The Anth. 1101 Human Origins Course Syllabus

1997


ANTHROPOLOGY 1101 SUMMER SESSION II EXTENSION
HUMAN ORIGINS
Anth. 1101 Human Origins Extension
 
Summer Session II 1997
Tuesday and Thursday 6:00-9:20 pm
Instructor: Kevin L. Callahan
Office: 275 Ford Hall
Office Phone: 625-0166
Home Phone 623-7685
Anth. Main Office phone (days only) 625-3400
email: call0031@tc.umn.edu (I use email all the time).
Lecture: Room 285 Ford Hall
Lab: Room 20 Ford Hall Physical Anthropology Laboratory

Course Description: This course provides an introduction to major themes in human evolution. We will follow the physical and cultural development of humans from fossil primates to anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens. Major topics include: genetics, anatomy, primate behavioral analogies, fossil evidence and controversies, basic archaeological techniques, and the development of human economic, social and symbolic behaviors.
This course is designed to introduce you to the fields of physical anthropology and archaeology, the subdisciplines of anthropology concerned with the study of human origins and human evolution. The scope of this course is very broad, spanning over ten million years and covering prehistoric developments on all parts of the earth.
Several major questions serve as the focus of this course and structure the assigned readings. The first set of questions addresses the nature of being and becoming human -- what it means to be human and how these biological and behavioral characteristics emerged over the past several million years. In this part of the course you will be introduced to some basic principles of evolution and genetics. You will learn about the techniques and methods used by researchers to study the physical and cultural remains of our earliest primate ancestors and about those used in the study of nonhuman primates, both living and fossil forms. The second set of questions addressed in this course concerns what anthropologists consider to be the major trends in human biological and cultural evolution. Here we will examine the important prehistoric developments that shaped the character of our contemporary way of life. In this part of the course we will investigate the origins of some fundamental human institutions and patterns of human cultural adaptation.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the nature of the information that researchers use to study the remote past and on how researchers investigate those factors that appear to have stimulated change -- biological and behavioral -- through time. The underlying assumption of the course is that by understanding the processes and factors that shaped human life in the past, we can better understand our contemporary world and perhaps glean insight about the future course of human existence on this planet.
Required Texts:
The following required materials are located at the East Bank Bookstore (Williamson Bookstore).Bookstore Hours : Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM University of Minnesota Bookstores East Bank Store 231 Pillsbury Drive S.E. 160 Williamson Hall Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 625-6000 ; (612) 624-4133 fax ; 1-800-551-U of M Website Info: http://www.bookstore.umn.edu/stores/eastbank.html 1. Title: HUMAN ANTIQUITY, 3RD Ed. Author: Kenneth L. FEDER and Michael Alan PARK, Publisher MAYFIELD, Est. Price $51.15 2. The ANTH 1101 Human Origins Lab Manual Approximately $11.20 Evaluation and Grading: Evaluation is based upon four course components as follows: quizzes, the primate assignment, midterm exam and final exam. Quizzes: 80 points Primate Observation Assignment: 20 points Midterm Exam: 80 points Final exam: 120 points _____________________ TOTAL: 300 points
In most quarters a general rule of thumb has been that 90% and above was an "A," 80% to 89% was a "B," 70% to 79% was a "C," 60% to 69% was a "C," 50% to 59% was a "D," and anything below 50% was an "F." This may vary and I may curve tests if the situation warrants it. Exams may contain (mostly) multiple choice, but also matching, true-false, as well as essay or short answer questions. Exams will be based on material from readings, lectures, labs, and films. Make-up quizzes and exams will be administered ONLY with a verifiable excuse meeting CLA guidelines. It is always better to make arrangements with the instructor BEFORE you miss a quiz or an exam! If this is not possible, you MUST notify the instructor of your absence in a timely fashion. Up to 10 points of extra credit for a creative project related to human evolution is available to everyone in the course. This can involve making a scale model of an archaeological site, the