Introduction to Physical Anthropology
ANTH 2301
Southwest College
Spring 2014 Course Syllabus
CRN #s 80121, 82959, 82960
Instructor: William Driver, Ph.D., RPA
Class:
82960 = West Loop, Rm. 172B, TuTh 11-12:20
80121 = West Loop, Rm. 003, TuTh 12:30-1:50
82959 = Stafford- Scarcella, Rm. W118, MW 11-12:20
Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 am, 2:00-3:00 pm, MW @ Stafford, TTh @ West Loop, or by appt.
Phone:
Stafford Department Office: 713.718.7777
Email:
william.driver@hccs.edu (will usually respond within 24 hrs.)
Course Description
This course explores the relationship between culture and biology through the methods, theory and research of
physical anthropology. Students learn about basic mechanisms of genetic change in populations and the
relationships between humans and the other primates. The appearance of humans and their bipedal ancestors
approximately 4.0 million years ago and their culture history through the Paleolithic age are examined in detail.
Students learn about biological variation and adaptation in human populations, responses to the environment, race,
and other issues and their applications. Core curriculum course. 3 hrs Lecture per week; 48 hrs per semester; 16
weeks; Natural Science Core
This course has two primary goals:
1) to expose students to the basic concepts and methods of physical anthropological research, so that they may
achieve a holistic understanding of the cultural and biological aspects of the human condition;
2) to provide students with conceptual tools that they can use throughout their lives to understand human
similarities and differences.
Course Materials
1) Required textbook: Essentials of Physical Anthropology, 9th edition, by Robert Jurmain, Lynn Kilgore, Wenda
Trevathan, 2013.
2) A limited number of supplementary readings will be assigned. These will be distributed in class, on the web, or
made available at the library reserve desk
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
Through a study of Physical Anthropology, the student will be able to:
1) Compare the scientific processes utilized in the four major subfields of anthropology.
2) Describe biological variation and the process of speciation with reference to the mechanisms of evolution as
they relate to primates and anatomically modern humans.
3) Identify the major discontinuities of the Cenozoic Era related to primate evolution, human origins and cultural
complexity.
4) Evaluate biological race theory and identify its consequences in society and its inconsistencies as explanation
for human variation.
5) Illustrate how anthropological methods and theory can be applied to everyday life.
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Instructional Format
The dominant mode of instruction will be lectures supported by Powerpoint slides. However, group activities,
worksheets, and films will also comprise a part of your learning process. Students will be expected to complete all
reading and written assignments by the stated deadlines. Active class participation and small group discussion
sessions will be encouraged throughout the class period.
The nature of anthropological subjects is such that sensitive and controversial topics will occasionally surface
during classroom discussions. It is the responsibility of each class member to ensure that the classroom is a “safe”
environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their thoughts, and in which everyone can feel that their
opinions are respected, even when not shared by all members of the class.
Evaluation
All students are required to attempt the following in order to be considered for full credit:
1) three in-class examinations and one final exam
2) daily quizzes over readings, films, and discussion topics
3) three writing assignments
Grading
Exams 1, 2, 3
Final Exam
Daily Quizzes
Papers
Participation
Total
40%
20%
15%
20%
5%
100%
Grading Scale
A
90-100%
B
80-89%
C
70-79%
D
60-69%
F
<60%
Exams
The course has four major exams, with a combined total of 60% of your final grade. They will consist of the three
following types of questions: 1) Multiple Choice, 2) True/False, and 3) Short Answer. The lowest score of the
three in-class exams (Exams 1-3) will be dropped. Make-up exams will only be given in case of HCC excused
absences, and must be conducted within ONE WEEK of the original test. Make-up exams will be different from the
in-class exams. You MUST take the Final Exam. The Final Exam will be comprehensive.
Lectures and Readings
The majority of the course content will be covered in the two weekly lecture meetings. You will be expected to
have read the assigned sections from the textbook before each of the appropriate lectures.
Quizzes
There will be a number of pop-quizzes given at the start of lecture sections. Most of these will be short, simple tests
designed to monitor the progress of your readings, as well as ‘encourage’ class attendance. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes, but the lowest 2-3 grades will be dropped. The quizzes will account for 15% of your grade.
Written Assignments
