Dear Fall 2009 Anthropology 101 Online Participants,

Hello! Welcome to Anthropology 101, Physical Anthropology (section 69871). This letter will provide you with important information regarding the course.  Please read all of the information carefully (including the syllabus below).

My email:

matthew.curtis@canyons.edu

NOTE:

This is a 100% online class.  All of our work occurs on a Blackboard delivered website.  

This class begins Monday, August 24, 2009 and ends Saturday, December 12, 2009.  You must log in to the class by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, August 26, 2009.

You will not be able to access the course website until the first day of class (Monday, August 24, 2009).

COURSE WEBSITE (available on Monday, August 24, 2009):

 http://bb.canyons.edu

COURSE TEXTBOOK:

The following Textbook IS REQUIRED for the course. This text can be purchased at the College of the Canyons Bookstore, or elsewhere online.  There is also a study guide for the course textbook.  However, the study guide is NOT required.

If you do not have the current edition of the course textbook you will not be able to complete the course.  STUDENTS MUST HAVE A COPY OF EITHER THE 2009-2010 EDITION (12th Edition) OR THE 2007-2008 EDITION (11th Edition) OF THE COURSE TEXTBOOK:

Introduction to Physical Anthropology
R. Jurmain, et al. 

College of the Canyons Bookstore:

http://coc.bncollege.com/

Also, for those students residing in the Santa Clarita area there is a copy of our course textbook in the College of the Canyons Valencia campus library.  The textbook is available at the reserves desk of the library.

Online courses are NOT easier than their on-campus counterparts. Online courses require self-initiative and discipline.  Students need to keep up on deadlines and readings.  Students must log into the class Blackboard website at least several times a week to retrieve and submit assignments and to participate in discussion assignments. This is not a class where you can complete work far ahead of your classmates or make up work during the very end of the semester.

If you are new to online courses, please be sure to check out the resources on the College of the Canyons Distance Learning web page: http://www.canyons.edu/offices/distance_learning/

Also, please visit the audio visual Blackboard tutorial designed to help students navigate Blackboard (click on the link below).  This page lists the links for the Blackboard tutorials. It features a comprehensive BB tutorial that includes:

·         How to log into Blackboard

·         How to change your password

·         How to enter your email address

·         How to post to the Discussion Board

·         How to reply to the Discussion Board

·         How to take Quizzes/Exams in Blackboard

http://www.canyons.edu/BBTutorial 

You will need daily access to a computer and you must also have a personal email address that can be shared with the instructor and other students enrolled in the course.  It is necessary that you have Microsoft Word and either the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox web browsers (with updated plug ins).  Firefox is particularly recommended.  In addition, you should consider finding a backup computer (off or on campus) to use in case a problem develops with your regular system. Computer or peripheral problems, software, or email-related problems are NOT acceptable excuses for failing to meet course requirements or deadlines in this course.

Please see syllabus pasted below for more information on course content, requirements, schedule, grading, etc.

I look forward to meeting you in our online class!

Sincerely,

Matt

_______________________________

Dr. Matthew C. Curtis

Department of Anthropology

College of the Canyons

26455 Rockwell Canyon Road

Santa Clarita, CA  91355

USA

email: matthew.curtis@canyons.edu

COURSE SYLLABUS

Anthropology 101

Physical Anthropology

Online Section 69871

Fall 2009

College of the Canyons

Instructor and Class Meetings Information:

Instructor: Dr. Matthew C. Curtis

Course website: http://bb.canyons.edu

Instructor Email: matthew.curtis@canyons.edu

100% online course, Section 69871

August 24, 2009 to December 12, 2009

Course Description:

Anthropology concerns the study of humans from a global and comprehensive perspective.  Anthropology employs a holistic, or multifaceted, approach to the study of human beings both past and present.  The great breadth of anthropology has resulted in the development of several sub-disciplines and a number of fields of specialization.  This course provides a thorough introduction to physical (biological) anthropology, one of the major sub-disciplines of anthropology.  Physical anthropology is concerned with the origins and evolution of humans and with contemporary biological variations among human populations.  Physical anthropology considers the biological aspects of humankind from an evolutionary perspective, studies human origins and development within the Order primates, and investigates the relationships between human biology and culture. 

Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives:

The following are Student Learning Outcomes for the course.  By the end of the semester each student should be able to:

1. Explain the specific evidence for human evolution using data from the common genetics, geology, paleontology, and archaeology of all living and extinct species.

