Arc of history
Given the ubiquity of mobile devices and high-speed Internet, it can be tough for students to imagine life just 30 years ago, let alone 30,000. Turns out, though, it’s not impossible. Students in Matthew Liebmann’s “Encountering the Conquistadors” class recently got a feel for prehistoric life, trying their hands at an ancient weapon called the atlatl. “We’ve been studying first contacts in the New World from Columbus on, and this is a chance for students to get firsthand use of some of the technology they’ve been reading about,” said Liebmann, an associate professor of anthropology. “I think there are a lot of assumptions about the superiority of European technology, and in some cases that was certainly an advantage in the conquest of the Americas, but Native Americans were using technology the Europeans weren’t familiar with either, often with deadly results. “This is also a lot of fun,” he added. “It’s nice to get out...