Download Anthropology 205: Biological Anthropology

Anthropology 205: Biological Anthropology
M-F 10-10:50am, room L141 (F12)
Dr. Kathryn Keith
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Anthropology is the study of humankind around the world and through time.
Physical or Biological anthropologists study the biological evolution of humans as a
species, as well as the biological variation among human beings today. They are
particularly interested in how biological, cultural, and environmental factors interact to
shape human characteristics. Physical anthropologists may study ancient fossils of
humans and their ancestors, modern human populations, or non-human primates
(especially chimpanzees). Among many specializations within Physical Anthropology
are: palaeoanthropology (the study of ancient humans and human ancestors),
primatology (the study of living nonhuman primates), and forensic anthropology (the
study of human remains as part of criminal investigations).
OUTCOMES
Anthropology 205 is an introduction to the broad field of Biological Anthropology. The
core of Biological Anthropology is the study of human biological evolution. In this
course, you will be expected to understand and be able to explain how biologists and
anthropologists approach the issue.
During the term, you will be introduced to concepts in several of the specialized areas
within biological anthropology:
* We begin with genetics as we look at the mechanisms that contribute to biological
variation (past and present). Some issues you’ll address include:
- Lamarkian vs. Darwinian concepts related to biological evolution
- processes that contribute to biological variation in populations
- current understandings of microevolution and macroevolution
* We then move to primatology, as we compare and contrast the physical and
behavioral characteristics of humans and nonhuman primates. You'll learn about:
- common primate traits
- distinctions among different kinds of primates
- primate intelligence, communication, and social life
* In the next section, we study palaeoanthropology as we learn about early hominins
and human biological evolution. Issues you’ll address include:
- evidence for the earliest hominins
- human ancestors: what they were like, how they lived, how we know
- the development of human intelligence, language, and culture
- diaspora: when did humans first occupy different areas of the world?
* Finally, we look at human biological variation, human ecology, and even a little
taste of forensic anthropology as we consider the various biological, cultural, and
environmental factors that shape human biological variation today. You'll learn about:
- race as a social construct, not a biological reality
- how we understand biological variation among humans today
- what we can learn about people from their skeletal remains
COURSE MATERIALS
There is one required text for this course: Essentials of Physical Anthropology, 9th
edition (Jurmain, Kilgore, and Trevathan)
We will use several pages from The Human Evolution Coloring Book (Zihlman),
abbreviated HECB.
We will also read a few required articles, mostly relating to recent research. These are
available in the Required Readings folder of our website.
The HECB pages are required, but you have the option of buying the book or making
copies of just the required information pages and coloring plates. A copy of the
coloring book is available on reserve in the library. Read through the HECB information
pages for our quizzes, but do NOT color the plates before we work on them in class. If
you bring a colored page to class with you, you will not get participation credit that day.
If you buy a used coloring book, you should make a blank copy of any required plate
that someone has already colored. Colored pencils will be provided for in-class work
with Zihlman. A list of the required pages for each of the four parts of our course is
posted in the Assignments folder of our class website.
NOTE: For Zihlman, you must have both the coloring plate and the information page
that goes with it. You will be working with both in class, and you are responsible for the
information on the information pages for your quizzes and exams. Plan to bring the
pages for Part One of the course with you each day of that unit starting Friday 9/28.
Have the pages for each of the other Parts of the course with you every day of that unit
starting on the first day of the unit. See the course calendar for the dates.
GRADING POLICIES AND STANDARDS
Your grade in this course will be based on the following components:
Participation, assignments:
25%
Weekly quizzes:
25%
Exam #1:
25%
Exam #2:
25%
COURSE GRADE:
100%
Calculating your grade: Not all points are weighted equally, so simply dividing your
points by the total possible points will NOT give you an accurate idea of your grade. See
our website for instructions on how to calculate your grade. Angel's overall grade (on
your grade sheet) is a rough approximation of your grade at any given time.
Incompletes or NC grades: These options are only available under specific (and
relatively unusual) circumstances. For example, if you completed nearly all the
coursework, but were hospitalized the last week of the term and unable to complete the
last assignment or exam, a grade of Incomplete might be an option for you. If your job
transferred you out of state after the deadline to withdraw had passed, an NC grade
might be an option for you. In general, however, you should expect to receive the grade
you have earned based on your work in the course.
NOTE: * No late assignments will be accepted, without previous arrangement.
