INSTRUCTOR DESCRIPTION TEXTS EVALUATION GOALS SCHEDULE

ANTH 214D PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Fall 2003  TR 9:30 or 11:00; both sections meet in HSS 111

INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Robin L. Smith smithr@wou.edu Phone: 838-8357 Office: HSS 210B Office Hours: MW 10:30-12:00, TR 8:00-9:00

Note: If you have a disability that might require assistance or accomodations for any aspect of this course, please feel free to come and discuss this with me. You may also contact the Office of Disability Services, at 838-8250 V/TTY, for information about accessibility and accomodations.

"The names you uncaged primates give things affect your attitude to them forever after."
Ruth Herschberger Adam's Rib 1948

An introduction to the subfield of anthropology that deals with biological aspects of the human experience and the interactions between biology and culture. We use the modern synthetic theory of evolution to examine the origins and relationships of extinct and extant forms of humankind. We review the field of primatology; the mechanisms of heredity, variation, and adaptation in human populations; and the development of culture over the course of human evolution.

Park, Michael Alan 2002 Biological Anthropology. Third Edition. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Goodall, Jane 1990 Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This course relies on lectures, films and readings to convey information about a fascinating and complex subject--you and your species. The lectures provide examples and information vital to your understanding and enjoyment of the readings.  I expect you will attend every class, having read the assignment in advance, having studied the illustrations, and having written down notes and questions.  I suggest you read the text twice--once before and once after the related lectures.  Also, review your lecture notes from the previous meeting just prior to the next.  Ask yourself each time "what have I added to my understanding of who I am?"  Remember, as a member of the species Homo sapiens you are already an expert on the subject of this course; you are the subject of this course!

Your grade is based on class participation, two midterm exams, and a final essay. Exams contain a variety of fun and interesting objective and essay format questions.  The final essay is an opportunity to respond to the monograph by Goodall and demonstrate comprehension of the main themes of the course. Detailed instructions will be provided. Make-up exams must be requested in advance unless this is impossible due to a documented, bona fide emergency.  No early finals.  You must attend the final to receive a grade in the course.  The grade of incomplete is reserved for the student who is attending regularly and doing satisfactory work but is unable to complete a significant portion of the course due to documented circumstances beyond his or her control.

Grades are assigned using the following scale: A = 93-100, A- = 90-92; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82; C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 63-66; D- = 60-62; < 60 = F.
 

Weighting of coursework: 25%  Participation (in-class writing, quizzes) 25 % Exam I 25%  Exam II 25 % Final & Essay

Academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating dishonesty, and plagiarism, is a serious offense.  My usual practice is to refer cases of alleged misconduct to the Coordinator of Campus Judicial Affairs.

On completing this course, you should be well informed on the following:

• What is Anthropology?
• What major questions do Physical Anthropologists address and where do they look for the answers?
• What characteristics distinguish our Order, the primates, from other kinds of mammals?
• What are the important differences between......apes and hominids?...the different early hominids known as Australopithecines?...the early hominids and our own genus, Homo?
• What is the biological basis for human cultural behavior?
• What evolutionary processes are at work in the human species today?
• Why is the category "race" problematic in the study of human diversity?
• What is the significance of the biological differences we observe among various populations of our species?
• How does evolution account for the inter-relatedness of all life and the distinctive features of human life?
• Who is Jane Goodall and how do her contributions to anthropology highlight the growth of the discipline and changes in science during the 20th century?

*You must take the exam at the time scheduled for the section in which you are enrolled unless you have written permission for an alternate time from the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.