Department ___Sociology and Anthropology__
Investigating the Natural World
Course Number __101_____
Course Name Human Adaptation
This form must be submitted to the Faculty Council on Liberal Learning and Academic Life as part of the
submission process.
Please attach a proposed syllabus for this course and the Undergraduate Curriculum Course Proposal Form.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 17 December 2004
Please answer the following questions:
Check Only One:
◊ This course is an existing course (in the current curriculum) that we are now proposing for this
Area of Inquiry.
X◊ This is a new course that we are now proposing for this Area of Inquiry.
1. Name and contact information for the department chair administrating this course.
Joseph Healey
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
574-7115
healey@cnu.edu
2. In any given semester, how many sections of this course is your department willing to offer?
Two sections each Spring semester
3. Why is this course being offered/what is it designed to achieve (Course purpose/goal)?
This course is being offered in order to provide students interested in the Natural World an
opportunity to study the biological past and present of Homo sapiens.
4. All courses must address every objective listed below.
Lecture
◊ Understand the process of science and the strengths and weaknesses of this process
◊ Understand that our present knowledge of the natural world is the result of the progression
of scientific
ideas over time
◊ Apply scientific knowledge to the definition, understanding, and evaluation of issues of
contemporary
society
◊ Gain an understanding of a body of knowledge in at least one natural science discipline
Laboratory
◊ Engage in asking and answering questions using the scientific process
◊ Conduct analyses and evaluation of data from scientific experimentation
◊ Present results and draw conclusions in both written and oral formats
◊ Apply the scientific process to present-day questions
AREAS OF INQUIRY
INVESTIGATING THE NATURAL WORLD
5. Briefly explain how this class addresses the above objectives.
This class achieves the above objectives by helping students learn:
1. The genetic basis of human biological features. How specific biological characteristics of
humans are controlled genetically. The extent and nature of genetic variation among living
human populations.
2. Operation of evolutionary mechanisms in humans. What the major evolutionary mechanisms
are. How determination of what evolutionary mechanisms are active in specific human groups is
made and what the effects of each mechanism are. How evolutionary mechanisms interact in
human populations.
3. Historical basis of evolutionary thought. The major steps in the development of modern
evolutionary thought and the major debates relevant to this development.
4. Basis of living human biological variation. Examination of the major factors that influence the
patterning of living human variation--specifically the roles of geography, climate, nutrition,
cultural adaptation, and demography. Why the question of racial variation among living people
is so controversial.
5. Principles of organismic biological classification. How organisms are assigned to specific
groups within a classifcational framework. What grouping organisms together as specific units in
a classification reflects in terms of biological history. Classification of the order Primates and of
humans within the order Morphological.
6. The fossil evidence reflecting human evolution. What science knows about human biological
evolution based on the most direct evidence of that history--the fossil record. How scientists are
able to interpret the position of fossil remains within the web of life and how important aspects of
adaptation are determined from fossil material.
7. The scientific method. What differentiates science as a way of knowing from other
approaches. What the basis of conflict is between scientific and religious explanations for
certain phenomena. How the scientific method (hypothesis testing, principle of replication) can
be applied in historical science.
8. The role of culture in human adaptation, variation and evolution. Culture as an adaptive
mechanism. The unique nature of human culture and its interaction with biology that underlie the
evolutionary course defining humans.
9. The integrative nature of science. How different branches of science work together on largescale problems. The role of other scientific disciplines in understanding human biocultural
evolution and variation.
10. Comprehend & contextualize the meaning of various forms of communication. Students must
make assessments like those noted above by evaluating material presented in lecture, reading
assignments, and various visual media sources. Thus the ability to extract and evaluate pertinent
information from a variety of communication modes is enhanced.
11. Analyze relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions or other forms of
representation intended to express beliefs, judgments, experience, reasons, information, or
opinions.
12. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of varying points of view.
This course does not have an accompanying one credit lab. Students will, however, have
access to fossil casts and mammalian skeletons for comparative analysis as part of class
lecture-discussions.
6. Course Assessment: Identify how this course will accomplish the above objectives (choose
at least one).
