Last Updated: May 11, 2007
Welcome to the Dr. M. Elizabeth
Strasser's ANTH 1 home page on the World Wide Web. These
electronic pages provide information for the course Introduction to Physical
Anthropology taught at
Class Time and Location: MWF, 9-9:50 (MND-3011), 10-10:50 (MND-3013)
Course Syllabus:
Course Description
Learning
Objectives
Texts
Academic
Honesty
Course
Requirements
Course Schedule
Official Study Guide
for First Exam
Official Zihlman Study Guide for Second Exam
Official Annual Editions Study Guide for Second Exam
Official Zihlman Study Guide for Third Exam
Official Annual Editions Study Guide for Third Exam
Official Study Guide for Last Three Quizzes
A Painting by
Francine West of the Course Topics
Course Contacts (Office
hours: Mon. & Wed., 11:00-12:00; Wed. 1:30-2:30; or by appt.)
Links to Course
Related-Sites
Send problems/comments/suggestions
to: strasser@csus.edu
Return to CSUS Home Page, Anthro. Dept. Phys. Anthro. Home Page ,
Strasser Home Page.
Introduction to Physical Anthropology fulfills the Area B2 (Life Forms) requirement for the General Education Program. Covers the concepts, methods of inquiry, and theory of biological evolution and their application to the human species. There is a specific focus on molecular, Mendelian and population genetics, mechanisms of evolution, primatology, paleoanthropology, biocultural adaptations, and human variation. The scientific method serves as the foundation to the course. 3 units. (CAN ANTH 002)
By the end of the course, students should understand: the Scientific Method; elementary Mendelian genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics and population genetics; aspects of evolutionary theory, including the mechanisms of evolutionary change, the process(es) of speciation; basic taxonomy and systematics; the place of humans within the order Primates and the place of primates within higher taxa as evidenced by comparative anatomy and genetic data; the classification and characteristics of the major taxa within the order Primates; the paleontological context and fossil record of major taxa within the order as well as of our own lineage; and adaptive (or not) explanations for modern human variation.
Required:
Angeloni, Elvio
2007 Annual Editions, Physical Anthropology 07/08. Dubuque: McGraw Hill.
Zihlman, Adrienne
2000 The Human Evolution Coloring Book, 2nd edition. New York: Barnes &
Noble Books.
Recommended:
Stein, Philip L., and Bruce M. Rowe
2006 Physical Anthropology, 9th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Academic
Honesty1 If a student is found cheating in any of the assignments/exams
of this class, the student will receive an F for that assignment/exam.
1Modified
from the
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory, and will be taken at the beginning of each class. Every absence after the third absence will result in one letter grade (e.g., C+, C, C-) off the final semester grade.
Class Preparation: Assigned readings should be read prior to attending class.
Electronic Device Policy: All electronic devices must be turned off while class is in session. This includes cell phones, i-Pods, PDAs, etc. Surfing the Internet during class is prohibited.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, (916) 278-6955. Please discuss your accommodation needs with me either after class or during my office hours early in the semester.
Exams: Fifty percent (50%) of the course grade will be based on the arithmetic average of three exams. The student is responsible for providing a General Purpose NCS Answer Sheet Form (no. 4521) for each exam. The first three exams are not cumulative while the Final Exam is cumulative. The exams will include objective questions, i.e., in the format of multiple-choice questions, true/false and matching. The exams will be based on lecture as well as the readings. The first three exams are given in the first class of the week.
Students who arrive late for the exam after another student has already completed the exam and left the classroom cannot take the exam. There are NO make-ups.
If a student misses one of the first three exams, the student must take the Final. If a student takes all four exams, the lowest grade will be dropped in calculating the exam average. During the last week of class, the students who will take the Final exam will be identified, so that only that number of Final exams will be run off.
Quizzes: Fifty percent (50%) of the course grade will be based on the arithmetic average of 10 quizzes. Quizzes will include short answers, identifications, definitions, short essays etc. The quizzes will be based on lecture as well as the readings. Given that there are 12 quizzes, two may be missed. If all 12 are taken, the two lowest grades will be dropped in calculating the quiz average.
Quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class on the first day of each week (except for the 12th quiz). After finishing the quiz, students will exchange quizzes and “grade” them. The graders must sign off on the number assigned (e.g., # correct / # total).
Extra Credit: If any extra credit assignment were to be given, it would be used only to improve a grade by 1/3 (e.g., from A- to an A or D to D+ or C+ to B-), if and only if the numerical score allows for such a change.
