Frank White/HMNS
Fall2016Anthropology1201
INTRODUCTIONTOPHYSICALANTHROPOLOGY
DepartmentofSociology,Anthropology,andSocialWork,SetonHallUniversity
CourseInstructor:Dr.RhondaQuinn
COURSEDESCRIPTION
Anthropology1201isanintroductiontothestudyofhumanevolutionandtheemergenceofmodern
humanbiologicalvariation.Wewillfocusontheprocessesunderpinningthebiologicalhistoryofthe
humanlineageandadaptationandvariationourspeciesexhibitstoday.Wewillalsoemphasize
humansasculturalorganismsanddiscussthebiologicalbasisandevolutionofhumanbehavior.
TopicswillincludethehistoryofevolutionarythoughtandthemodernDarwinianframework,the
applicationoftheevolutionaryprocesstohumans,humangenetics,humanvariation,therelationship
ofhumanstootherorganisms(particularlywithintheorderPrimates),thehumanfossilrecordand
thearchaeologicalevidencefortheemergenceanddevelopmentofhumanculture.
CLASSMEETINGS
TuesdaysandThursdays11:00-12:15am,StaffordHall110
OFFICEHOURS
TuesdaysandThursdays10:00-11:00am,1:00-2:00pmandbyappointment,JubileeHall522
CONTACTINFORMATION Emailisusuallythebestwaytoreachme([email protected]);butyoumayalsocallmyoffice
(973.761.9211).Iwillmakeeveryefforttoreplytoallemailswithin24hours.Ialsoencourageyouto
attendofficehoursormakeanappointment.
REQUIREDTEXTBOOK
BiologicalAnthropology:TheNaturalHistoryofHumankind(1st,2ndor3rdEdition).CraigStanford,
JohnS.Allen,SusanC.Anton.PrenticeHall,NJ.ISBN13:978-0-13-601160-6
COURSEWEBSITE
Blackboard.WewilluseBlackboardforourcoursewebsite.Pleasecontactmeimmediatelyifyou
cannotaccessyourBlackboardaccount.Iwillpostthesyllabusandstudyaids.Iwillalsousethesite
foroccasionalannouncements.YoushouldfeelfreetouseBlackboardasaclassdiscussionforumand
toaskquestionsaboutthecourse,whichwillberegularlyansweredbymyselfandpotentiallyyour
classmates.BesuretocheckBlackboardonaregularbasis.
CRITICALTHINKINGPROFICIENCY
ANTH1201isconcernedwithdevelopingcriticalthinkingskillsasappliedtoscientificliteracyand
humansasculturalandbiologicalorganisms.Empiricismandthescientificmethodareusedto
discovertheknowledgeareaofphysicalanthropology.Studentsareaskedtounderstandthe
epistemologywhenemployingempiricismandthescientificmethodand,moreimportantly,tobe
criticalconsumersofscientificinformation.Inthisclass,studentswilllearntouseacriticaleyewhen
reconstructingthefossilrecordofthehumanlineage,applyingevolutionarytheoryandbiological
adaptationparadigmstohumanancestry,andusingprimarydatatoconstructplausbileevolutionary
path(s).In-classlaboratoryexercises,open-ended,thought-provokingreactionassignmentstofilms,
andportionsofexamsaredesignedtoevokecriticalthinkingandthuswillbegradedtoassessthe
criticalthinkingproficiency.
CriticalThinkingReadings:
Binker,AJA(1990)Chapter38:CriticalThinkingandScienceIn:PaulRW,BinkerAJA(Eds)Critical
Thinking:WhatEveryPersonNeedsToSurviveinaRapidlyChangingWorld.
JurmainRetal.(2011)EvaluationinScience:LessonsinCriticalThinkingIn:IntroductiontoPhysical
Anthropology,pg.22-23.Wadsworth
COURSELEARNINGGOALS
Basedontheinformationpresentedinthecourse,studentswillknowandunderstand:
Historicalbasisofanthropologicalandevolutionarythought.Themajorstepsinthedevelopmentof
modernanthropologicalandevolutionarytheoryanditsvariousperspectives.
Four-fieldapproachofanthropology.TheAmericanschoolofanthropologyconsistingofcultural
anthropology,physicalanthropology,linguistics,andarchaeology.
Thescientificmethod.Whatdifferentiatesscienceasawayofknowingfromotherapproaches.
Howthescientificmethod(hypothesistesting,principlesofreplicationandfalsifiability)canbe
appliedinhistoricalscience.
HumansasmembersofOrderPrimates.Primatemorphological,behavioral,andecologicaldiversity
asatemplateforunderstandingtheevolutionofhumansandgeneticunderpinningsforadaptation.
Basisoflivinghumanbioculturaldiversity.Examinationofthemajorfactorsthatinfluencethe
patterningoflivinghumanvariation,specificallytherolesofgeography,climate,nutrition,cultural
adaptationandpractices,anddemography.