X◊ Participating in class discussion and debate
X◊ Engaging in teamwork and other collaborative exercises
X◊ Writing analytical or evaluative papers, perhaps incorporating original research
◊ Making oral presentations
◊ Performing laboratory experiments
◊ Conducting data analysis
◊ Participating in fieldwork
◊ Other means – please identify
7. Attach a proposed syllabus, which includes a statement of purpose, course objectives, and how
these objectives will be accomplished.
Please see attached.
8. If this course contributes to any of the foundations for liberal learning given below, please
explain how.
◊ Oral Communication Literacy:
This student goal is achieved by providing time during class for student participation through
discussion.
◊ Information Literacy:
This student goal is achieved by students having to review the scholarly literature and popular
literature on human race as part of their reflective paper assignment on race, biology, and human
diversity.
 Writing Literacy:
This student goal is achieved through the reflective paper assignment on race that requires
students to

make connections between the social construction of race as a category of human
difference and the scientific evidence regarding human variation which demonstrates race
is an invalid category

consider how humans have been mismeasured biologically to support ideological
interests
8. Explain how this course connects to Vision 2010 – the CNU Strategic Plan
(www.cnu.edu/Vision2010).
This course connects to Vision2010 by providing an intellectually challenging and dynamic class
that contributes to CNU’s liberal learning curriculum, supports learning that cultivates critical and
innovative thinking through examining the science of human adaptation, and connects liberal
learning to ethical conduct and civic responsibility by teaching the biological bases versus the
cultural constructs of human diversity that reduces racist thought and promotes informed
judgement.
Submission Checklist:
By the deadline, submit a packet with the following documents to the Assistant Dean for Liberal
Learning. Please submit in electronic and hard copy form.
_____ Area of Inquiry Course Proposal Form
_____ Syllabus for the Course
If needed:
_____ Undergraduate Curriculum Committee New Course Proposal Form
_____ Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Change to Existing Course Form
Anthropology 101: Human Adaptation
Dr. Marcus Griffin
Department of Sociology and
Anthropology
Christopher Newport
University
Office: SunTrust 224
Office Hours: MWF 9-9:50 Student Center; 1-1:50pm
SunTrust 224; and by Appointment
757-594-7785
griffin@cnu.edu
http://marcusgriffin.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Anthropology 101 is an introduction to the study of human evolution and the emergence of modern human
biological variation. The course will focus on the processes and principles relevant to understanding the
biological history of the human species and the variation this species exhibits today. Because of the unique
nature of humans as culturally dependant organisms, aspects of human cultural evolution are also
discussed, with an emphasis on the interaction of cultural and biological factors. Topics to be emphasized
are the history of evolutionary thought, the application of the evolutionary process to humans, human
genetics, human variation, the relationship of humans to other organisms (particularly in the order
Primates), the human fossil record and the archaeological evidence for the emergence and development of
human culture during the Pleistocene and early Holocene.
The course is taught as a lecture-discussion and requires a high degree of student participation through
collaborative learning and individual projects, and is reading intensive.
Students are encouraged to participate in co-curricular activities involving other upper-division and lowerdivision courses, assisting introductory anthropology students, and engaging the CNU anthropology
learning community.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, you will
• Gain factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends) about:
1. The genetic basis of human biological features. How specific biological characteristics of
humans are controlled genetically. The extent and nature of genetic variation among living
human populations.
2. Operation of evolutionary mechanisms in humans. What the major evolutionary mechanisms
are. How determination of what evolutionary mechanisms are active in specific human groups is
made and what the effects of each mechanism are. How evolutionary mechanisms interact in
human populations.
3. Historical basis of evolutionary thought. The major steps in the development of modern
evolutionary thought and the major debates relevant to this development.
4. Basis of living human biological variation. Examination of the major factors that influence the
patterning of living human variation--specifically the roles of geography, climate, nutrition,
cultural adaptation, and demography. Why the question of racial variation among living people
is so controversial.
5. Principles of organismic biological classification. How organisms are assigned to specific
groups within a classifcational framework. What grouping organisms together as specific units in
a classification reflects in terms of biological history. Classification of the order Primates and of
humans within the order Morphological.
6. The fossil evidence reflecting human evolution. What science knows about human biological
evolution based on the most direct evidence of that history--the fossil record. How scientists are
able to interpret the position of fossil remains within the web of life and how important aspects of
adaptation are determined from fossil material.