2. Critique the historical idea of bio-cultural evolution and assess its validity in the context of changing intellectual, social, and religious events.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the evolution in both education and continued intellectual and personal growth.

This course covers a wide range of concepts and issues concerning the diversity of the Order Primates with an emphasis on human and non-human primate variation, adaptation, and evolution.  Much of this course centers on paleoanthropolgy, a major specialization within physical anthropology that concerns the origins and physical evolution of humans and their hominid ancestors largely through the study of hominid fossils and associated paleoenvironmental, geological, and archaeological data.  We also focus on population genetics in the conceptual framework of evolutionary processes and examine primate behavior from an evolutionary and comparative framework.  The course concludes with an examination of modern human variation and critically assesses the concept of “race.”  Students will complete written exercises, engage in class discussions, and prepare for course examinations from lectures and assigned reading material covering a wide range of key topics drawn from various sub-fields of physical anthropology and related disciplines, such as paleoanthropology, molecular anthropology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology; primatology, primate behavior ecology, archaeology, geology, osteology, comparative anatomy, paleontology, anthropometry, and forensic anthropology. 

Required Text:

Introduction to Physical Anthropology by R. Jurmain, et al. (12^th Edition or 11^th  Edition)

Grading and Course Requirements:

Student course grades will be based on the following components:

Discussion Session Assignments (5 sessions worth 50 points each for a total of 250 points)

= 25% of course grade

Exercises (5 assignments worth 50 points each for a total of 250 points)

            = 25% of course grade

Exam 1 (250 points)

= 25% of course grade

Exam 2 (250 points)

= 25% of course grade

Grades will be calculated based upon a total of 1,000 possible earned points.  Letter grades will be assigned for the following point totals:

900 to 1,000 points = A

800 to 899 points = B

700 to 799 points = C

600 to 699 points = D

Below 600 points = F

Information concerning the individual course requirement components will be available on the Blackboard site under the corresponding section tab.  

Exams are given online and consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions.  Exams are non-cumulative. Exam 2 will concern only material assigned/presented after Exam 1. 

Students should review Admission & Enrollment Policies, Tips on How to Succeed in College, and District Policies Governing Student Rights and Responsibilities in the current College of the Canyons Schedule of Classes.  Students are expected to behave in accordance with these requirements as well as those described in the College of the Canyons Catalog. 

The online classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together in an online setting to promote learning and intellectual growth.  It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained.  Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms that are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to develop an understanding of the community in which they live.  Student conduct that disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class. 

Online Learning Information:

In this course you will work on your own without any “face-to-face” contact with me (your instructor) or other students.  While you will interact online with me and other students, you will not get instant responses or the immediate answers to your questions that you may be accustomed to in a traditional on campus course.  There are no “absences” (excused or otherwise) in an online course and will not be able to work ahead or “make up” missed assignments.

Online courses are NOT easier than their on-campus counterparts. Online courses require self-initiative and discipline.  Students need to keep up on deadlines and readings.  Students must log into the class Blackboard website at least several times a week to retrieve and submit assignments and to participate in message board and email exchanges. This is not a class where you can complete work far ahead of your classmates or make up work during the very end of the semester.

If you are new to online courses, please be sure to check out the resources on the College of the Canyons Distance Learning web page: http://www.canyons.edu/offices/distance_learning/

Also, please visit the audio visual Blackboard tutorial designed to help students navigate Blackboard (click on the link below).  This page lists the links for the Blackboard tutorials. It features a comprehensive BB tutorial that includes:

·         How to log into Blackboard

·         How to change your password

·         How to enter your email address

·         How to post to the Discussion Board

·         How to reply to the Discussion Board

·         How to take Quizzes/Exams in Blackboard

http://www.canyons.edu/BBTutorial 

 You will need daily access to a computer and you must also have a personal email address that can be shared with the instructor and other students enrolled in the course.  It is necessary that you have Microsoft Word and either the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox web browsers (with updated plug ins).  Firefox is particularly recommended.  In addition, you should consider finding a backup computer (off or on campus) to use in case a problem develops with your regular system. Computer or peripheral problems, software, or email-related problems are NOT acceptable excuses for failing to meet course requirements or deadlines in this course.

Academic Dishonesty:

Please see the 2009-2010 College of the Canyons Academic Catalog concerning academic dishonesty. A student may be removed from the course by the instructor, put on disciplinary probation, suspended, and/or expelled from the college for such offenses as cheating, fabrication, or plagiarism.