Thefossilevidencereflectinghumanevolution.Whatanthropologistsknowabouthumanbiological
evolutionbasedonfossilevidenceofhumanancestorsandcoevalfauna,paleoenvironmentsand
geochronologyofpaleontologicalandarchaeologicalsites,andproxiesofglobalclimateandgeologic
settingsthroughouttheCenozoic.
GRADEDWORK
ClassParticipation&Attendance.Participationinclassdiscussionandgroupworkalongwith
attendancewillcontribute10%ofyourtotalgrade.Attendancewillbetakeneachclassperiodand
yourparticipationtoclassandgroupdiscussionwillbecountedtogaugeyourinvolvementinthe
courseandwillalsobeusedtodecideonborderlinegradesattheendofthesemester.Aspartofthe
criticalthinkingproficiency,classandin-groupdiscussionswillhoneyourabilitiestolisteneffectively,
formulatequestionsrelevanttocoursecontent,beopenmindedtoalternativeideas,andevaluate
qualityofevidencepresented.
In-ClassExercises(ICE).Five(5)in-class,hands-onexerciseswillbegivenontheday’stopicand
conductedinsmallgroups.Exerciseswillemphasizeseveralcriticalthinkingskillsincludingabilityto
discernrelevantfromirrelevantevidence,evaluatethequalityofdata,andassessothers’conclusions
andperspectives.Completedassignmentswillbecollectedattheendofclassandwillcontributea
totalof10%toyourfinalgrade.Onlyofficialuniversityexcuseswillbeacceptedformissedgroup
discussionpapers.Ifexcused,analternative,take-homeexercisewillbeprovided.
FilmReactionAssignments(FRA).Fivefilmsegmentswillbeshownthroughoutthesemester.Youwill
begivenopen-ended,thought-provokingquestionstobeansweredinshortessayformattobe
completedwhileviewingthesegmentandimmediatelyafterduringclassdiscussion.Assignmentswill
gaugeyourabilitiestolisteneffectively,summarizeinformationthroughoutthefilminanaccurate
andconcisemanner,andevaluatethequalityofevidence.Completedassignmentswillbecollected
attheendofclassandwillcontributeatotalof10%toyourfinalgrade.Onlyofficialuniversity
excuseswillbeacceptedformissedmovieassignments.
Quizzes.Three(3)quizzeswillbegiventhroughoutthesemester;eachisworth5%ofyourtotal
grade.Allquizzesareopen-note,open-booktestsdesignedaslearningaidstoprepareyouforthe
exams.Youareencouragedtocompletethequizzesinsmallgroupsandworktogethertodebateand
concludethebestanswers.Quizzeswillprovideopportunitiestodevelopabilitiestoevaluateothers’
conclusionsandperspectives,articulateyourownideasfrominformationreadanddiscussedinclass,
andtouseevidencetosupportclaimanddrawconclusions.Onlyofficialuniversityexcuseswillbe
acceptedformissedquizzes.
Exams.Youwillbegiventwowrittenhourlyexaminations(closedbook,closednote),whichare
objectiveinnature(shortanswer,multiple-choice,true/false,matching,andshortessay).The
midtermexaminationisworth25%andfinal,30%ofthetotalcoursegradeandwillinclude
areas/skillsthathavebeenemphasizedduringlectureandclassassignments.Thefinalexamisnot
cumulativeperse;someconceptsarebuiltonpreviouslycoveredmaterial.Onlyofficialuniversity
excuseswillbeacceptedformissedexams.Pleasecontactmeatleast24hourspriortotheexamday
andsupplydocumentationfortheexcusedabsence.
PERCENTAGEDISTRIBUTION
ClassParticipation/Attendance
10%
In-ClassExercises(5@2%each)
10%
FilmReactionAssignments(5@2%each) 10%
Quizzes(3@5%each)
15%
MidtermExam
25%
FinalExam 30%
GRADINGRUBRICFORCRITICALTHINKINGPROFICIENCY
Whenapplicable,theholisticcriticalthinkingscoringrubric(HCTSR)willbeutilizedtogradecritical
thinkingcomponentsofcoursegradedwork.Therubricandaccompanyingexplanation(Facione&
Facione,1994)canbefoundonBlackboard.
LETTERGRADEASSIGNMENTS
Lettergradeswillbeassignedasfollows:A:93–100%,A-:90–92%,B+:88–89%,B:83–87%,B-:80
–82%,C+:78–79%,C:73–77%,C-:70–72%,D+:68–69%,D:63–67%,D-:60–62%,F:0-59%.
Afterallgradedworkofallstudentshasbeensubmitted,Iwilldecidewhethersomeorallofthe
lettergradeassignmentsshouldbe“curved”tobenefitstudentswhoareonagradeborder.This
curveis,inpart,theresultoftheperformanceoftheentireclass;however,studentswhoattendclass
regularlyandcompleteallassignmentsandquizzeswillbeconsideredfavorably.
CORECURRICULUM
ANTH1201fulfills3-creditsofthecorecurriculumrequirementintheSocialSciencearea.