Grade Calculation : The final grade is calculated as follows: 0.5(sum of 3 Exams / 3) + 0.5(sum of 10 Quizzes / 10)
Letter Grade distribution as follows:
| Dates | Topic | Coloring Book Plates |
AE units |
AE - articles | |
| Jan. 29 - Feb 2 |
Intro to course; Evolutionary theory | 1-1 - 1-9 | Unit 1 | ||
| Feb 5 - Feb 9 |
Quiz 1; Mendelian and cellular genetics | 1-10 - 1-15, 6-1 | Pgs 1-2 The Growth of Evolutionary Science, D.J. Futuyma, 1982 Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought, E. Mayr, 2000 |
||
| Feb 12 - Feb 16 |
Quiz 2; Natural selection; Continental drift; History of life | 1-16 - 1-22 | Evolution in Action, J. Weiner, 2005 The Illusion of Design, R. Dawkins, 2005 |
||
| Feb 19 - Feb 23 |
Quiz 3; Molecular genetics | 2-1 - 25 | Why Should Students Learn Evolution?, B.J. Alters & S.Alters, 2001 Designer Thinking, M.S. Blumberg, 2005 The Perimeter of Ignorance, N. D. Tyson, 2005 |
||
| Feb 26 - Mar 2 |
EXAM 1; Primate comparative genetics | 2-6 - 2-8, 2-10 - 2-12 | Unit 2 | Pgs 43-44 The 2% Difference, R. Sapolsky, 2006 The Mind of the Chimpanzee, J. Goodall, 1990 Got Culture, C. Stanford, 2001 |
|
| Mar 5 - Mar 9 |
Quiz 4; Primate anatomy | 3-1- 3-5, 3-11, 3-14 - 3-20 |
Why Are Some Animals So Smart?, C. Van Schaik, 2006 How Animals Do Business, F. de Waal, 2005 A Telling Difference, S. R. Anderson, 2004 |
||
| Mar 12 - Mar 16 |
Quiz 5; Primate behavior | 3-23, 3-25 - 3-35 | Unit 3 | Pg. 81 What Are Friends For?, B. Smuts, 1987 What's Love Got to Do With It?, M.F. Small, 1992 |
|
| Mar 19 - Mar 23 |
Quiz 6; Primate taxonomy | 4-2 - 4-4, 4-8, 4-12 - 4-13, 4-17-4-20, 4-10 - 4-11, 4-25 - 4-26, 4-30 - 4-35 |
Apes of Wrath, B. Smuts, 1995 Mothers and Others, S. B. Hrdy, 2001 Had King Henry VIII's Wives Only Known, M. Deunwals, 2002 |
||
| Mar 26 - Mar 30 |
SPRING BREAK | ||||
| Apr 2 - Apr 6 |
EXAM 2; Background | 5-2 - 5-5 |
Unit 4 | Pgs 103-104 African Trailblazers, A. Gibbons, 2006 Hunting the First Hominid, P. Shipman, 2002 |
|
| Apr 9 - Apr 13 |
Quiz 7; Early hominid evolution | 5-14 - 5-16, 5-18 - 5-23 |
Scavenger Hunt, P. Shipman, 1984 The Scavenging of "Peking Man", N.T. Boaz & R.L. Ciochon, 2001 Erectus Rising, J. Shreeve, 1994 |
||
| Apr 16 - Apr 20 |
Quiz 8; Early hominid evolution (cont.) |
5-5 - 5-12 | Unit 5 | Pg 135 Hard Times Among the Neanderthals, E. Trinkaus, 1978 Rethinking Neanderthals, J. Alper, 2003 A Caveful of Clues About Early Humans, F. Heeren, 2004 |
|
| Apr 23 - Apr 27 |
Quiz 9; Late hominid evolution |
5-24 - 5-29 | The Gift of Gab, M. Cartmill, 1998 We Are All Africans, P. Shipman, 2003 The Littlest Human, K. Wong, 2005 |
||
| Apr 30 - May 4 |
EXAM 3; Modern human variation |
6-10, 6-4 - 6-8 | Unit 6 | Pg 164 Skin Deep, N.G. Jablonski & G. Chaplin, 2002 Does Race Exist? A Proponent's Perspective, G.W. Gill, 2000 Does Race Exist? An Antagonist's Perspective, C. L. Brace, 2000 |
|
| May 7 - May 11 |
Quiz 10; Modern human variation (cont.) |
6-9, 6-11 - 6-15 | Unit 7 |
Pg 179 TheViral Superhighway, G.J. Armelagos, 1998 T |
|
| May 14 - May 18 |
Quiz 11; Catch up Quiz 12 (on last day of class) |
Curse and Blessing of the Ghetto, J. Diamond, 1991 |
|||
| FINAL EXAM - Section 1: Friday May 25, 9:00-10:00 FINAL EXAM - Section 2: Monday May 21, 10:15-11:15 |
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Links to Course-Related Sites
A useful Mendelian Genetics Page (needs Shockwave) (click on DNA from the Beginning)
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Primate Gallery (pictures & info on primate species)
The Talk. Origins Archive (e.g., creationist arguments; info on various hominid species, etc.)
Kuban's Paleo-Place (various bits about paleontology)
UC Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology
American Museum of Natural History, New York
The National Center for Science Education
Radiometric Dating: A Christian Perspective (A useful explanation)