Students are required to complete three (3) written assignments based on a selection of anthropological articles.
Details concerning the selection of articles, paper formatting, and bibliographic style will be provided in class. The
written assignments must be typed (12 point, Times New Roman font), double-spaced (side margins of 1-1.25”),
and spell-checked. Late papers will be accepted for up to one week after an assignment was due for HALF
CREDIT. After one week, no assignments will be accepted. The written assignments will account for 20% of your
grade.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is essential for passing this course, and will be taken at the beginning of each lecture period. Students
are responsible for information covered during their absences and it is the student’s responsibility to consult with
the instructor for any make-up assignments. A student may be dropped from a course for excessive absences after
the student has accumulated absences in excess of 12.5% of the hours of instruction. For example, for a three credit
course, a student may be dropped after six hours of absence.
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Cell phones, Cameras, and/or Recording Devices
As a student active in the learning community of this course, it is your responsibility to be respectful of the learning
atmosphere in your classroom. To show respect of your fellow students and instructor, you will turn off your phone
and other electronic devices, and will not use these devices in the classroom unless you receive permission from the
instructor.
Please keep phones on silent during class. If you have a SERIOUS family situation (such as a sick child) that might
require you to be contacted during class, please see me before class starts regarding leaving your cell phone on
vibrate.
Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in classrooms, laboratories,
faculty offices, and other locations where instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. Students with disabilities who
need to use a recording device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with
Disabilities for information regarding reasonable accommodations.
Withdrawal Policy
Withdrawal from the course after the Official Date of Record (ODR) and prior to “W” Day (see current catalog for
this date) will result in a final grade of “W” on your transcript. Instructor approval is necessary if you want to
withdraw after the ODR date. No credit will be awarded for a course earning a “W.” If you stop attending class,
you must withdraw at the registration office prior to “W” day. Remember to allow a 24-hour response time when
communicating via email and/or telephone with a professor and/or counselor. Do not submit a request to discuss
withdrawal options less than a day before the deadline. If you stop attending class and do not officially
withdraw, you will receive an “F” for the course.
To help students avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by
which your professor may “alert” you and HCCS counselors that you might fail a class because of excessive
absences and/or poor academic performance. Contact your professor regarding your academic performance or a
counselor to learn about what, if any, HCC interventions might be available to assist you—online tutoring, child
care, financial aid, job placement, etc.—to stay in class and improve your academic performance.
Six-Drop Rule
Students who enrolled in Texas public institutions of higher education as first-time college students during the Fall
2007 term or later are subject to section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, which states that an institution of
higher education may not permit a student to drop (withdraw with a grade of “W”) from more than six courses,
including courses that a transfer student has previously dropped at other Texas public institutions of higher
education that have already been counted against their six drop limit. Each student should fully understand this
drop limit before you drop any course. Please see a Counselor or Advisor in our Student Services area for
additional information and assistance.
Services to Students with Disabilities
Students who require reasonable accommodations for disabilities are encouraged to contact a HCC Disability
Support Service (DSS) Counselor to make necessary arrangements. The DSS telephone number for Southwest
College is 713.718.7909. The faculty can only provide accommodations requested through the Disability Support
Services Office.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic irregularities cannot be tolerated. Attempts to compromise the integrity of this course will result in a
grade of zero for the assignment or dismissal from the class. Students must not collaborate on the exams in any
way (including the use of materials from former students) and must not copy material from any source to use as
their essay answers or discussion contributions. See the HCCS Student Handbook for details.
Cheating is not that hard to define and as college students, you should have a firm idea about what cheating is. Just
to be clear, here are a few simple examples of cheating:

