Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
Michael Pietrusewsky
Syllabus
Objectives
This core course in physical anthropology offers a theoretical and conceptual basis for investigating
biological and behavioral variation in human and non-human primates, extinct and living. The general
weekly topics to be covered include: the history of physical anthropology, evolutionary theory, biological
classification and systematics, primate studies, primate fossils, paleoanthropology, earliest humans, the
genus Homo, human genetics, population genetics, human variation, concept of race, natural selection in
humans, human adaptability studies, human life cycle, growth and nutrition, human biology and culture,
and modernization. Where possible, issues and topics of recent concern in the field, will be discussed. The
text and assigned readings provide background and perspective to the weekly topics. Class attendance and
participation in the general discussion is mandatory.
Organization
The course is organized as a graduate seminar. A basic reading list will be distributed at the first meeting
of the seminar. Everyone is expected to read all the assigned readings. Additionally, each student will be
assigned (prior to each weekly meeting) a specific reading from this list that they will use to lead the
discussion of that article. Each student will provide a written summary of the assigned readings (1-2
pages in length), which should be distributed to the instructor and class no later than 6 AM on the day of
the seminar. The written summaries should be both descriptive and evaluative (i.e. critical) in content. In
addition to evaluating the content of the reading, your summary should also detail the sub-themes and
raise specific and/or general questions for discussion. In addition to the assigned readings everyone is also
expected to have read those reading(s) selected by students for their individual formal seminar
presentations. A typical class meeting will include a discussion of the readings assigned for that particular
week followed by (except for the first two weeks) a formal seminar (on a selected specialized topic) to be
presented by a student. For those weeks when there are no formal seminar presentations scheduled, there
will be a detailed discussion of the readings in lieu of a formal student seminar presentation. Everyone is
expected to participate in the general discussion of the assigned readings and the formal seminar
presentations.
Seminars
Each student will present two seminars during the semester. A list of suggested seminar topics will be
distributed the first day the seminar meets. Students must confer with Professor Pietrusewsky in the
preparation stages of their seminars regarding the organization and presentation of topics. In addition to
the assigned readings, each student will select a brief (if possible) article they feel is central to the seminar
presentation. It will be the responsibility of each student presenting a seminar, to prepare a general
outline, well in advance, including the selection of one additional reading. Copies of these latter should be
made available to the class and Prof. Pietrusewsky in advance of the seminar. On the day of the seminar,
students are expected to distribute a 1-2 page detailed outline, abstract of their seminar, and a
bibliography of the references used in preparing the seminar, and a PowerPoint of their presentation.
Students are expected to consult the appropriate literature including textbooks and journals in the field of
physical/biological anthropology (e.g., American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Yearbook of Physical
Anthropology, Annual Review of Anthropology, Human Biology, American Journal of Human Biology,
Annals of Human Biology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Human Ecology, American Journal of
Primatology, International Journal of Primatology, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Medical
Anthropology, Human Evolution etc.) The instructor will evaluate each seminar presentation based on
content, organization, and the student's comprehension of theory and concepts. Clarity of presentation,
originality, and delivery style will also be taken into consideration in this evaluation. Students are to
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Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
Michael Pietrusewsky
confer with Prof. Pietrusewsky in the week following their seminar for feedback and evaluation.
Assigned Readings
PDFs of the assigned readings will be emailed to the course participants at least one week in advance of
each seminar meeting.
Written Paper
Using one of his or her seminar presentations as its basis, each student will complete a 15-20 page
(approximately 4,000- 5,000 words) typed paper due no later than Dec. 8.
Exams
There will be a written midterm (Oct. 20) and final (Dec. 15) examination consisting of essay type
questions covering the material covered prior to each exam (i.e. the final will not be cumulative). Study
questions will be distributed in advance of the each exam. The exams will be closed book.
Grade Evaluation
The final grade for the course will be based on the two seminar presentations (@15 pts. x 2= 30 pts.); one
written paper (15 pts.); midterm and final exams @15 pts. x 2 = 30 pts.; and general weekly discussion &
written summaries of assigned reading (25 pts.). [Total = 100 pts.].
Course Website: http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/People/Faculty/Pietrusewsky/anth604/
Some Basic Texts:
There are no assigned textbooks for the course but there are several books that are highly recommended
for basic reading:
Jurmain R. Kilgore L, Trevathan W, Ciochon RL. 2011-2012. Introduction to physical anthropology. 13th
edition. Wadsworth/Cengage.