Disabled Students Programs and Services:

The College of the Canyons Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) office promotes equal access by providing students with accommodations, alternate media, and other services.  Any student who has a disability that impacts the way he/she learns or performs in class components, such as examinations, may register for services through the DSPS office.

Course Outline (this outline may be revised during the course of the semester):

Week 1 (August 24 to August 30): 

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE AND PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Introduction to the course; Introduction to Anthropology; The Sub-Disciplines of Anthropology; Physical Anthropology as a Sub-Discipline; Molecular Anthropology; Forensic Anthropology; Biosocial Anthropology; Physical Anthropology and the Scientific Method

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 1

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #1 New Thread due Sunday, August 30 by 11:59 PM

Week 2 (August 31 to September 6):

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Pre-Scientific Theories of Human Origins; The Scientific Revolution; Basic Concepts of Geology and Stratigraphy; Deep Time; Uniformitarianism, Early Examples of Evolutionary Theory (Lamark, Erasmus Darwin, and Wallace); Charles Darwin and Natural Selection

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 2

Assignments Due:

(1)  Replies to Discussion Session #1 due Sunday, September 6 by 11:59 PM

Week 3 (September 7 to September 13):

THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF LIFE: DNA, GENES, AND CELL BIOLOGY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Basics of cell biology; DNA; Genes; Chromosomes; Cell Division; Genome; Human Genome Project

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 3

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exercise #1 due Sunday, September 13 by 11:59 PM

Week 4 (September 14 to September 20):

HEREDITY AND EVOLUTION

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Gregor Mendel and Hereditary Principles; Levels of Selection and Change (genes, genotypes, gene flow, gene pools, genetic drift; phenotypes and collective phenotypes); Sources of Genetic and Phenotypic Variation (mutations, meiosis, and crossing-over); Darwinian Evolution and the shaping of populations by natural selection; Non-Darwinian Evolutionary Mechanisms; Sexual Selection; Measures of Fitness; Speciation; Extinction; The Modern Synthesis

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 4

Assignments Due:

None

Week 5 (September 21 to September 27):

MACROEVOLUTION, SPECIES, AND MODES

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Principles of Classification; Definition of Species; Speciation; Mammalian Evolution; Processes of Macroevolution; Adaptive Radiation; Modes of Evolutionary Change, Gradualism and Punctuated Equilibrium

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 5

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exercise # 2 due Sunday, September 27 by 11:59 PM

Week 6 (September 28 to October 4):

THE PRIMATES: AN INTRODUCTION

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Primate Characteristics and Taxonomy; Primate Adaptation; Prosimians; Tarsiers; Anthropoids; Hominoids, Hominids (Hominins); Endangered Primates

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 6

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #2 New Thread due Sunday, October 4 by 11:59 PM

Week 7 (October 5 to October 11):

PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY; PRIMATE MODELS FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Sympatric Species; Primate Behavioral Ecology; Primate Social Behavior; Primate Reproduction and Reproductive Strategies; Vision and Hands; Sexual Physiology and Behavior; Primate Sexual Selection; Basics of Non-Human and Human Primate Brains; Language and Speech; Basics of Primate Studies; Learning; Aggressive Interactions Between Primate Groups; Affiliation, Altruism, and Cooperation; Overview of Research on Ape Social Organization and Behavior; Primates in Biomedical Research; Molecular Applications in Primatology

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Assignments Due:

(1)  Replies to Discussion Session #2 due Sunday, October 11 by 11:59 PM

Week 8 (October 12 to October 18):

INTRODUCTION TO PALEOANTRHOPOLOGY AND DATING METHODS; RECONSTRUCTION OF HOMINID BEHAVIOR, ECOLOGY, AND EARLY BIPEDALISM

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Basics of Fossils; Dating Methods; Paleoanthropology; Experimental Archaeology; Reconstructions of Early Hominid Environments and Behavior; Bipedalism

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exam 1 may be taken online between Tuesday, October 13 and Sunday, October 18 by 11:59 PM.