Copying from another student's exam
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
During a exam, using materials not authorized by the person giving the exam

Collaborating with another student during a exam without permission

Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of an exam
or paper

Bribing another person to obtain a copy of an exam

Plagiarism which means using someone's work or someone's ideas and representing them to be your own. That
"someone" may be another student, a friend, a relative, a book author, an author of material on a web site, etc.
Do not take material from anywhere without giving proper credit or reference. In other words, do not copy from
an Internet source and paste it into your essay

Collusion, which means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered
for credit when you represent that work to be your own
If you ever have any question about what is cheating, what is plagiarism or what is unauthorized collusion, please
contact your instructor before you do anything or submit anything. It is much better to ask first than to get caught
later.
In this class, the standard penalty for academic dishonesty is a grade of zero on the assignment. The penalty for
gross plagiarism and cheating on exams is failure in the course. Depending on severity and frequency, academic
dishonesty can lead to a recommendation for probation or dismissal from the College System.
HCC Student Course Grade Appeal Procedure
Any student who takes issue with the course or how it is taught should first express his or her specific concerns to
the instructor. Any challenges to the final course grade are governed by the HCC Student Course Grade Appeal
Procedure. The following statements are excerpts from the Procedure: (http://www.hccs.edu/hccs/currentstudents/student-rights-policies-procedures)



“A student has a right to appeal a grade that the student believes was contrary to procedures as specified in the
course syllabus or was based on bias, caprice, or computational or clerical error.”
“Faculty members have a right to have the grades they assign upheld unless it is clearly demonstrated that a
grade was contrary to procedures as specified in the course syllabus or was based on bias, caprice, or
computational or clerical error.”
“The student has the burden of proof. The student must present clear evidence that a grade was contrary to
procedures as specified in the course syllabus or was based on bias, caprice, or computational or clerical error.”
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System
At Houston Community College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is necessary to improve
teaching and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked to answer a short online survey of researchbased questions related to instruction. The anonymous results of the survey will be made available to your
professors and division chairs for continual improvement of instruction. Look for the survey as part of the Houston
Community College Student System online near the end of the term.
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SEMESTER TOPICS CALENDAR
Week 1
Course Introduction
What is Anthropology? What is Culture?
Lecture Readings (Jurmain et al. text)
Week 2
82959- No class for MLK Day, Monday, January 20
Subfields of Anthropology
Chap. 1
Week 3
Subfields of Anthropology
Chap. 1
Week 4- Feb 9, 11
Background of Evolutionary thought
What is Science?
Taxonomy
Writing Assignment 1 (Unit 1) due W/Th
Chap. 2A
Chap. 1
Week 5
Exam 1
Introduction to Evolution
Chap. 2B
Week 6
Taphonomy and Fossilization
Dating Techniques
Chap. 8
Chap. 8
Week 7
Natural Selection
Genetics
Chap. 2B
Chap. 3
Week 8
Micro-Evolution
Exam 2
Chap. 4
SPRING BREAK March 10-14
Week 9
Macro-Evolution
Writing Assignment 2 (Unit 2) due W/Th
Chap. 5
Week 10
Macro-Evolution
Chap. 5
Week 11
March 31, Monday- LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW
Primates
Chaps. 6, 7
Week 12
Exam 3
Osteology- the Human skeleton
Week 13
Hominins and human evolution - general trends
Human Evolution- Australopithecines
Chap. 8
Chap. 8
Week 14
Human Evolution- Homo
Chaps. 9, 10, 11
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Week 15
Human Variation in Modern Populations- Race
Chaps. 12, 13
Writing Assignment 3 Electronic Database Article due W/Th
Week 16: Final Exam Week
82959, Stafford- Scarcella, Rm. W118, MW 11-12:20
82960, West Loop, Rm. 172B, TuTh 11-12:20
80121, West Loop, Rm. 003, TuTh 12:30-1:50
= Monday
= Tuesday
= Thursday
May 5
May 6
May 8
11:00 am
11:00 pm
12:00 pm
Disclaimer
This syllabus is meant as a general guideline for assignments and course expectations. Your instructor reserves the
right to make reasonable modifications, in which case the class will be informed of such changes in a timely
manner. Your final exam date is not subject to change.
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