Harrison, GA., JTanner JM, Pilbeam DR, Baker PT (1988) Human biology. An introduction to human
evolution, variation, growth, and adaptability, 3 ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kormondy EJ, Brown DE. 1998. Fundamentals of human ecology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
Larsen CS, editor. 2010. a companion to physical anthropology. Malsen, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2006. Human biological variation. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Stinson, S, B. Bogin, R. Huss-Ashmore, and D. O’Rouke (eds.) 2000. Human biology: an evolutionary
and biocultural perspective. John Wiley & Sons.
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Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
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Weekly Reading Assignments
ORGANIZATION, INTRODUCTION, HISTORY, CONCEPTS
Aug. 25
Reading:
Calcagno, J.M. 2003. Keeping biological anthropology in anthropology, and anthropology in biology.
American Anthropologist 105:6-15.
Fuentes, A. 2010. The new biological anthropology: bringing Washburn’s new physical anthropology into
2010 and beyond-the 2008 AAPA luncheon lecture. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 53:2-12.
Little MA, Kennedy KAR. 2010. Introduction to the history of American physical anthropology (Ch. 1).
In: Little MA, Kennedy KAR, editors. Histories of American physical anthropology in the twentieth
century. Lanham MD: Lexington Books, pp 1-23.
Little MA, Sussman RW. 2010. History of biological anthropology. In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion
to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 13-38.
Sept. 5
Holiday: Labor Day
Sept. 8
Reading:
DARWIN AND EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
Crow JF. 2003 Evolution: views. Nature Encyclopedia of the Human Genome, Macmillan Publishers
Ltd., Nature Publishing Group, pp. 1-6.
Marks J. 2012. Why be against Darwin? Creationism, racism, and the roots of anthropology. Yearbook of
Physical Anthropology 55:95-104.
Scott EC. 1997. Antievolution and creationism in the United States. Annual Review of Anthropology
26:263-289.
Weiss KM, Buchanan AV. 2010. Evolution: what it means and how we know. In: Larsen, CS, editor. A
companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 41-55.
Background Reading:
Chapter 13 (Species concepts and intraspecific variation) 14 (Speciation) in Mark Ridely, Evolution 3rd ed. Malden,
MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp 347-422
Possible Seminar Topics:
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synthetic theory and Darwinian evolution
• punctuated equilibrium vs. gradualism
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"Scientific creationism"
•
selfish" genes
• hopeful monsters
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junk DNA
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evolutionary developmental biology
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kin selection
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neutral selection
Intelligent design
sexual selection
niche construction
gene-culture coevolution
Sept. 15
SYSTEMATICS, CLASSIFICATION, AND PHYLOGENY
Reading:
Argue D, Morwood MJ, Sutikna, T, Jatmiko, Saptomo, EW., 2009. Homo floresiensis: a cladistic
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Michael Pietrusewsky
analysis. Journal of Human Evolution 57, 623–639.
Eldredge N. 1979. Cladism and common sense. In J. Cracraft and N. Eldredge (eds.). Phylogenetic
Analysis and Paleontology. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 165-198.
Mayr E. 1981. Biological classification: toward a synthesis of opposing methodologies. Science
214:510-516.
Wood BA. 2010. Systematics, taxonomy, and phylogenetics: ordering life, past and present. . In: Larsen,
CS, editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 56-73.
Background Reading:
Chapters 15 (Reconstruction of Phylogeny) and 16 (Classification and Evolution) in Mark Ridley 2004. Evolution
3rd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp 423491.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• evolutionary systematics
• speciation
• cladistics and the fossil record
• species concept
• reconstruction of phylogeny
Sept. 22
Reading:
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phenetic
and
phylogenetic
classification
phylogenetic
molecular
techniques
punctuated equilibrium
PRIMATOLOGY
Falk D. 2010. Evolution of the brain, cognition, and speech (Ch. 15). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion
to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 258-271.
McGraw SW. 2010. Primates defined (Ch. 13). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological
anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 222-242.
McGraw WS, Daegling DJ. 2012 Primate feeding and foraging: integrating studies of behavior and
morphology. Annual Review of Anthropology 41:203-219.
