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Anthropology 2301
Introduction to Physical
Anthropology
Spring 2013
Why should I take this class?
• You will learn about the four subdisciplines
in anthropology and you’ll get a solid
foundation in physical anthropology.
What this class is:
• The study of humans
• The study of evolution (why do
you look like your parents?)
• The study of primates
• And more!!
What this class is not:
A note on evolution
• Evolution = a gradual change of an
organism through time.
• Evolution will be an important component
to this class.
• Biology cannot be studied without studying
evolution.
The Textbook
• Essentials of Physical
Anthropology, Ninth
Edition, by Robert
Jurmain, Lynn Kilgore
and Wenda Trevathan.
Grades
• Grades for this class will be based on:
– Exams (3): together, these exams will
equal 60% of your grade.
– Homework: 15%
– Quizzes: 15%
– Presentations: 5%
– Class attendance and participation: 5%
Class Participation and Attendance
• Class participation and attendance is worth 5% of
the final grade.
• There will be a sign-in sheet at the beginning of
each class.
• Exams are heavily based on class lectures, so to do
well on the exams, it is important to come to class.
• Cell phones and other electronics may not be used
in class, and texting etc during class will affect
your class participation grade!
• Academic honesty is extremely important and
cheating of any kind WILL NOT be tolerated.
Homework
– There will be 2 homework
assignments during the semester.
– Please complete these assignments
outside of class.
– Homework will be due one week
after it is assigned.
Presentations
• Small group presentations.
• Worth 5% of your course grade.
• On a topic of your own choosing (within
anthropology).
• To be further discussed later in the
semester.
Extra Credit
• There will be opportunity for extra credit.
• It can total up to 5 points on the final grade.
• Please talk to me if you become interested in
achieving extra credit.
• Examples of extra credit:
•
•
•
•
Write an extra article review paper.
Zoo project.
Lectures.
Other.
ANTHROPOLOGY
Extra Credit Opportunity
Thursday, January 17th, 2013, meeting of the Houston Archeological Society
at 7:00 p.m. in Anderson Hall at St. Thomas University.
• Craig Mayer: Paleo, Ancestral Puebloan, and historic sites in New Mexico,
Utah and Colorado, including Chaco Canyon, Aztec, Inscription Rock,
Chimney Rock. Reviewing and discussing the cultures that have inhabited
and influenced the present day cultures of the region will be the focus of the
presentation.
• Craig Mayer works in the Texas wine industry, but started his career
teaching anthropology / archaeology at SMU in the early 1970s. He holds a
BA and MA in Anthropology from SMU and a Diploma in Archaeology (MA
equivalent) from Durham University (England).
• For a campus map, go to www.stthom.edu and look for the Interactive
Map, Building 20, Anderson Hall. Street parking is available as well as paid
parking ($2) in Moran Center Garage at the corner of West Alabama and
Graustark. For more information about this program, contact
[email protected].
Key terms and some science review
• Facts: What we know to be true.
• Hypothesis: an educated guess to explain
facts.
• Theories: a set of hypotheses that have
tested repeatedly and have not been
rejected. In science, “theory” is a positive
term.
• Data: Facts from which conclusions can be
drawn
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Anthropology is the study
of human evolution and
variation.
• The Four Field Approach
to anthropology: cultural,
linguistics, archaeology,
and physical.
What is
Anthropology?
The Four Field Approach
to Anthropology:
Cultural Anthropology
1. The study of variation
between and within
cultures.
2. Studies the evolution
and patterns within
cultures.
What is
Anthropology?
• Culture:
– Strategies humans use to adapt to their
environment:
• Technologies, subsistence patterns, housing
types, clothing, religion, marriage and family,
values, gender roles
What is
Anthropology?
• Cultural
Anthropologists
Franz Boas
Margaret Mead
– Academia
– NGOs
– Human Rights
(Activist
anthropology)
– Medical
anthropology
– Public Relations
– Museum Work
What is
Anthropology?
The Four Field Approach to
Anthropology:
Linguistics
1. The study of language
and the role language
plays within a culture.
2. We can determine where
languages split and the
evolution of that
language as well as the
relationship it has to
other languages.
3. Identity, social behavior
What is
Anthropology?
The Four Field approach to
Anthropology:
Archaeology
1. The study of past
cultures.
2. The study of the variation
and evolution of cultures
over time.
3. The study of material
remains of a culture
(architecture, tools,
bones, etc).
Tikal
What is
Anthropology?
• Archaeologists:
– Academia
– Cultural Resource
Management (CRM)
– Museum Work
Howard Carter
What is Physical Anthropology?
1. The variation and
evolution of human
and non-human
primate biology.
2. Physical
anthropology is also
known as biological
anthropology and
bioanthropology.
What is Physical Anthropology?
• Paleoanthropology: The study of the
evolution of primates (including humans).