Week 9 (October 19 to October 25):

EARLY PRIMATE EVOLUTION; HOMINID ORIGINS IN AFRICA

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Early Primate Fossils; First Higher Primates; Definition of Hominid; Paleoanthropology and the History of Early Paleoanthropological Studies; Raymond Dart and the Taung Fossil; Robert Broom and South African Fossil Finds; Australopithecus africanus; Australpithecus (Paranthropus) robustus; Louis and Mary Leakey and the History of Early East African Finds; Australopithecus (Paranthropus) boisei, 1960s-1970s Discoveries in Omo River Valley, Koobi Fora, West Turkana, Hadar, Lucy and the First Family; New Finds from Hadar; Laetoli, Awash River; Australopithecus afarensis; Australopithecus (Paranthropus) aethiopicus; 1990s Discoveries from Kenya, Australopithecus anamensis; Discoveries from Chad, Australopithecus bahrelghazali and Sahelanthropus tchadensis; Tugen Hills, Kenya; Orrorin tugenesis; Aramis, Ethiopia; Australopithecus garhi, Ardipithecus ramidus, and Ardipithecus kadabba; The Discovery of Homo habilis; Homo rudolfensis; Evolution of Hominid Behavior; Tool Use; Olduvai Gorge; Oldowan and the Early Stone Age; Oldowan and the Gona sites area, Ethiopia; Paleoecology

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 11

Assignments Due:

None

Week 10 (October 26 to November 1):

HOMO ERGASTER/ERECTUS

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Pleistocene climates and landscapes; Eugene Dubois and the Search for the Missing Link; Homo erectus (and/or Homo ergaster) in Africa; Java; Zhoukoudian; Peking Man; Anatomy and Evolutionary Relationships of Homo erectus (and Homo ergaster); Nariokotome; Acheulian Tools and Technology; Movius Line; North Africa, Europe, Daminisi, and Homo erectus; Establishment of Hunting and Gathering Life; Social Developments of Homo erectus (ergaster); The Evolution of Language and the Brain; The First Movement Out of Africa

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 12

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exercise #3 due Sunday, November 1 by 11:59 PM

Week 11 (November 2 to November 8):

PRE MODERN HUMANS: HOMINIDS OF THE MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Middle Pleistocene hominids, technology, and artifact traditions; Homo heidelbergensis; Neandertals; Boule’s Reconstruction; Neandertals and Homo heidelbergensis geographic distribution; Cultures and Environments of Homo heidelbergensis and the Neandertals; the Neandertal Debates; Neandertals and genetic evidence; Middle Stone Age and Middle Paleolithic Archaeology; Homo floresiensis

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 13

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #3 New Thread due Sunday, November 8 by 11:59 PM.

Week 12 (November 9 to November 15):

THE ORIGIN AND DISPERSAL OF MODERN HUMANS

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

The Evolution of Anatomically Modern Humans; Distribution and Contexts of Early Anatomically Modern Humans; Material Culture and Archaeology of Anatomically Modern Humans; The Regional-Continuity Model (Multiregional Evolution); The Complete Replacement Model (Out of Africa or Recent African Evolution); “Mitochondrial Eve;” Partial Replacement Models; Peopling of Australia and the Americas, mtDNA and Human Origins Research; Later Stone Age and Upper Paleolithic; Language of Anatomically Modern Humans; Art and Symbolism

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 14

Assignments Due:

(1)  Replies to Discussion Session #3 due Sunday, November 15 by 11:59 PM.

Week 13 (November 16 to November 22):

PATTERNS OF VARIATION IN GLOBAL MODERN HUMAN BIOLOGY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Historical Views of Human Variation; Environmental History and Adaptation; The Question of Race; Social Race; Racism; Ethnicity; Polymorphisms; Population Genetics; Hardy-Weinberg Theorem; Nonrandom Mating; Human Biocultural Evolution; Molecular Applications in Modern Human Biology

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 15

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exercise #4 due Sunday, November 22 by 11:59 PM

Week 14 (November 23 to November 29):

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

No assigned readings and no assignments due

Week 15 (November 30 to December 6):

PATTERNS OF ADAPTATION IN GLOBAL MODERN HUMAN BIOLOGY (CONTINUED)

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Adaptive Significance of Human Variation; Solar Radiation and Skin Color; Human Responses to Cold and Heat; Human Responses to Altitude; Infectious Disease

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 16

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #4 New Thread Due Sunday, December 6 by 11:59 PM

(2)  Exercise #5 due Sunday, December 6 by 11:59 PM

Week 16 (December 7 to December 12):

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ON THE LEGACIES OF HUMAN EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Evolution of Human Behavior and the Life Course; Biocultural Evolution and the Life Cycle; Human Impacts on the Planet Earth

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 17

Assignments Due:

(1)  Replies to Discussion Session #4 due Saturday, December 12 by 11:59 PM

(2)  Discussion Session #5 New Thread Due Thursday, December 10 by 11:59 PM

Note:  There are no replies due for discussion session #5.