Strier KB. 2010. Primate behavior and sociality (Ch. 14). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to
biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 243-257.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• sexual dimorphism in
evolution
• primate communication
• hominid paleoneurology
• tool use among primates
• reproductive strategies
• socioecology
• sexuality and primates
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primate
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sociobiology and primate
social cognition and great apes
life histories of primates
primate infanticide
altruism, affiliation
a language gene
behavioral endrocrinology
social brain hypothesis
aggression/territoriality in chimps
human language
Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
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socioendocrinology
fatherhood
allopatterning
theory of mind
sexual conflict in primates
Michael Pietrusewsky
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cultural primatology
primate vocalizations
theory of mind
ethnoprimatology
Sept 29
PALEOANTHROPOLOGY AND PRIMATE EVOLUTION
Reading:
Begun DR. 2010. Miocene hominids and the origins of the African apes and humans.
Annual Review of Anthropology 39:67-84.
Gunnell GF, Silcox MT. 2010. Primate origins: the early Cenozoic fossil record (Ch. 16). In: Larsen, CS,
editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 275-294
Richmond BG., Begun, DR, Strait DS. 2001. Origin of human bipedalism: the knuckle-walking
hypothesis revisited. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 44:70–105.
Perelman P, Johnson WE, Roos C, Seuanez HN, Horvath JE, et al. 2011. A molecular phylogeny of living
primates. PLoS Genet 7(3): e1001342. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1001342
Possible Seminar Topics:
• molecular evidence: human/ape split
• Miocene hominoid evolution
• new Eocene finds from Myanmar
• homoplasy in primate evolution
• teeth and diet in primate evolution
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visual, diurnal, angiosperms
human bipedalism
Gigantopithecus
molecular dating
anthropoid origins
Oct 6 ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE FIRST HOMININS
Reading:
Brown P, Sutikna T., Morwood M., Soejono R.P., Jatmiko, Saptomo E.W. et al. 2004. A new smallbodied hominin from the late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia. Nature 431:1055-61.
Kimbel WH, Delezene LK. 2009. “Lucy” redux: a review of research on Australopithecus afarensis.
Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 52:2-48.
Simpson SW. 2010. The earliest hominins (Ch. 18). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological
anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 314-339.
White TD, Asfaw B, Beyene , Haile-Selassie Y, Lovejoy CO, Suwa G, WoldeGabriel G.2009.
Ardipithecus ramidus and the paleobiology of early hominids. Science 326:75-86. DOI
10.1126/science.1175802.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• hominin locomotion
• meat-eating in human evolution
• Paranthropus
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molecular phylogenetics
neoteny and human evolution
craniofacial morphology and
Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
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diet
Orrorin
anamensis
Ardipithecus ramidus
Kenyanthropus playtops
Michael Pietrusewsky
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Sahelanthropus
Kenyanthropus
garhi
sediba
Oct. 13 ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF GENUS HOMO
Reading:
Disotell TR. 2012. Archaic human genomics. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 55:24-39.
Rightmire GP. 2010. Origins, evolution, and dispersal of early members of the genus review(Ch. 19). In:
Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 341-356.
Schwartz JH, Tattersall I. 2010. Fossil evidence of the origin of Homo sapiens. Yearbook of Physical
Anthropology 53:94-121.
Smith FH. 2010. Species, populations, and assimilation in later human evolution (Ch. 20). In: Larsen, CS,
editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 357-378.
Background Reading
Hawks J. 2013. Significance of Neandertal and Denisovan genomes in human evolution. Annual Review
of Anthropology 42:433-449.
Possible Seminar Topics:7
• models: origin of modern
humans
• Neanderthal DNA
• Y-chromosomes
• aDNA
• mt-DNA
• anatomically modern human
fossils
• Ceprano, Italy
Oct. 20
Oct. 27
Reading:
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cultural evolution
Dmanisi
energetics and evolution
Homo
Atapuerca, Spain
Homo floresiensis
H. habilis/rudolfensis
Homo heidelbergensis
of
MID-TERM EXAM
HUMAN GENETICS: MOLECULAR, MENDELIAN, MUTATIONS
Crawford MH. 2007 Foundations of anthropological genetics. In Crawford MH ed. Anthropological
genetics: theory, methods, and applications. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 1-16
O’Rourke DH. 2010. Human molecular genetics: the DNA revolution and variation In: Larsen, CS,
editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 88-103.