• Primatology: The study of living primates.
• Osteology: The study of bones.
• Human growth and development.
What is Physical Anthropology?
• Physical
Anthropologists:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Academics
Forensics
Osteologists
Bioarchaeologists
Primatologists
Paleoanthropologists
Paleopathologists
Human Evolution and Genetics
• How humans evolve.
• Why evolution happens.
• How genetics fit into the evolutionary
process.
Primates
Osteology
• The study of bones, both
human and non-human.
• Paleoanthropology: studies
the human fossil record.
• Forensic anthropology:
osteology as it applies to
legal matters.
• Health: diet, pathologies,
wear on the bone.
• The individual: age, sex,
etc.
• Diet and overall health of a
population.
How do the three other fields of
anthropology relate to physical
anthropology?
• Culture: What types of
culture do modern
primates and early
hominids exhibit?
• Linguistics: Did early
hominds have a
spoken language?
How do cultures
across the globe
develop language?
How do the three other fields of
anthropology relate to physical
anthropology?
• Archaeology: Did the cultures of early
hominids change over time? Osteology.
Questions for the class
• How can we use anthropology to better
understand the world?
• What are some career paths (which were not listed
already in class) that an anthropologist might take?
• This is a physical anthropology class, so we wont
be going into the other fields of anthropology very
much. What are some questions you might have
about cultural anthropology? Linguistics?
Archaeology?
Evolution & Evolutionary
Theory
Evolution
• A change in the genetic structure of a
population.
• The term is also often used to refer to the
appearance of new species.
• Individuals don’t evolve, populations do.
• There is no directionality in evolution, no
implied “improvement.”
Evolutionary Theory
• Charles Darwin (18091882).
• Darwin developed
natural selection as a
way to explain how
organisms develop
over time.
Evolution before Darwin
• The Scientific Revolution:
– Came with the
discovery of the New
World,
– introduced new ideas
and challenging
fundamental views
about the planet.
– Exposure to new plants
and animals increased
awareness of biological
diversity.
• John Ray (1627-1705):
– Coined the term
“Species” in reference
to reproductively
isolated organisms.
Evolution before Darwin
• Carolus Linnaeus:
(1707-1778) Swedish
naturalist, created the
first classification of all
living creatures.
–
–
–
–
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Species
Genus
• Taxonomy: describing
and classifying
organisms.
– Linnaeus used traits to
group organisms.
Example: Mammals: all
breath oxygen, have
hair and mammary
glands, and three
middle ear bones.
• Species: a group of populations who can naturally
interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
• Genus: Groups of species which have similar
adaptations.
• Charles Lyell: (1797-1875)
– Scottish Geologist
– Proved through geological
evidence that the earth was
much older than previously
thought.
– Great influence on Charles
Darwin, because his work
also suggested that small
biological processes could
build up over time and
produce considerable
change.
• James Hutton: (17261797)
Uniformitarianism:
geological processes
which exist today, also
were present in the
past.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck: (17441829)
The environment has affect
on the future shape and
organization of organisms.
Species change influenced by
environmental change
Coined the term “Biology” to
refer to the study of living
organisms
Charles Darwin
• 1809-1882
• Interested in geology and biology since he was a
child.
• Planned on entering the ministry after college, but
instead he embarked on a scientific survey ship,
the HMS Beagle, as a naturalist.
• A five year (1831-1836) around the world trip to
collect plant and animal specimens, specifically in
South America and the Galapagos Islands.
Voyage of the HMS Beagle
• Of special interest
to Darwin were the
finches on the
islands.
• Each species of
finch was
specialized to
exploit a specific
environment and
type of food.
• Darwin returned to London and developed
two postulates of adaptation:
– Observation 1: Organisms generally have more
offspring than can survive to adulthood.
– Observation 2: Offspring are not identical.
There is variation in their appearance, size, and
other characteristics.
– Inference: Those
organisms that are
better adapted to their
environment have a
greater likelihood of
surviving to adulthood
and passing on their
genes.
– This is known as
adaptation through
natural selection.
– “Survival of the fittest”
Darwin and Natural Selection
• Natural Selection: a
mechanism for
evolutionary change which
favors the survival and
reproduction of some
organisms over others due
to biological traits.
• Animal and plant breeders
practice controlled
breeding, natural selection
basically uses the same
principle.
Natural Selection
Darwin and Natural Selection
• Darwin published On the
Origin of Species by
Means of Natural
Selection, in 1859.
• Alfred Russel Wallace
(1823-1913), an English
naturalist, came up with a
very similar idea, and this
was a major contributing
motivator for Darwin to
publish Origin of the
Species after almost 23
years since sailing on the
Beagle.
Evolutionary Theory Today
• Today, Evolutionary Theory incorporates
the work of Charles Darwin, as well as
mathematics, genetics, archaeology, zoology
and many other fields.