LEARNINGASSISTANCE
Ifyouneedadditionalhelpingeneralstudyskills,pleasevisittheRuthSharkeyAcademicResource
Center:http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/arc/
STUDENTSWITHDISABILITIES
Ifyourequireaccommodations,suchasadditionaltimetocompleteanexam,separatetestingspace,
permissiontoeatduringanexam,ortheuseofareader,contacttheOfficeofDisabilitySupport
Services(http://www.shu.edu/offices/disability-support-services/).
ACADEMICINTEGRITY
SetonHallUniversityhashighstandardsofacademicintegrity.Academicdishonestyinanyformwill
notbetoleratedinthiscourse.Obtaining,distributingorcommunicatingexaminationmaterialprior
tothescheduledexaminationwithoutmyconsent;providingto,orobtaininginformationfrom,
anotherstudentduringtheexamination;orattemptingtochangeanswersaftertheexaminationhas
beensubmittedareallconsideredaformofacademicdishonesty.Inclassgroupexercisesareteam
completed;however,theresponsesmustbewrittenbyyou(andinyourownwords)andnottaken
verbatimfromanotherstudent.Failuretoupholdthesestandardsmayresultinafailinggradeforthe
exam,exercise,and/orentirecourse.PleaseconsultourDepartment’spolicyonacademic
dishonesty:http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/sociology-anthropology-social-work/academicdishnoesty-policy.cfm.
FRIENDLYADVICE
Therearenosecretstohowtobeagoodstudent.Attendallclasssessionsandactivelyparticipate
regularlyinclassdiscussions.Thiswillgreatlyenhanceyourunderstandingofthecoursematerial,
yourexamperformance,andultimatelyyourfinalgrade.Readyourtextbookpriortotheclassperiod
forwhichthereadingassignmentislisted.Ifyoudonotunderstandsomethingyou’veread,classis
whenyoushouldhavethosequestionsanswered,eitherfromthelectureorbyengagingin
discussion.Readyournotesshortlyafteryoutakethem.Makesuretheymakesensetoyouandthat
youhaveveryfewgaps.Fillinthosegapsbyrereadingthechaptersection,visitmeduringoffice
hours,ororganizeagroupstudysessionwithafewofyourclassmates.Planyoursemester.Consider
oursyllabusasacontractbetweenyouandme.Iwillfollowthescheduleandyoushouldanticipate
allexamsandin-classassignments.IfIabsolutelymustchangeadate,whichIrarelydo,Iwillgiveyou
ampletimetoprepareandrearrangeyourschedule.Studysmart.Readthetextandyournotesfora
fewhourseverydayratherthancrammingformanyhoursinonedaybeforetheexam.Mycourses
usuallybeginslowlyandthenrampupexponentially,soitisveryimportantthatyoudonotfall
behindeitherinyourreadingsoryourclassattendance.Itwillbenearlyimpossibletocatchupatthe
endofthesemester.Notethatjustbecausethiscourseisintroductorydoesnotmeanthatitis
easy;itjustmeansthatyouarenotexpectedtohavepreviousknowledgeorpre-requisitecourses.
Finally,ifyouhaveaquestionaboutyoureducation,pleaseask,andIwilldomybesttohelpyoufind
theanswer.
Date LectureTopics
30Aug CourseOverview
AssignedReadings
GradedWork
IntroChapter;Ch1:14-19
BB:Blinker,Jurmainetal.
Chapter1:20-35
Chapter2-3
ICE#1
13Sep ForcesofEvolution
15Sep HumanVariation&Adaptability
Chapter4
Chapter5
FRA#1
20Sep OrderPrimates
22Sep PrimateEcology
Chapter6
FRA#2
Chapter6
27Sep PrimateBehavior
29Sep Quiz#1
Chapter7
4Oct
GeologicalMethods
Chapter8
ICE#2
6Oct
BecomingHuman
Chapter10
ICE#3
Chapter11:308-316
Chapter11:317-339
ICE#4
25Oct GenusParanthropus
27Oct GenusHomo
Chapter12
1Nov
ArchaicformsandNeandertals
Chapter13
3Nov
EmergenceofHomosapiens
Chapter14
8Nov
Homofloresiensis
FRA#3
Chapter16;Ch18:540-541
17Nov EvolutionofHumanBehavior
22Nov EvolutionoftheBrain
Chapter17
ICE#5
Chapter15
24Nov THANKSGIVING:NoClasses
29Nov EvolutionofLanguage
Chapter15
FRA#4
1Dec
PeoplingtheNewWorld
Chapter15
6Dec
Quiz#3
8Dec
ForensicAnthropology
Chapter18
FRA#5
1Sep
6Sep
CriticalThinkingandScientific
Literacy
Darwin’sEvidence
8Sep
MendelianGenetics
11Oct FALLBREAK:NoClasses
13Oct TheEarliestHominids
18Oct MidtermExamination
20Oct GenusAustralopithecus
10Nov Quiz#2
15Nov BiomedicalAnthropology
13Dec TheHumanSpark
20Dec FinalExamination,12:20-2:20pm