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2011. Ch 2: The genetic basis of human variation. Human
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Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
Michael Pietrusewsky
biological variation. New York: Oxford University Press. pp 23-49.
Weiss KM. 2010. Seeing the forest through the gene-trees. Evolutionary Anthropology 19:210-221.
Background Reading
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2011. Ch 9: DNA markers. Human biological variation. New
York: Oxford University Press pp 198-236.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• genetic
technologies/engineering
• chromosomal
abnormalities/disease
• genetic diseases/disorders
• human genome project
• genetic engineering
• gene cloning
• eggs for sale on the Internet
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twin studies
mutations
designer drugs
gene therapy
bioinformatics
human cloning
genes and behavior
Nov. 3 EVOLUTION: POPULATION GENETICS AND EVOLUTIONARY FORCES
Reading:
Bittles AH, Black ML. 2010. Consanguineous marriage and human evolution. Annual Review of
Anthropology 39:193-207.
Matisoo-Smith E. 2007. The peopling of Oceania. In Crawford MH, ed. Anthropological Genetics:
Theory, Methods, and Applications. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 409-432.
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2011. Ch 3: Population genetics and human variation. Human
biological variation. New York: Oxford University Press pp 50-88.
Relethford JH. 2010. The study of human population genetics. In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to
biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 74-87.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• behavioral genetics
• biodiversity prospecting
• sickle cell anemia
• cystic firbrosis
• Tay-Sachs disease
Nov. 10
Reading:
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genetic drift
migration
inbreeding
selection
HUMAN VARIATION, RACE
Caspari R. 2010. Deconstructing race: racial thinking, geographic variation, and implications for
biological anthropology (Ch. 6) In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden,
MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 104-123.
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Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
Michael Pietrusewsky
Edgar HJH 2009. Biohistorical approaches to “race” in the Unites States: biological distances and African
Americans, European Americans, and their ancestors. American Journal of Physical Anthropology
139:58-67.
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2011. Ch 1: Comprehending human biological diversity
Human biological variation. New York: Oxford University Press, pp 3-22.
Relethford JH. 2009. Race and global patterns of phenotypic variation. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology 139:16-22.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• genetic polymorphisms
• genes and human migration
• population genetics methods
• The Amish
• Bougainville
• genetic distance studies
• anthropological genetics of
isolates
Nov. 17
Reading:
HLA
molecular genetics
craniometry
isolation
by
distance
IQ and race
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NATURAL SELECTION IN HUMANS
Hartl DL. 2004. The origin of malaria: Mixed messages from genetic diversity. Nature Reviews
Microbiology 2, 15–22. doi:10.1038/nrmicro795
Jablonski NG, Chaplin G. 2010. Human skin pigmentation as an adaptation to UV radiation. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 107:8962-8968.
Madrigal L, Willoughby J. 2010. Ongoing evolution in humans (Ch. 12). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A
companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 207-221.
Sabeti PC 2008. Natural selection: uncovering mechanisms of evolutionary adaptation to infectious
disease. Nature Education 1(1) .
Itan Y, Jones BL, Ingram CJE, Swallow DM, Thomas MG. 2010. A worldwide correlation of lactase
persistence phenotype and genotypes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10:36
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/36
Background Reading
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2011. Ch 7: Human hemoglobin variants. Human biological variation.
New York: Oxford University Press pp 157-181.
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH. 2011. Ch 8: Milk, taste, and cerumen. Human biological variation. New
York: Oxford University Press pp 181-197
Possible Seminar Topics:
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Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
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skin pigmentation and human
adaptation
Skin color history of race in
physical anthropology
sickle cell and malaria
hemoglobin variants
Michael Pietrusewsky
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Duffy blood group
CCR5 gene
lactase persistence
NOV. 24
HUMAN ADAPTATION: CLIMATE AND ALTITUDE
Reading:
Beall CM. 2014. Adaptation to high altitude: phenotypes and genotypes. Annual Review of Anthropology
43:251-172.
James GD. 2010. Climate-related morphological variation and physiological adaptations in Homo sapiens
(Ch. 8). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
pp 153-166.
Leonard WR. Snodgrass JJ, Sorensen MV. 2005. Metabolic adaptation in Indigenous Siberian
populations. Annual Review of Anthropology 34:451–71.
