Appalachian State University Fall Semester

 

 

My office is located at 416 Sanford Hall in the Anthropology Department. I am generally available 8-2 every day (unless I am teaching or in a meeting). Feel free to stop by anytime to talk about course work, anthropology, graduate school, whatever. My office number is 828-262-7505.

 

Click here for Donner Party Independent Study Reading List and Course Description

 

Online Course Materials

Syllabi are available in pdf format. You must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to open these files.

 

FALL SEMESTER

 

ANT 2230 BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Student blog website

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

 

WEEK

DATES

LECTURE TOPIC

READ

ASSIGNMENTS

1

Aug 26, 28

Introduction; Science; Misconceptions of Evolution

Text: Ch. 1

Homework and blog I: The Scientific Method

2

Aug 31, Sept 2, 4

Evolution; Movie: “Great Transformations”

Text: Ch. 2; If blog

2, then Coyne

Homework and blog II: Mechanisms of Evolution

3

Sept 9, 11

(Sept 7 Labor Day)

Cells, DNA, Mendelian genetics

Text: Ch.3; Overview of genetics from PBS

Homework and blog III: Genetics

4

Sept 14, 16, 18

Intro to osteology

Text: Ch. 4

Homework IV: The skeleton (blog 4)

5

Sept 21, 23, 25

Population genetics; Human biology and variation

Text: Ch. 5

 

Homework V: Human variation (blog 5)

6

Sept 28 EXAM I; Sept 30, Oct 2

 Primate biology; Movie: “A winning design”

Text: Ch. 6

(blog 6) EXAM I Wednesday Sept 30 (ch 1-5) Study Guide 

7

Oct 5, 7, 9

 behavioral ecology; Movie: “Life in the trees”

Text: Ch. 7 Fossils, geological time, taphonomy 

(blog 7)

8

Oct 12, 14 (Oct 16 Fall Break)

 Primate taxonomy; Primate evolution

Text: Ch. 8

 

(blog 8)

9

Oct 19 EXAM II; Oct 21, 23

 

Hominins: origins and evolution

Text: Ch. 9 269-281

EXAM II Friday, Oct 23 (ch 6-8); study guide

10

Oct 26, 28, 30

Australopithecines; Movie: “Ardipithecus” (Extra credit assignment)

Text: Ch. 9 282-302

Homework VI: Hominin origins (blog 9)

11

Nov 2, 4, 6

Origin of the genus Homo; Movie: “Walking with Cavemen”

Text: Ch. 10

Homework VII: Australopithecines (blog 10) Movie: Becoming Human Part I

12

Nov 9, 13 (Nov. 11 Veteran’s Day)

Homo erectus; The Hobbit; Movie: “Becoming Human Part II” (Extra credit assignment);

Text: Ch. 11

Homework VIII: Homo (blog 11)

13

Nov 16, 18, 20

Middle Pleistocene Homo; Neandertals

Text: Ch. 12

(blog 12)

14

Nov 23 Nov 25-27 THANKSGIVING

Movie: “Becoming Human Part III” (Extra credit assignment)

 Review ch 9-12 for final exam

Homework IX: Pleistocene Homo (blog 13)

15

Nov 30, Dec 2, 4

 

 AmHs

 Review ch 9-12 for final exam

 Homework X: Modern humans  (blog 14)

15

FINAL EXAM Monday, December 7th from 10:00-10:50am

Final review sheet; Jeopardy review game; practice test; Take a final exam online to practice

 

ANT 3300 HUMAN OSTEOLOGY

open lab time: 2-4:30 Tu Th

lecture, quiz, and exam time: 9-11 Th 

 

Week 1: Introduction to the Skeleton

Week 2: Bone Biology

Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 1; White Ch. 1, 3 Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 2; White Ch. 2

Week 3: Teeth and Dental Development

Week 4: Distinguishing Human from Non-Human Remains

Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 5; White Ch. 5 Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 3; White Ch. 14-15

Week 5: The Skull

Week 6: Identifying Teeth

Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 4; White Ch. 4

Lab hours only: learn those teeth and the skull!

Week 7

Week 8: Sternum and Ribs and Fall Break

10/8 Midterm exam

Lecture

Read: Baker Ch. 7 (93-97); White Ch. 7

Week 9: Vertebrae

Week 10: The Shoulder and Pelvis

Lecture and (tips) Read: Baker Ch. 6 (75-83); White Ch. 6 Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 7 (97-102), Ch. 6 (83-93); White Ch. 8, 11

Week 11: The long bones of the upper limb

Week 12: The long bones of the lower limb

Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 8 (103-112); White Ch. 9 Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 8 (113-124); White Ch. 12

Week 13: Open Lab

Week 14: Wrist, Hands, Ankles, Feet

Thanksgiving holiday

Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 9; White Ch. 10, 13

Week 15: Age and Sex Estimation

Week 16: Final exam

Lecture Read: Baker Ch. 10; White Ch. 17

 


ANT 3220 HUMAN BIOLOGICAL VARIATION

class meets: 9-11:00 Tu

* Indicates a topic that is available for student presentation assignment

 

open lab time: 2-4:30 Tu Th

lecture, quiz, and exam time: 9-11 Th 

 

Date

Topics

Required Readings

Assignments and Lecture Schedule

9/1

Theory in Human Biology

Huss-Ashmore

Lecture: Gwen

 

Trevathan or Hill

(sign up for lecture topic)

 

 

Johnston and Little; choose from Gould or Witzig and Holden

 

9/8

History of Human Biology in the US

Lecture: Gwen

 

 

 

Introduction to Genetics

Weiss; Relethford or Lovejoy

 

9/15

Lecture: Gwen

 

Turn in working bibliography

 

Genetics, Geography and Human Variation

O’Rourke; Weiss or

 

9/22

Jablonski

Lecture:_________________________

 

 

 

 

Quantitative variation and genetics

Konigsberg; Varki or

 

9/29

O'Rourke

Lecture: Gwen

 

 

 

 

Human adaptation to climate

Beall and Steegmann;

 

10/6

choose from Beall or

Lecture: _________________________

 

Ruff

 

 

Epidemiology of Human Disease

Sattenspiel; choose

 

10/13

from Williams or

Lecture: _________________________

 

Larsen

 

 

Human Adaptation to Infectious Disease

Jackson; choose

 

10/20

McDade or Hutchinson

Lecture: _________________________

bring 2 copies of paper draft

 

Human Nutritional Evolution

Leonard; choose

 

10/27

Ungar or Ulijaszek

Lecture: _________________________

 

 

 

 

Work and Energetics

Ulijaszek; choose

 

11/3

 

Aiello or Malina

Lecture: _________________________

 

 

Peer review #1 (2 copies of comments)

 

Evolution of the Human Life Cycle

Bogin and Smith;

 

11/10

Gluckman or Voland

Lecture: _________________________

 

 

 

Growth Variation: Biological and Cultural Factors

Stinson; choose from

Lecture: _________________________

11/17

Bogin or Temple

 

 

bring 2 copies of paper draft

 

Aging, Sensecence and Human Variation

Harper and Crews;

 

11/24

Graves or Allen

Lecture: _________________________

 

 

 

12/1

Demography, Population Growth and Fertility Regulation

Gage; Ellison and O’Rourke

Lecture: _________________________ Peer review #2 (2 copies of comments)

Papers due by Friday  12/4 at 12 pm (turn in to me personally or email- if you do not receive confirmation from me that I received your paper than I did not receive your paper- mail it again