7. The scientific method. What differentiates science as a way of knowing from other
approaches. What the basis of conflict is between scientific and religious explanations for
certain phenomena. How the scientific method (hypothesis testing, principle of replication) can
be applied in historical science.
8. The role of culture in human adaptation, variation and evolution. Culture as an adaptive
mechanism. The unique nature of human culture and its interaction with biology that underlie the
evolutionary course defining humans.
9. The integrative nature of science. How different branches of science work together on largescale problems. The role of other scientific disciplines in understanding human biocultural
evolution and variation.
• Learn to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view
1. Comprehend & contextualize the meaning of various forms of communication. Students must
make assessments like those noted above by evaluating material presented in lecture, reading
assignments, and various visual media sources. Thus the ability to extract and evaluate
pertinent information from a variety of communication modes is enhanced.
1. 2. Analyze relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions or other forms
of representation intended to express beliefs, judgments, experience, reasons, information, or
opinions.
3. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of varying points of view.
4. Submit a Reflection Paper on Race, Biology, and Human Diversity that makes connections
between the social construction of race as a category of human difference and the scientific
evidence regarding human variation which demonstrates race is an invalid category and
considers how humans have been mismeasured biologically to support ideological interests.
These objectives cannot be achieved, regardless of my teaching skill and your innate intelligence, if
you do not carefully read the course materials and choose to participate in class.
COURSE MATERIALS
Assigned Books:
Essentials of
Physical
Anthropology.
Robert
Jurmain, et.
al
Dead Men Do
Tell Tales :
The Strange
and
Fascinating
Cases of a
Forensic
Anthropologist
(Paperback)
by William R.
Maples,
Michael
Browning
th
6 Edition,
2006
"
There will be assigned articles and video throughout the semester. In addition, you are
expected to explore the scholarly literature independently and share your learning with
the class.
GRADING POLICIES
Your grade is based on the end result of your effort and productivity throughout the semester. I provide
only whole grades and do not employ a plus/minus system. The percentage score and associated grade are
listed below.
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
59 and below is an F
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments will be presented in class and a guide for completion given. All handouts are available at
http://marcusgriffin.com/classes/downloads.
Unit Exams (two term and one final)
50%
Human and Primate Anatomy Quizzes (Five) 30%
Reflection Paper on Race, Biology, and Human Diversity 20%
POLICY REGARDING MAKE-UP EXAMS AND LATE SUBMISSIONS
Students receiving a passing grade but missing the final exam will be given an “I” (incomplete) and will
have until the second week of the following semester to complete the exam with a full grade deduction
penalty. Failing to make up the exam will automatically change the “I” into an “F.” Students missing
examinations during the semester may make up a test after the final exam during finals week with a full
grade deduction penalty.
The posted due date for all assignments is the last opportunity to submit and I encourage you to submit
your work prior to the deadline (hence the wording: dead—line). Assignments turned in after the specified
date and time will be reduced by one full letter grade per day regardless of reason. This includes emailed
assignments after class on the due date.
WRITING CENTER
Because all writers can benefit from reader’s responses to their work, I strongly
encourage-and may occasionally require-you to visit the CNU Writing Center.
Consultants there can help you at any stage of the writing process, from invention, to
development of ideas, to polishing a final draft. The Center is not a proofreading service,
but its consultants can help you to recognize and correct grammar and punctuation errors
in your work. The Writing Center is in Ratcliffe 110; you can call (594-7684) or email
(wcenter@cnu.edu) for an appointment or just drop in. Go as early in the writing process
as you can, and go often! The Writing Center’s web site provides handouts and links to
other writing resources on the web: it is available at http://www.cnu.edu/wcenter/
index.htm.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT POLICIES
The Golden Rule: Let us treat each other with respect. Although we will often challenge each
other’s interpretations and ideas, we will never attack individuals or groups. Everyone has the right to
speak and be heard.
Arrival and Departure: Do not enter class if you are ten or more minutes late. If you must leave
class early, please consult Dr. Griffin beforehand. Otherwise, you may not because it disrupts the learning
environment. If Dr. Griffin is not in class after ten minutes into the session, class is canceled automatically.
