Lecture 1 - First Societies

Welcome to the first lecture!

This lecture is about the development of the first human societies.

Though modern humans developed around a million years ago, the first tangible evidence of what we might call human society began to develop around 200,000 years ago. This lecture discusses the various attributes of that society and its foundational imprint in global First Societies, some of which still exist today, such as the !Kung (San) in Botswana.

To get started, download the Lecture Handout, which outlines important places, terms, and dates addressed in Lecture 1; the document can be used for note-taking and as a study guide. 

Download the Lecture 1 Handout here.

This lecture is divided into four units. Each unit has a lecture video, followed by a multiple choice question, or questions.  These questions will test what you have just learned; you have one attempt to complete each, and can view the correct answer after submitting a response. You must complete these questions before 14:00 (UTC) September 24, 2013 to receive credit.

At the end of each lecture is a directed discussion with other members of your course. Discussion of other topics can be addressed in the forum, accessible by clicking "Discussion" in the menu at the top of this page.  

The time to complete this lecture (watching all videos, answering the review questions, and participating in directed discussion) is approximately two hours.