reproduction of a prehistoric technology, artifact, or behavior, an artistic or computer reconstruction of a prehistoric subject, etc. Course Website: The Anth. 1101 HUMAN ORIGINS website for this class is located at http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Acropolis/5579/TA.html Please note that website addresses are case sensitive (capitalize and decapitalize and type the address exactly as the address appears). There are free computer labs all over campus with attendants who can help you if you have a problem. There is an enormous amount of helpful information on the website including information from other quarters. Miscellaneous: This is a five week class. It moves fast. The Midterm exam (1 hour) is in a little over two weeks (Tuesday, August 12th) and the Final exam is in 5 weeks (Thursday, August 28). This course covers about 75 pages of your text each week (there are many illustrations, drawings, and photos). Plan your life and study schedule accordingly. We start at Page 1 and go through page 375. We do not cover chapters 14 and 15 which are covered in other courses including The Rise of Civilization, Introduction to Archaeology, and Origins of Agriculture. In addition to the textbook you will see several outstanding films that will also be on the tests. Some of these films took millions of dollars to produce and illustrate the points made in the textbook and in lectures in an immediate way that will help you to remember the material. Incompletes are not an option as the lab exercises cannot be completed independently. For issues of academic misconduct, plagiarism, etc. follow the guidelines provided in the CLA handbook. Students with visual, auditory, mobility, learning or language limitations are encouraged to speak with or email the instructor concerning any special needs. Course Schedule Summer Session II 1997 EXTENSION Instructor: Kevin L. Callahan
Educational philosophy: Studies of educational technique indicate that most people are visual and tactile learners and that a combination of visual, auditory, tactile and emotional experiences is retained much longer than simple verbal auditory stimuli from a lecture. Also attention spans tend to flag after 20 minutes - let alone 3 hours and 20 minutes. I will be incorporating a visual and tactile approach to learning in this course and will fairly closely follow your textbook so that you have an organized resource that you can effectively use to review and prepare for the quizzes and tests. Repetition of concepts in a visual, auditory, tactile, and emotional context as well as reading about them will help you to retain this information. Do not miss any lectures or you will be missing very large portions of this subject. At some point during the summer session you must go to Como Zoo for a primate observation assignment. This will compose part of your grade and is due Thurs. Aug. 7 at the beginning of class.
CLASS MEETINGS
1.  Thurs. July 24, 1997  Read Ch.1 & 2 AND pp.174-185
2.  Tues. July 29, 1997  Read Ch. 3 &4       QUIZ: Human Skeleton
3.  Thurs. July 31, 1997  Read Ch. 5 & 6      QUIZ: Genetics
4.  Tues. Aug. 5, 1997 Read Ch. 7 & 8
5.  Thurs. Aug 7, 1997  Read pp. 215-221       QUIZ: Living Primates and PRIMATE OBSERVATION ASSIGNMENT DUE
6.  Tues. Aug.12, 1997  MIDTERM (1 hour)
7.  Thurs. Aug. 14, 1997 Read Ch. 9 (from p. 221)  & Ch. 10     
8.  Tues. Aug. 19, 1997    Ch. 11    
9.   Thurs. Aug. 21, 1997 Ch. 12
10.  Tues. Aug. 26, 1997   Ch. 13    QUIZ: Homo Genus
11.  Thurs. Aug. 28, 1997      FINAL EXAM (2 Hours)
 

Labs
Bipedalism class 1 Thurs. July 24, 1997  
Genetics class 2 Tues. July 29, 1997  
Living Primates class 3 Thurs. July 31, 1997  
Early Hominids class 5 Thurs. Aug 7, 1997  
Genus Homo class 8 Tues. Aug. 19, 1997    



PRIMATOLOGY ASSIGNMENT - 20 points
Name (of observer)______________
Date__________________________
Time__________________________
Place__________________________

1. Name of primate (if known)_______________________
2. Species name__________________________________
3. Natural Habitat_______________________________________
4. Where is the species found_______________________
5. Method(s) of locomotion_________________________
Ten Primate Behaviors observed (e.g. grooming, feeding, playing, fighting, etc.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Description of the Zoo environment:


Interactions observed between humans and the primate:


How do you think  behavior observed in the zoo might be different from in the wild:


Similarities and differences observed with human behavior, gestures, etc. :


Your conclusions:
Do you have a

© 1997 call0031@tc.umn.edu

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