Canvas page (only email), textbooks need to be bought in advance (he'll reach out well in advance to tell you).
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Most Helpful Review
if you are not an antro major it can get somewhat boring (Some Archaeology). grading is based on participation and three out of four (5 pg) papers. papers are all based on articles from your reader. the class only requires one reader and the readings are not too long. Athough his lectures help you to understand the readings, you cannot depend on the lectures for your papers. overall the class is interesting and not too dificult. if you are looking for a class with out too much stress, this is the class for you. oh yea, i almost forgot, he also stresses on plagiarism, he sometimes dedicates an entire session to it.
if you are not an antro major it can get somewhat boring (Some Archaeology). grading is based on participation and three out of four (5 pg) papers. papers are all based on articles from your reader. the class only requires one reader and the readings are not too long. Athough his lectures help you to understand the readings, you cannot depend on the lectures for your papers. overall the class is interesting and not too dificult. if you are looking for a class with out too much stress, this is the class for you. oh yea, i almost forgot, he also stresses on plagiarism, he sometimes dedicates an entire session to it.
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