CHANGING PARADIGMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Abstract: An argument is presented for Southeast Asian archaeologists to replace the Birds Eye View/Rear View Mirror paradigm prevalent during the mid-twentieth century with a forward-facing, “emergent” paradigm in alignment with current trends in archaeological theory. An earlier version of this text was prepared for a keynote address at the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists (EurASEAA), 14th International Conference that took place at in Dublin, September 18-21 2012

Modeling the Development of Early Rice Agriculture: Ethnoecological Perspectives from Northeast Thailand

Ethnoecological research in northeast Thailand suggests that both wedand and upland rice cultivation emerged from a common beginning in manipulation of wild rice in seasonal swamps. The field research revealed extensive variants of wedand rice cultivation that show how it can be viewed as mimicking wild rice ecology and hence as an extension of rice's natural environment. This picture contrasts with the traditional portrayal of wedand rice cultivation as necessarily labor intensive, technologically advanced, and environmentally transformative. Upland cultivation of rice would have emerged as rice was grown in increasingly dry locales, necessitating genetic and physiological adaptations in nutrient absorption and timing of maturity. It is hypothesized that upland rice was then integrated into a preexisting swidden cultivation strategy. Furthermore, it is suggested that the early subsistence strategies of northeast Thailand included cultivation of wedand rice in permanent fields using extensive strategies, cultivation of uplands (of species yet to be determined) probably using shifting field strategies, as well as collection of diverse wild resources. KEYWORDS: rice, agriculture, swiddening, Ban Chiang cultural tradition, ethnoecology, Thailand

The Faculty Writing Seminar as a Means of Faculty Development: Enhancing Faculty Writing, Improving Instruction, and Fostering Collegiality

University faculty are charged with three major responsibilities: research, teaching, and service. While universities have developed various strategies to assist faculty in balancing these professional demands, minimal institutional effort has been devoted to nurturing faculty writing, despite the fact that scholarly research productivity is in reality the primary criterion for decisions regarding promotion and tenure. In the last ten years, however, several faculty writing support groups have been instituted to address this aspect of faculty development This study examined the University of North Dakota Faculty Writing Seminar to determine the effectiveness of the Seminar as a means of increasing scholarly productivity, facilitating instructional improvement and enhancing collegial relationships. Perceptions of the Seminar participants were collected by means of a written questionnaire and focus group interviews. Facilitators of the Seminars were also interviewed. Data from the 47 faculty participants in the study were analyzed pre-Seminar and post-Seminar for the total sample as well as by gender, junior-senior faculty standing, and academic discipline. The results indicated that participants in the Seminar significantly increased the number of submissions to refereed journals and the number of book contracts anticipated after the Seminar (1995-96). Differences in perceptions between genders, junior and senior faculty, and members of different academic disciplines were noted. Participants credited the Seminar with increasing their confidence, comfort, and clarity in writing and with inspiring a stronger commitment to setting and meeting deadlines. They identified perfectionism, procrastination, negative self image, poor organization, and heavy teaching and administrative loads as barriers to productivity. The Seminar provided a model for peer feedback in the classroom, gave participants greater confidence in making and evaluating writing assignments, and increased their tolerance for differences in writing styles across the disciplines. Participants cited the development of collegiality and interdisciplinary faculty contacts as the most valuable aispects of the Seminar

Remote sensing tertiary education meets high intensity interval training

Enduring a traditional lecture is the tertiary education equivalent of a long, slow, jog. There are certainly some educational benefits if the student is able to maintain concentration, but they are just as likely to get caught napping and fall off the back end of thetreadmill. Alternatively, a pre-choreographed interactive workshop style class requires students to continually engage with thematerials. Appropriately timed breaks or intervals allow students to recover briefly before being increasingly challenged throughoutthe class. Using an introductory remote sensing class at Charles Darwin University, this case study presents a transition from thetraditional stand and deliver style lecture to an active student-led learning experience. The class is taught at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels, with both on-campus as well as online distance learning students. Based on the concept that active engagement in learning materials promotes ‘stickiness’ of subject matter, the remote sensing class was re-designed to encourage an active style of learning. Critically, class content was reviewed to identify the key learning outcomes for the students. This resulted in a necessary sacrifice of topic range for depth of understanding. Graduates of the class reported high levels of enthusiasm for the materials, and the style in which the class was taught. This paper details a number of techniques that were used to engage students in active and problem based learning throughout the semester. It suggests a number of freely available tools that academics in remote sensing and related fields can readily incorporate into their teaching portfolios. Moreover, it shows how simple it can be to provide a far more enjoyable and effective learning experience for students than the one dimensional lecture

Farm land values for midwestern states (2015)

Revised 9/14/Web

2015 cash rental rates in Missouri (2015)

In the summer of 2015, 228 Missourians responded to a mailed survey and provided information on their cash rental arrangements for farm property. A summary of their rates for Missouri cropland, pasture, farm buildings and fee hunting is shown in the following tables. As expected, most rates had increased since our last surveyRevised 10/11/1.5M

Farm land values for midwestern states (2014)

Revised 9/14/Web

2012 custom rates for farm services in Missouri (2012)

Revised 10/12/2M

Farmland values for Missouri counties (2014)

Revised 5/14/400, New 7/03/5M

Farmland values for Missouri counties

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) collects information on the market value of agricultural land and buildings through two different procedures: the Census of Agriculture conducted four to five years and an annual survey. The table in this guide contains state and county values for Missouri land and buildings from every U.S. Census of Agriculture since 1959. The Census of Agriculture data is gathered through a complex sampling procedure that has varied through a complex sampling procedure that has varied through the years. In general, these values have been obtained by using a special version of the standard U.S. census form for farms that meet certain criteria."--First page.Original authors: Ronald L. Plain and Joyce WhiteRevised 5/19Includes bibliographical reference