Course Form

Course Form

I. Summary of Proposed Changes

Dept / Program

Course Title

Anthropology Prefix and Course #

Theories and Methods in Biological Anthropology

ANTH 515

Short Title (max. 26 characters incl. spaces) Theor & Meth in Bioanth

Summarize the change(s) proposed

II. Endorsement/Approvals

New course

Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office

Requestor:

Please type / print name Signature

Randall R. Skelton

Date

Phone/ email : 243-4245

Randall.skelton@umontana.edu

Program Chair/Director: John Douglas

Other affected programs

Dean: Chris Comer

Are other departments/programs affected by this modification because of

(a) required courses incl. prerequisites or corequisites,

(b) perceived overlap in content areas

Please obtain signature(s) from the

Chair/Director of any such department/ program (above) before submission

(c) cross-listing of coursework

III: To Add a New Course S yllabus and assessment information is required ( paste syllabus into section V or attach). Course should have internal coherence and clear focus.

Common Course Numbering Review: Does an equivalent course exist elsewhere

YES NO

X

in the MUS? Do the proposed abbreviation, number, title and credits align with existing course(s)? Please indicate equivalent course/campus

 http://mus.edu/transfer/CCN/ccn_default.asp

Exact entry to appear in the next catalog (Specify course abbreviation, level, number, title, credits, repeatability (if applicable), frequency of offering, prerequisites, and a brief description.)

G 515 Theories and Methods in Biological Anthropology 3 cr. Offered autumn. A detailed review of the body of theory that is foundational for the study of human evolution, human variation, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and primatology, along with a consideration of major methods used to analyze data in these fields.

Justification: How does the course fit with the existing curriculum? Why is it needed?

Over previous years it has become apparent that students who take the physical and forensic anthropology seminars (ANTH 510, 511, 512, 513) are not prepared in terms of background theory in biological anthropology. Therefore, we have created a new team-taught course that covers these bodies of theory and which we want to make a prerequisite for the other physical/forensic seminars. This allows us to revise these seminars under the assumption that we don’t have to teach the basic theory, thus allowing us to go into greater depth in the subject matter of the seminar. We are teaching this course for the second time this semester (as ANTH 595: Special Topics).

Are there curricular adjustments to accommodate teaching this course?

We rotate the task of being lead instructor, so that each of us teaches this course instead of another one every third year.

Complete for UG courses. (UG courses should be assigned a 400 number).

Describe graduate increment (Reference guidelines: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/Grad/UG.htm

)

Fees may be requested only for courses meeting specific conditions determined by the

Board of Regents. Please indicate whether this course will be considered for a fee.

If YES, what is the proposed amount of the fee?

YES NO

X

Justification:

IV. To Delete or Change an Existing Course

– check X all that apply

Deletion Title

Course Number

Change

From:

To:

Level U, UG, G From:

To:

Description Change

Change in Credits From:

To:

Prerequisites

1. Current course information at it appears in catalog

( http://www.umt.edu/catalog )

Repeatability

Cross Listing

(primary program initiates form)

Is there a fee associated with the course?

2. Full and exact entry (as proposed)

3. If cross-listed course: secondary program & course number

4. Is this a course with MUS Common Course Numbering? If yes, then will this change eliminate the course’s common course status? Please explain below.

5. Graduate increment if level of course is changed to

UG. Reference guidelines at: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/Grad/UG.htm

(syllabus required in section V)

Have you reviewed the graduate increment guidelines? Please check (X) space provided.

6. Other programs affected by the change

7. Justification for proposed change

V. Syllabus/Assessment Information

Required for new courses and course change from U to UG. Paste syllabus in field below or attach and send digital copy with form.

Appended at the end of this document because this form won’t allow me to paste it here.

VI Department Summary

(Required if several forms are submitted) In a separate document list course number, title, and proposed change for all proposals.

VII Copies and Electronic Submission.

After approval, submit original, one copy, summary of proposals and electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.

Revised 11-2009

Anth 595: Method and Theory in Biological Anthropology

Fall 2010 TR 9:40-11:00 SS 252

Instructor Contact Info

Prof. Ashley McKeown (lead inst) Prof. Randy Skelton Prof. Noriko Seguchi

Email: ashley.mckeown@umontana.edu

randall.skelton@umontana.edu

noriko.seguchi@umontana.edu

Phone: 243-2145 (but email is better) 243-4245 (but email is better) 243-2668

Office: SS 225 SS 226 SS 207

Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30 & by appt MWF 8:00-8:50, TR 11-12 TR 1-2

Required texts:

Mieke JH, Relethford JH, Konigsberg LW, 2011. Human Biological Variation , 2 nd ed. Oxford University Press.