(3)  Exam 2 may be taken online between Tuesday, December 8 and Saturday, December 12 by 11:59 PM 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dear Fall 2009 Anthropology 101 Online Participants,

Hello! Welcome to Anthropology 101, Physical Anthropology (section 69861). This letter will provide you with important information regarding the course.  Please read all of the information carefully (including the syllabus below).

My email:

matthew.curtis@canyons.edu

NOTE:

This is a 100% online class.  All of our work occurs on a Blackboard delivered website.  

This class begins Monday, October 19, 2009 and ends Saturday, December 12, 2009.  You must log in to the class by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.

You will not be able to access the course website until the first day of class (Monday, October 19 2009).

COURSE WEBSITE (available on Monday, October 19, 2009):

 http://bb.canyons.edu

COURSE TEXTBOOK:

The following Textbook IS REQUIRED for the course. This text can be purchased at the College of the Canyons Bookstore, or elsewhere online.  There is also a study guide for the course textbook.  However, the study guide is NOT required.

If you do not have the current edition of the course textbook you will not be able to complete the course.  STUDENTS MUST HAVE A COPY OF EITHER THE 2009-2010 EDITION (12th Edition) OR THE 2007-2008 EDITION (11th Edition) OF THE COURSE TEXTBOOK:

Introduction to Physical Anthropology
R. Jurmain, et al. 

College of the Canyons Bookstore:

http://coc.bncollege.com/

Also, for those students residing in the Santa Clarita area there is a copy of our course textbook in the College of the Canyons Valencia campus library.  The textbook is available at the reserves desk of the library.

Online courses are NOT easier than their on-campus counterparts. Online courses require self-initiative and discipline.  Students need to keep up on deadlines and readings.  Students must log into the class Blackboard website at least several times a week to retrieve and submit assignments and to participate in discussion assignments. This is not a class where you can complete work far ahead of your classmates or make up work during the very end of the semester.

If you are new to online courses, please be sure to check out the resources on the College of the Canyons Distance Learning web page: http://www.canyons.edu/offices/distance_learning/

Also, please visit the audio visual Blackboard tutorial designed to help students navigate Blackboard (click on the link below).  This page lists the links for the Blackboard tutorials. It features a comprehensive BB tutorial that includes:

·         How to log into Blackboard

·         How to change your password

·         How to enter your email address

·         How to post to the Discussion Board

·         How to reply to the Discussion Board

·         How to take Quizzes/Exams in Blackboard

http://www.canyons.edu/BBTutorial 

You will need daily access to a computer and you must also have a personal email address that can be shared with the instructor and other students enrolled in the course.  It is necessary that you have Microsoft Word and either the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox web browsers (with updated plug ins).  Firefox is particularly recommended.  In addition, you should consider finding a backup computer (off or on campus) to use in case a problem develops with your regular system. Computer or peripheral problems, software, or email-related problems are NOT acceptable excuses for failing to meet course requirements or deadlines in this course.

Please see syllabus pasted below for more information on course content, requirements, schedule, grading, etc.

I look forward to meeting you in our online class!

Sincerely,

Matt

_______________________________

Dr. Matthew C. Curtis

Department of Anthropology

College of the Canyons

26455 Rockwell Canyon Road

Santa Clarita, CA  91355

USA

email: matthew.curtis@canyons.edu

COURSE SYLLABUS

Anthropology 101

Physical Anthropology

Online Section 69861

Fall 2009

College of the Canyons

Instructor and Class Meetings Information:

Instructor: Dr. Matthew C. Curtis

Course website: http://bb.canyons.edu

Instructor Email: matthew.curtis@canyons.edu

100% online course, Section 69861

October 19, 2009 to December 12, 2009

Course Description:

Anthropology concerns the study of humans from a global and comprehensive perspective.  Anthropology employs a holistic, or multifaceted, approach to the study of human beings both past and present.  The great breadth of anthropology has resulted in the development of several sub-disciplines and a number of fields of specialization.  This course provides a thorough introduction to physical (biological) anthropology, one of the major sub-disciplines of anthropology.  Physical anthropology is concerned with the origins and evolution of humans and with contemporary biological variations among human populations.  Physical anthropology considers the biological aspects of humankind from an evolutionary perspective, studies human origins and development within the Order primates, and investigates the relationships between human biology and culture. 

Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives:

The following are Student Learning Outcomes for the course.  By the end of the semester each student should be able to:

1. Explain the specific evidence for human evolution using data from the common genetics, geology, paleontology, and archaeology of all living and extinct species.