Little MA. 2007. Chapter 4. Human ecology in anthropology: Past, present, and prospects. In: The
Anthropologist (Special Issue 3) – Anthropology Today: Trends, Scope and Applications), ed. by V.
Bhasin and M.K. Bhasin, pp.25-38. Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Delhi, India.
Possible Seminar Topics:
climatic adaptation (heat, cold,
or high altitude)
human behavioral ecology
human fertility
human aging
nutritional adaptation
infectious diseases
diabetes
human reproductive ecology
human life history evolution
human behavioral ecology
high altitude adaptations
climatic adaptations
Dec. 1
HUMAN LIFE CYCLE, GROWTH, AND NUTRITION
Reading:
Benyshek DC. 2013. The “Early Life” origins of obesity-related health disorders: new discoveries
regarding the intergenerational transmission of developmentally programmed traits in the global
cardiometabolic health crisis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 57:79-93.
Crews DE, Bogin B. 2010. 7 Growth, development, senescence, and aging: a life history perspective In:
Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 124-152.
Dufour DL. 2010. Nutrition, health, and function (Ch. 11). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to
biological anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 194-206.
McDade TW. 2005. The ecologies of human immune function. Annual Review of Anthropology 34:495521.
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Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology [Fall 2014]
Possible Seminar Topics:
• life history theory
• human male reproductive senescence.
• women’s reproduction and immunology
• adiposity and chronic diseases
• human sexuality
• obstetrics dilemma
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Michael Pietrusewsky
protein-calories malnutrition
plasticity in growth
developmental plasticity and health
cooperative breeding in humans
obstetric dilemma
human sexuality
Dec. 8
HUMAN BIOLOGY AND CULTURE CHANGE: MODERNIZATION, DISEASE
Reading:
Faure E, Royer-Carenzi M. 2008. Is the European spatial distribution of the HIV-1-resistant CCR5Delta32 allele formed by a breakdown of the pathocenosis due to the historical Roman expansion?
Infection, Genetics and Evolution 8:864-874.
Harper KN, Armelagos GJ. 2013. Genomics, the origins of agriculture, and our changing microbe-scape:
time to revisit some old tales and tell some new ones. American Journal of Physical Anthropology
57:135-152.
Lindenbaum, S. 2001. Kuru, prions, and human affairs: Thinking about epidemics. Annual Review of
Anthropology. 30: 363-385.
Sattenspiel L, Herring DA. 2010. Emerging themes in anthropology and epidemiology: geographic
spread, evolving pathogens, and syndemics (Ch. 9). In: Larsen, CS, editor. A companion to biological
anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 167-178.
Possible Seminar Topics:
• hormones and stress
• hypertension
• Samoan/Tokelau studies
• re-emergence of infectious diseases
• heart disease: modernization
• diabetes and obesity
• urbanism and pollution
• thrifty genotype hypothesis
• migration of Filipinos to Hawaii
• anthropology, inequality & disease
• HIV
• AIDS: a biosocial perspective
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Dec. 15
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kuru, prions
malaria
epidemiological transition
secular changes in human growth
demographic transition
urbanization and disease
H. pylori and human microbiota
transnational migration
Final exam
Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology Fall 2014
Prof. M. Pietrusewsky
Anthropology 604: Physical Anthropology Brief Seminar Outline & Assignments
Date
Aug. 25
Sept. 1
Sept. 8
Sept. 15
Sept. 22
Sept. 29*
Oct. 6
Oct. 13
Oct. 20
Oct. 27
Nov. 3
Topic
Seminar Assignments
Organization, introduction
Holiday: Labor Day
Darwin and earlier theories of evolution
Systematics, classification, and phylogeny
Primatology
Paleoanthropology and primate evolution
Origin and evolution of the first hominins
Origins and evolution of Genus Homo
Mid-term exam
Human Genetics: Molecular, Mendelian, mutations
Evolution: population genetics and evolutionary
forces
Nov. 10
Human variation, race
Nov. 17
Natural selection in humans
Nov. 24
Human adaptation
Dec. 1
Human life cycle, growth and nutrition
Dec. 8
Human biology & culture change: modernization,
disease
Dec. 15
Final Exam
* This meeting may need to be re-scheduled for later in the week due to Pietrusewsky’s absence on
September 29.
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