(1 st ed will work, but note page numbers in schedule are for 2 nd ed)

Brace CL, 2004. Race is a Four-Letter Word: The Genesis of a Concept . Oxford University Press.

Freeman S & Herron JC, 2007. Evolutionary Analysis . Pearson/Prentice Hall.

(4 th edition is current, any edition will do.)

Course Requirements

1. Takehome Exams - a midterm exam and a final exam.

>Each exam covers ½ of the semester and is worth 150 pts for a total of 300 points

>You will have 1 week to complete each take home exam (see schedule for available and due dates)

>Exam questions will be posted on Blackboard under ‘Exams’ and you will submit your exam answers via

BB’s digital dropbox

2. Assignments – 12 total

>There are 12 assignments each designed to take about 1 week to complete. The nature of these

assignments vary from topic to topic but are designed to have you interact with the material being

presented. Each assignment is worth 25 pts for a total of 300 points.

>You will have 1 week to complete each assignment (see schedule for available dates)

>If for any reason you are unable to complete one of the assignments by the due date, I will assign a

makeup assignment (but you will have only one make up opportunity).

>Assignments will be posted on Blackboard under ‘Assignments’ and you will submit the assignment as

directed in the assignment directions.

3. Research project/paper that addresses important theoretical and methodological issues in biological

anthropology.

>The research project/paper has multiple components: a proposal, a detailed outline with bibliography, and

the final paper.

>Each component has a different value (see below) for a total of 300 points.

-Proposal = 25

-Detailed outline =75

-Final paper = 200 pts

>The directions for developing each component of the research paper are at the end of this syllabus and in

supplementary material. See the course schedule for due dates for each component.

>The proposal and detailed outline will be submitted via BB’s digital dropbox. The final paper will be

submitted as a hard copy directly to McKeown by 4 pm on 12/9.

Overview of Grading Structure

Item

Midterm Take Home Exam

Final Take Home Exam

Assignments (25 pts each)

Research Paper/Project

TOTAL

Date Available

Oct 14

Dec 7

See schedule

Aug 31

Date Due

Oct 21

Dec 15

See assignment

See schedule

Final Version due 12/9

Value

150 points

150 points

300 points total

300 points total

900 points

Course Schedule

Abbreviations: HBV= Human Biological Variation; EA = Evolutionary Analysis| BB=Blackboard | A=assignment

Section I: Introduction

Date Who Day Topic

8/31 RS T

Reading

What is method and theory in biological anthropology? EA Chapter 1

BB: Leslie & Little (2003) (A1 out)

9/2 AM R History of physical/biological anthropology

Section II: Evolutionary Theory

HBV Ch 1

BB: Spencer (1982), Washburn

(1951), Walker (2008)

9/7

9/9

AM

AM

9/14 AM

T

R

T

Human Genetics & Inheritance (A2 out)

Evolutionary theory, population genetics & HWC

Departures from HWC

(assortative mating & inbreeding) (A3 out)

HBV Ch 2

For a basic review, get an Intro to

Phys Anth text and read the relevant chapters

HBV Ch 3:50-63

EA Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 6: 6.1 & 6.2

HBV Ch 3:63-68

EA Ch 7: 7.4 & 7.5

9/23 AM

12

R Evolutionary Forces: Selection

Term Project/Paper Topic Proposal Due

Section III: Interpreting Human Variation

9/28 RS T Quantitative Traits and heritability (A5 out)

9/16 AM

9/21 AM

R

T

Evolutionary Forces: Mutation & Migration

Evolutionary Forces: Drift (A4 out)

9/30 RS R Interpreting Intra- & Interspecies Variability

·

4 th ed)

HBV Ch 3:68-69, 84-85

EA Ch 5, Ch 6: 6.9, Ch 7: 7.1

HBV Ch 3:76-83

EA Ch 7: 7.2 & 7.3

HBV Ch 3: 70-76, 85-88, Ch 7, Ch

EA Ch 6: 6.3

BB: Gregory (2009)

10/5 RS T Population and Species Formation

10/7 RS R Evolutionary Analysis (A6 out)

10/12 RS T Phylogenetic Inference

10/14 RS

10/19 NS

R

T

Theory of working with individuals

Midterm Exam Out-Due 10/21

Blood groups

10/21 NS

10/26 NS

10/28 NS

11/2

11/4 NS

11/9 NS

11/11

11/16 NS

R

T

R

T

R

T

R

T

DNA Markers

Take Home Midterm DUE

Adaptationism vs. Neutralism (A7 out)

Population structure and population history (A8 out)

NO Class – Election Day

Odontometrics

T erm Project/Paper Detailed Outline due

History of the race concept (A9 out)

NO Class – Veteran’s Day

Why race is useless for interpreting human variation

HBV Ch 10, Ch11: 260-267

EA section on “Measuring

Heritable Variation” (9.3, 4 th ed.)