2. Critique the historical idea of bio-cultural evolution and assess its validity in the context of changing intellectual, social, and religious events.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the evolution in both education and continued intellectual and personal growth.

This course covers a wide range of concepts and issues concerning the diversity of the Order Primates with an emphasis on human and non-human primate variation, adaptation, and evolution.  Much of this course centers on paleoanthropolgy, a major specialization within physical anthropology that concerns the origins and physical evolution of humans and their hominid ancestors largely through the study of hominid fossils and associated paleoenvironmental, geological, and archaeological data.  We also focus on population genetics in the conceptual framework of evolutionary processes and examine primate behavior from an evolutionary and comparative framework.  The course concludes with an examination of modern human variation and critically assesses the concept of “race.”  Students will complete written exercises, engage in class discussions, and prepare for course examinations from lectures and assigned reading material covering a wide range of key topics drawn from various sub-fields of physical anthropology and related disciplines, such as paleoanthropology, molecular anthropology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology; primatology, primate behavior ecology, archaeology, geology, osteology, comparative anatomy, paleontology, anthropometry, and forensic anthropology. 

Required Text:

Introduction to Physical Anthropology by R. Jurmain, et al. (12^th Edition or 11^th  Edition)

Grading and Course Requirements:

Student course grades will be based on the following components:

Discussion Session Assignments (5 sessions worth 50 points each for a total of 250 points)

= 25% of course grade

Exercises (5 assignments worth 50 points each for a total of 250 points)

            = 25% of course grade

Exam 1 (250 points)

= 25% of course grade

Exam 2 (250 points)

= 25% of course grade

Grades will be calculated based upon a total of 1,000 possible earned points.  Letter grades will be assigned for the following point totals:

900 to 1,000 points = A

800 to 899 points = B

700 to 799 points = C

600 to 699 points = D

Below 600 points = F

Information concerning the individual course requirement components will be available on the Blackboard site under the corresponding section tab.  

Exams are given online and consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions.  Exams are non-cumulative. Exam 2 will concern only material assigned/presented after Exam 1. 

Students should review Admission & Enrollment Policies, Tips on How to Succeed in College, and District Policies Governing Student Rights and Responsibilities in the current College of the Canyons Schedule of Classes.  Students are expected to behave in accordance with these requirements as well as those described in the College of the Canyons Catalog. 

The online classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together in an online setting to promote learning and intellectual growth.  It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained.  Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms that are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to develop an understanding of the community in which they live.  Student conduct that disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class. 

Online Learning Information:

In this course you will work on your own without any “face-to-face” contact with me (your instructor) or other students.  While you will interact online with me and other students, you will not get instant responses or the immediate answers to your questions that you may be accustomed to in a traditional on campus course.  There are no “absences” (excused or otherwise) in an online course and will not be able to work ahead or “make up” missed assignments.

Online courses are NOT easier than their on-campus counterparts. Online courses require self-initiative and discipline.  Students need to keep up on deadlines and readings.  Students must log into the class Blackboard website at least several times a week to retrieve and submit assignments and to participate in message board and email exchanges. This is not a class where you can complete work far ahead of your classmates or make up work during the very end of the semester.

If you are new to online courses, please be sure to check out the resources on the College of the Canyons Distance Learning web page: http://www.canyons.edu/offices/distance_learning/

Also, please visit the audio visual Blackboard tutorial designed to help students navigate Blackboard (click on the link below).  This page lists the links for the Blackboard tutorials. It features a comprehensive BB tutorial that includes:

·         How to log into Blackboard

·         How to change your password

·         How to enter your email address

·         How to post to the Discussion Board

·         How to reply to the Discussion Board

·         How to take Quizzes/Exams in Blackboard

http://www.canyons.edu/BBTutorial 

 You will need daily access to a computer and you must also have a personal email address that can be shared with the instructor and other students enrolled in the course.  It is necessary that you have Microsoft Word and either the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox web browsers (with updated plug ins).  Firefox is particularly recommended.  In addition, you should consider finding a backup computer (off or on campus) to use in case a problem develops with your regular system. Computer or peripheral problems, software, or email-related problems are NOT acceptable excuses for failing to meet course requirements or deadlines in this course.

Academic Dishonesty:

Please see the 2009-2010 College of the Canyons Academic Catalog concerning academic dishonesty. A student may be removed from the course by the instructor, put on disciplinary probation, suspended, and/or expelled from the college for such offenses as cheating, fabrication, or plagiarism.

