Download anthropology 5: magic, science and religion

ANTHROPOLOGY 1L: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Foothill College
Summer 2014 Mon/Weds 12:30-3:20pm Room 3103
Katherine Schaefers M.A., Instructor
CONTACT INFORMATION
Office: 3102 (through the back door of the lab)
E-mail: [email protected]
Staff Page: http://www.foothill.edu/bss/directory.php?s=1&rec_id=1395
(or type “Schaefers” into the Search bar on Foothill’s website: www.foothill.edu)
REQUIRED MATERIALS
1) Exploring Physical Anthropology – A Lab Manual & Workbook
2nd edition. Suzanne E. Walker-Pacheco. Morton Publishing Co. (2010)
2) A Notebook
COURSE INFO
Course #: 10386
Section: 4
Units: 1
GE Area: Natural Sciences, Social & Behavioral Sciences
OVERVIEW:
This class will be a practical, hands-on exploration of topics within the discipline of Physical
Anthropology. Students will map out the workings of the human body, be enmeshed in the theories
of natural and sexual selection, observe cell division and replication, solve the mystery of inherited
traits, compare primate anatomy and behavior to humans, identify and work with hominid and
animal bones and crania, and finally uncover reasons for the world-wide loss of biodiversity and its
impact on an emerging global society.
OBJECTIVES:
 Distinguish scientific methodology from other methods of evaluation or thinking
 Explain a variety of primate and/or hominid evolutionary patterns over time
 Assemble or organize specimens and/or models used in physical anthropology (skeletal,
dental, genetic, geological)
 Employ basic forensic field methods for analyzing and interpreting human remains
 Research an anthropological topic and prepare the results for public and/or classroom
presentation
 Evaluate and debate social, cultural, environmental, or other influences on hominid adaptation
and survival over time
GRADES:
Grades will be based on In-class quizzes, labs, and participation. The breakdown is as follows:
 Labs: 110 pts.
o Completion of lab exercises. 11 in total, 11 pts each.
 Participation: 110 pts.
o Show up on time, do your work, and stay for the whole period. Roll will be called at the
beginning and end of each class.
Total: 220 pts
Dropping This Class: If you choose to withdraw from this course during the quarter, it is your
responsibility to drop the course. If you fail to do so and your name appears on the final roster you will
receive a grade for the class.
Attendance/Participation
Typically, you and your classmates will be broken up into groups to read articles and do the
subsequent labs. It is highly recommended to bring a notebook and graphing calculator to each class.
YOU ARE REQUIRED TO BRING YOUR LAB MANUAL AND NOTEBOOK TO EACH CLASS.
Absence
There are no make-ups for missed labs. If you are absent for a day, you will miss 20 points
(participation and lab work).
Simply put if you do all your work…
0-1 absences = A
2 absences = B
3 absences = C
4 absences = D
5 absences = FAIL
Extra-Credit
There is ONE 20-point extra credit project for this class that may be completed in lieu of a missed lab.
The extra-credit project will be a critical analysis of a museum exhibit, presentation, lecture, film, or
other event that relates to the topics we cover in the lab. If you choose to undertake an extra-credit
project, please ok the project first with me. *Please be advised that extra-credit projects will not be
accepted through e-mail. Projects submitted after the last day of the course will not be considered
for credit.*
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:
Being on Time: It is expected in college that you will arrive on time to class sessions. Tardiness is a
distraction both to me and your classmates. If you are late, please slip in quietly and see me before
starting on a lab. Please be respectful of your classmates, and the lab materials.
COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE
Date
Lab
M June 30
Chapter 1: Physical Anthropology as a Science
W July 2
Chapter 2: The Organism and the Cell
M July 7
Chapter 3: The Double Helix
Nova: “Cracking the Code of Life”
W July 9
Chapter 5: Inheritance
“Peas in a Pod” – Films on Demand (20 mins)
“Hand-Me-Down Genes” – Films on Demand (30 mins)
Chapter 6: The Major Forces of Evolution
Nova: “What Darwin Never Knew”
Chapter 10: Biological Classification and the Living Primates
BBC: “Life: Primates”
Chapter 12: Early Primates from the Paleocene through the Miocene
BBC: “Link: Darwinius Masillae”
Chapter 13: Who’s in Our Family?
Films on Demand: “Bones: Origins of Us”
M July 14
W July 16
M July 21
W July 23
M July 28
W July 30
M August 4
Chapter 14: The Genus Homo
Nova: “Alien from Earth”
Chapter 7: The Bones Within Us
Chapter 7: The Bones Within Us cont.
Chapter 8: Forensic Anthropology
This is a roadmap, not the actual journey. Be prepared for a deviance of
the course here and there.