* No emailed assignments will be accepted, without previous arrangement
* Missed exams or assignments cannot be made up.
* No makeup exams are given without previous arrangement and permission of
the instructor.
* Extra credit is not generally available for this course.
If you can't come to class the day an assignment is due, you can turn it in early, have
someone else bring it in for you (to class or to my office), or email it to another student
in the class and have them print it out and turn it in for you (do not email it to me; I do
not accept emailed assignments).
If you are having printer problems at home, email your assignment to yourself (pasted
into the body of your email, NOT as an attachment) and print it out on campus. This
might be a good strategy to use in general, just in case… 
Your final course grade will be recorded based on the 4-point decimal grading system
used at Pierce College. The table below shows how the decimal grades relate to letter
grades:
4.0-3.9 = A
3.4-3.2 = B+
2.4-2.2 =C+
1.4-1.2 = D+
3.8-3.5 = A3.1-2.9 = B
2.1-1.9 = C
1.1-0.9 = D
2.8-2.5 = B1.8-1.5 = C0.8-0.7 = DThis term, anything below 0.7 (D-) is a failing grade. Starting next term, the college
policies will be changing, and any grade below 1.0 will be a failing grade.
Standard percentage equivalents are:
Grades in the 90s = A+ to AGrades in the 80s = B+ to BGrades in the 70s = C+ to CGrades in the 60s = D+ to DGrades of 59% or below are failing.
Expectations for adequate (C) work include: completing coursework on time and doing
an adequate job on it. To get an A or B in the course, your work must be of
correspondingly higher quality. For more information on grading standards and
expectations, see the Grading Standards document.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS - SUMMARY
This is a brief overview of the course requirements. For your success in the course, it is
vital that you carefully read the detailed instructions explained in the Course
Requirements document.
EXAMS: There will be two exams during the term, each worth 25% of your grade.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING DATES ON YOUR CALENDAR. You must be present in class for
each exam on the day and time it is scheduled; makeup exams are ONLY offered in
case of medical or other emergency, and then both documentation and instructor
permission are required. See the Course Requirements document for more information.
* Exam #1: MONDAY 10/29, in class. It covers Part One and Part Two.
* Exam #2: WEDNESDAY 12/12 from 10am – 12pm in our regular classroom. It
covers Part Three and Part Four.
QUIZZES: There will be an online quiz over the readings every week. The first quiz is
due by class time (10am) FRIDAY 9/28;; the second quiz is due by class time (10am)
the following WEDNESDAY. Most of the rest of the quizzes this term are due by class
time Wednesdays. See the course calendar for specific readings and due dates. There
will also be a comprehensive 50-question optional quiz available the end of the term. If
you choose to take the optional quiz, your lowest quiz grade of the term will be dropped.
Your quiz average is 25% of your grade.
ASSIGNMENTS: There are 5 scheduled assignments for the term. Instructions will be
given in class and posted on our website. Some short in-class and take-home
assignments may be collected for 5-10 points each. Unless you are told otherwise, takehome assignments must be typed and multiple pages must be stapled (upper left
corner). Late assignments are not accepted; missed assignments cannot be made up.
Assignments and participation, taken together, are 25% of your grade.
PARTICIPATION: Each class day is worth either 3 or 0 points; partial credit is not
available. To earn the points, you must be present, prepared, focused, and engaged
during the entire 50 minutes.
CORE ABILITIES
Pierce College has identified five core abilities:
* Critical Thinking
* Multiculturalism
* Information Competency
* Responsibility
* Effective Communication
Responsibility, Information Competency, and Effective Communication are important for
your success in any class. You’ll be building on those abilities in part through the
choices you make regarding class attendance, completion of assignments, and
independent study. You’ll work on communication skills in class discussions and writing
assignments, and on information competency as you find, evaluate, organize, and
explain new vocabulary, information, and ideas.
The core abilities that we will be focusing on most directly are Critical Thinking and
Multiculturalism. In this course, you’ll be learning about lifeways vastly different from
our own. You'll be asked to adopt a multicultural, relativist perspective as you learn
about diverse ways of being. Much of what you will be asked to do in this class - on
assignments, discussions, and activities – involves critical thinking. You’ll be expected
to identify, explain, analyze, and evaluate anthropological evidence. You'll be asked to
apply concepts as you analyze patterns in order to explain variation. To do this
effectively, you'll need to master fundamental vocabulary and information. Some of your
independent study time each week should be devoted to this task.