Disabled Students Programs and Services:

The College of the Canyons Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) office promotes equal access by providing students with accommodations, alternate media, and other services.  Any student who has a disability that impacts the way he/she learns or performs in class components, such as examinations, may register for services through the DSPS office.

Course Outline (this outline may be revised during the course of the semester):

Week 1 (October 19 to October 25): 

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE AND PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Introduction to the course; Introduction to Anthropology; The Sub-Disciplines of Anthropology; Physical Anthropology as a Sub-Discipline; Molecular Anthropology; Forensic Anthropology; Biosocial Anthropology; Physical Anthropology and the Scientific Method

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Pre-Scientific Theories of Human Origins; The Scientific Revolution; Basic Concepts of Geology and Stratigraphy; Deep Time; Uniformitarianism, Early Examples of Evolutionary Theory (Lamark, Erasmus Darwin, and Wallace); Charles Darwin and Natural Selection

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #1 New Thread due Thursday, October 22 by 11:59 PM

(2)  Replies to Discussion Session #1 due Sunday, October 25 by 11:59 PM

Week 2 (October 26 to November 1):

THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF LIFE: DNA, GENES, AND CELL BIOLOGY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Basics of cell biology; DNA; Genes; Chromosomes; Cell Division; Genome; Human Genome Project

HEREDITY AND EVOLUTION

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Gregor Mendel and Hereditary Principles; Levels of Selection and Change (genes, genotypes, gene flow, gene pools, genetic drift; phenotypes and collective phenotypes); Sources of Genetic and Phenotypic Variation (mutations, meiosis, and crossing-over); Darwinian Evolution and the shaping of populations by natural selection; Non-Darwinian Evolutionary Mechanisms; Sexual Selection; Measures of Fitness; Speciation; Extinction; The Modern Synthesis

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exercise #1 due Sunday, November 1 by 11:59 PM

Week 3 (November 2 to November 8):

MACROEVOLUTION, SPECIES, AND MODES

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Principles of Classification; Definition of Species; Speciation; Mammalian Evolution; Processes of Macroevolution; Adaptive Radiation; Modes of Evolutionary Change, Gradualism and Punctuated Equilibrium

THE PRIMATES: AN INTRODUCTION

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Primate Characteristics and Taxonomy; Primate Adaptation; Prosimians; Tarsiers; Anthropoids; Hominoids, Hominids (Hominins); Endangered Primates

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Assignments Due:

(1) Exercise # 2 due Sunday, November 8 by 11:59 PM

(2) Discussion Session #2 New Thread due Sunday, November 8 by 11:59 PM

Week 4 (November 9 to November 15):

PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY; PRIMATE MODELS FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Sympatric Species; Primate Behavioral Ecology; Primate Social Behavior; Primate Reproduction and Reproductive Strategies; Vision and Hands; Sexual Physiology and Behavior; Primate Sexual Selection; Basics of Non-Human and Human Primate Brains; Language and Speech; Basics of Primate Studies; Learning; Aggressive Interactions Between Primate Groups; Affiliation, Altruism, and Cooperation; Overview of Research on Ape Social Organization and Behavior; Primates in Biomedical Research; Molecular Applications in Primatology

INTRODUCTION TO PALEOANTRHOPOLOGY AND DATING METHODS; RECONSTRUCTION OF HOMINID BEHAVIOR, ECOLOGY, AND EARLY BIPEDALISM

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Basics of Fossils; Dating Methods; Paleoanthropology; Experimental Archaeology; Reconstructions of Early Hominid Environments and Behavior; Bipedalism

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10

Assignments Due:

(1)  Replies to Discussion Session #2 due Sunday, November 15 by 11:59 PM

(2)  Exam 1 may be taken online between Tuesday, November 10 and Sunday, November 15 by 11:59 PM.