Cell Phones and Beepers: They must be turned off or on vibrate/silent ring before entering
class.
ATTENDANCE AND LATENESS POLICIES
Attendance and participation in class are required, I will take attendance regularly, but these are not part of
assignment-based grading. Participation is like breathing, you simply do it for survival and well-being. If
you are not in class, I assume something more important came up. You need not give me an excuse slip. Of
course, irregular attendance not only hurts your course work, but it weakens the class as a whole. I want
you to succeed at CNU; therefore I may notify the Academic Advising Center if you seem to be
having problems with this course. Someone may contact you to help you determine what help you
need to succeed. You will be sent a copy of the referral form. I invite you to see me at any time that I
can be of assistance in helping you with the course material. Please know that habitually getting notes
from a classmate is no substitute for being an active member of our learning community. You will most
likely do well if you come to class and do poorly if you miss class.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism is the stealing or passing off as your own the writings or
ideas of someone else. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, quoting,
summarizing, or paraphrasing ideas without giving credit to their source, submitting as
your own work that has been copied or purchased from another student or other source,
and permitting someone else to revise or edit a paper to the extent that it is no longer your
own work.. Plagiarism in essays cannot be allowed and will result in a zero for that
assignment and may result in an F for the course. It is your responsibility to know what
plagiarism is and how to avoid it. I expect that you will uphold the CNU Honor Code,
below, in your preparations for this course.
“On my honor, I will maintain the hightest possible standards of honesty, integrity and personal
responsibility. That means I will not lie, cheat or steal, and as a member of this academic community, I am
committed to creating an environment of respect and mutual trust.”
DISABILITIES
If you believe that you have a disability, you should make an appointment to discuss your needs. In order to
receive an accommodation, your disability must be on record in Disability Services located in the
Academic Advising Center, Room 125, Administration Building (telephone number 757-594-8763; TDD
757-594-7938 or TDD 800-828-1120, the Virginia Relay Center).
I created the following websites. They are aimed
at fostering a single anthropology learning
community at CNU. I do not require you to post
in the forum or access the blog, but your learning
experience and those of your classmates and
professor will likely be more productive,
energetic, and fulfilling if you choose to
participate. If you are nervous about speaking in
class, make an extra effort to share your thoughts
and insight online in the forum. The blog is
primarily for me to communicate to you and the
forum is primarily for you to communicate with
your classmates and occasional guest experts.
The websites themselves are self-explanatory so
check them out!
Professional Website:
http://marcusgriffin.com
Class Blog:
http://classblog.marcusgriffin.com
Class Discussion Forum
http://forum.marcusgriffin.com
Course documents may be downloaded from http://marcusgriffin.com/classes/downloads
Login: cnu password: anthro
If you want something loaded for distribution to the anthro learning community, give it to
me on CD and I’ll upload it.
The following is our schedule for the semester. Because we will engage in active
learning, a degree of flexibility is required to respond to the particular learning
needs and interest of participants. At the same time this is an introductory survey
and we will not deviate greatly from the schedule. What is due or on the horizon will
be abundantly clear to those who attend class regularly. Do not forget the class blog
I maintain (http://classblog.marcusgriffin.com) to ensure no one gets lost along our
journey exploring and discovering knowledge. All changes to the schedule will be
posted and explained in the blog.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week/Date
1-Aug 22
Topic and Activity
Introduction
• Biology and Culture
• Evolution and Adaptation
• Science and Religion
2-Aug 29
Human Genetics
• DNA
• Mendelian Genetics
• Types and Rates of Mutations
3-Sept 5
Evolutionary Forces
• Population Genetics
• Mutation and Natural Selection
• Tay Sachs Disease and Gene Drift
4-Sept 12
Origin and Evolution of Species
• Speciation
• Adaptive Radiation
• Macroevolution and Extinction
• Geologic Time
5-Sept 19
Studying Human Variation
• Measuring Human Variation
• Race and Human Variation
• Global Patterns of Genetic Variation
6-Sept 26
Genetics, History, and Ancestry
• Genetic History of Populations
• Genetic History of Individuals , Ancestry, and Cultural Identity
• Kennewick Man
7-Oct 3
Review
st
8-Oct 8-11
8-Oct 12-14
1 Term Exam
Fall Break
Natural Selection in Human Populations
• Disease
• Skin Color
• Culture Change
9-Oct 17
The Human Species
• Characteristics of Living Humans
• Human Life Cycle
• Is Human Behavior Unique?