HBV Ch 11: 267-290

EA “Sexual Selection” Ch (ch 11,

EA first 2 sections of “Aging” chapter (13.1 & 13.2, 4 th ed)

EA “Speciation” chapter (ch16, 4 th ed) EA section on

“Macroevolutionary Patterns” in

“Cambrian Explosion” chapter

(18.3, 4 th ed)

EA first 2 sections of “Pattern of

Evolution” Ch (2.1 & 2.2, 4 th ed)

EA first section in the

“Evolutionary Trees” chapter (ch 4 in 4 th ed)

E A finish the “Evolutionary Trees”

Ch (ch 4, 4 th ed)

BB: Ackermann & Smith, 2007;

Spradley et al., 2006

HBV ch 4

HBV ch 9

BB: Ch 1 in Human Biology, Morris

(1971), Kimura (1983), Livingstone

(1983), Ohta (1992, 2002)

HBV ch 13

BB: Stojanowski ( 2004)

Brace (2004)

Brace (2004); BB: selected

Section IV: Biocultural Aspects of Variation

11/18 AM R Demography (A10 out)

11/23 AM T Paleodemography

11/24 R NO class – Thanksgiving Holiday

11/30 NS

12/2 NS

T

R

Epidemiological Patterns (A11 out)

Epidemiological Transition

12/7 RS T The Evolution of Behavior (A12 out)

Take Home Final Out due 12/15

readings

BB: Gage (2000)

BB: Konigsberg & Frankenberg

(1994),

Milner et al. (2008)

BB: Chs 7, 8 from Human Biology,

Tishkoff and Verrelli (2003)

BB: Chs 7, 8 from Human Biology,

Merbs, (1992)

EA “Kin Selection & Social

Behavior”, chapter (ch 12, 4 th edition)

12/9 RS R Genetics and Behavior

Term Project/Paper Final Draft due

HBV Ch 14

12/15 (10:10am-12:10) Take Home Final Exam Due

The

Research

Project/Paper

The main requirement of the term project/paper is that it must incorporate theory. In other words, it cannot be a merely descriptive analysis. A second requirement is that it must be in some way original. In other words, it cannot be a simple reworking of what someone else has said, but must show original thought, ideas, or methodology.

Some approaches that are acceptable include (but are not limited to):

· Compare/contrast theories for explaining a certain type of phenomenon (e.g. does migration or diffusion best explain allele frequencies on a landscape).

· Choose a particular theoretical stance (e.g. take the position that migration best explains allele frequencies on a landscape) and do an analysis of some data within this framework.

· Argue for one theoretical position or approach over another.

· Choose a major work by one of the contributors to biological anthropology theory and critique it in terms of other or newer theories that address the same phenomenon.

· Choose an analysis presented by a biological anthropologist in an article or book and critique/rework it in light of other theories and/or methods.

Some approaches that are not acceptable because they are not primarily theoretical or methodological.

These include (but are not limited to):

· Anything descriptive (e.g. how Neandertals compare to modern humans). However, in some cases this type of topic could be placed within a theoretical framework (e.g. show how Neandertals represent a cold climate adaptation vs how modern humans represent a warm climate adaptation). However, a student doing a project of this sort would have to be careful to go beyond the simple descriptions of theory found in an

“Intro to Physical Anthro” textbook to actually apply theory in an original way.

· Any in-depth analysis of a phenomenon (e.g. what is sickle cell anemia). Although some analyses of this type might be able to be cast within a theoretical framework, in most cases the framework is too simple for this class (e.g. sickle cell anemia is an example of balancing selection).

There are three milestones associated with your project/paper. These are designed to get you working on

your project early and intensively throughout the semester:

1. The first milestone is to simply choose a topic and submit a 1 to 2 page description of it with at least 5 valid references. Due 9/23 in class.

2. A detailed outline. This is a detailed outline (Intro, Literature Review, Methods and/or Materials,

Results and/or Conclusions) of your project with well developed material representing the larger body of information you intend to include in that section. You will also need a fairly complete bibliography listing the articles from which you will draw your theory and methods.

Due Nov 4 by 4 pm.

3. The final version of your paper. Due 12/9 by 4 pm.