Week 5 (November 16 to November 22):

EARLY PRIMATE EVOLUTION; HOMINID ORIGINS IN AFRICA

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Early Primate Fossils; First Higher Primates; Definition of Hominid; Paleoanthropology and the History of Early Paleoanthropological Studies; Raymond Dart and the Taung Fossil; Robert Broom and South African Fossil Finds; Australopithecus africanus; Australpithecus (Paranthropus) robustus; Louis and Mary Leakey and the History of Early East African Finds; Australopithecus (Paranthropus) boisei, 1960s-1970s Discoveries in Omo River Valley, Koobi Fora, West Turkana, Hadar, Lucy and the First Family; New Finds from Hadar; Laetoli, Awash River; Australopithecus afarensis; Australopithecus (Paranthropus) aethiopicus; 1990s Discoveries from Kenya, Australopithecus anamensis; Discoveries from Chad, Australopithecus bahrelghazali and Sahelanthropus tchadensis; Tugen Hills, Kenya; Orrorin tugenesis; Aramis, Ethiopia; Australopithecus garhi, Ardipithecus ramidus, and Ardipithecus kadabba; The Discovery of Homo habilis; Homo rudolfensis; Evolution of Hominid Behavior; Tool Use; Olduvai Gorge; Oldowan and the Early Stone Age; Oldowan and the Gona sites area, Ethiopia; Paleoecology

HOMO ERGASTER/ERECTUS

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Pleistocene climates and landscapes; Eugene Dubois and the Search for the Missing Link; Homo erectus (and/or Homo ergaster) in Africa; Java; Zhoukoudian; Peking Man; Anatomy and Evolutionary Relationships of Homo erectus (and Homo ergaster); Nariokotome; Acheulian Tools and Technology; Movius Line; North Africa, Europe, Daminisi, and Homo erectus; Establishment of Hunting and Gathering Life; Social Developments of Homo erectus (ergaster); The Evolution of Language and the Brain; The First Movement Out of Africa

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 11, Chapter 12

Assignments Due:

(1)  Exercise #3 due Sunday, November 22 by 11:59 PM

Week 6 (November 23 to November 29):

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

No assigned readings and no assignments due

Week 7 (November 30 to December 6):

PRE MODERN HUMANS: HOMINIDS OF THE MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Middle Pleistocene hominids, technology, and artifact traditions; Homo heidelbergensis; Neandertals; Boule’s Reconstruction; Neandertals and Homo heidelbergensis geographic distribution; Cultures and Environments of Homo heidelbergensis and the Neandertals; the Neandertal Debates; Neandertals and genetic evidence; Middle Stone Age and Middle Paleolithic Archaeology; Homo floresiensis

THE ORIGIN AND DISPERSAL OF MODERN HUMANS

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

The Evolution of Anatomically Modern Humans; Distribution and Contexts of Early Anatomically Modern Humans; Material Culture and Archaeology of Anatomically Modern Humans; The Regional-Continuity Model (Multiregional Evolution); The Complete Replacement Model (Out of Africa or Recent African Evolution); “Mitochondrial Eve;” Partial Replacement Models; Peopling of Australia and the Americas, mtDNA and Human Origins Research; Later Stone Age and Upper Paleolithic; Language of Anatomically Modern Humans; Art and Symbolism

PATTERNS OF VARIATION IN GLOBAL MODERN HUMAN BIOLOGY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Historical Views of Human Variation; Environmental History and Adaptation; The Question of Race; Social Race; Racism; Ethnicity; Polymorphisms; Population Genetics; Hardy-Weinberg Theorem; Nonrandom Mating; Human Biocultural Evolution; Molecular Applications in Modern Human Biology

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #3 New Thread due Thursday, December 3 by 11:59 PM.

(2)  Replies to Discussion Session #3 due Sunday, December 6 by 11:59 PM.

(3)  Exercise #4 due Sunday, December 6 by 11:59 PM

Week 8 (December 7 to December 12):

PATTERNS OF ADAPTATION IN GLOBAL MODERN HUMAN BIOLOGY (CONTINUED)

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Adaptive Significance of Human Variation; Solar Radiation and Skin Color; Human Responses to Cold and Heat; Human Responses to Altitude; Infectious Disease

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ON THE LEGACIES OF HUMAN EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY

Central Lecture/Reading/Internet/Lab Topics:

Evolution of Human Behavior and the Life Course; Biocultural Evolution and the Life Cycle; Human Impacts on the Planet Earth

Textbook Assigned Readings:

Chapter 16, Chapter 17

Assignments Due:

(1)  Discussion Session #4 New Thread Due Wednesday, December 9 by 11:59 PM

(2)  Exercise #5 due Saturday, December 12 by 11:59 PM

(3)  Replies to Discussion Session #4 due Friday, December 11 by 11:59 PM

(4)  Discussion Session #5 New Thread Due Saturday, December 12 by 11:59 PM

Note:  There are no replies due for discussion session #5.

(5)  Exam 2 may be taken online between Tuesday, December 8 and Saturday, December 12 by 11:59 PM