10-Oct 22
Primate Origins and Evolution
• Studying the Fossil Record
• Early Primate Evolution
• Miocene Hominoids
11-Oct 31
Hominid Origins
• The First Hominids
• The Origin of Bipedalism
• The Piltdown Hoax
12-Nov 7
Evolution of Genus Homo
• The Genus Homo
• Homo Erectus
• Archaic Humans
13-Nov 14
Origin of Modern Humans
• Anatomically Modern Homo sapiens
• The origin of Modern Humans
• Racism and the Mis-measure of Man
14-Nov 21
Review
14-Nov 22
2 Term Exam
Thanksgiving Break
nd
15-Nov 28
Human Biology and Culture Change
• The Biological Impact of Agriculture
• The Biological Impact of Civilization
• Recent Changes: Pollution and Reemergence of Infectious Disease
• The Future of Our Species
16-Dec 5
Final Exam
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
NEW COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Does this proposal affect General Education requirements? Yes __X___ No _____
1. Title of Course: Human Adaptation
Proposed Course Number (cleared with Registrar):
ANTH 101
Prerequisite Courses: None
Catalogue Description (including credits, lecture, and lab hours):
Anthropology 101 is an introduction to the study of human evolution and the emergence of modern human
biological variation. The course will focus on the processes and principles relevant to understanding the
biological history of the human species and the variation this species exhibits today. Because of the unique
nature of humans as culturally dependant organisms, aspects of human cultural evolution are also
discussed, with an emphasis on the interaction of cultural and biological factors. Topics to be emphasized
are the history of evolutionary thought, the application of the evolutionary process to humans, human
genetics, human variation, the relationship of humans to other organisms (particularly in the order
Primates), the human fossil record and the archaeological evidence for the emergence and development of
human culture during the Pleistocene and early Holocene.
Is the course cross-listed? If so, what is the number of the other course?
No.
**A proposed syllabus, including complete text and/or reference
information, as well as any relevant information to this decision,
must be appended.
NOTE: All affected department chairs must sign approval on last page.
2. For whom is the course primarily intended? Explain why it should be added to the curriculum.
This course is primarily intended for students wishing to fulfill three of the seven credits in the
Natural World Area of Inquiry.
3. If this course is required, append a description of how the course fits into the curriculum. Indicate
how
it affects hours required for graduation.
This course is not required.
4. Has this course been offered previously as a special topics course? If so, when? What course
number was used?
No.
5. Has this course, or one closely related to it, been offered at CNU previously?
If so, is that course currently being offered? How does the proposed course differ? When is
the last term the old course will be offered?
This course, or one like it, has not been offered at CNU before.
6. What is the anticipated enrollment per offering for the next three years? Sixty students per year in
two sections of thirty each.
During which term will this course first be offered?
Spring 2007
During which semesters will this course regularly be offered?
Each Spring semester thereafter.
7. How will the course be staffed?
This course will be staffed by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, primarily Dr. Marcus
Griffin.
8. Does the course involve a particular classroom, special equipment, or costs beyond those usually
associated with a course at CNU? If so, please explain.
Yes. This course requires the availability of lab shelving and tables in order for students to examine
various fossil casts and human and other mammalian skeletons. Initial conversations with the Chair of
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences (Dr. Harold Cones) and the Dr. Harold Grau who
oversees the anatomy lab suggests this requirement is feasible.
9. Is the course repeatable for additional credit? If so, is there a limit to the number of times the
course can be repeated? (e.g., applied music courses)
No.
This course was approved by:
(General education courses must be reviewed by BOTH academic Deans.) Concur
|
Concur**
Department(s): (1)
Date: ________
(2)
Date: ________
College Curriculum Committee:
Date: ________
Dean:
Date: ________
Dean:
Date: ________
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee:
Date: ________
Do Not
Changes to the General Education requirements must be reviewed by the Faculty
Senate.
Faculty Senate President:
Date: ________
Provost
Date: ________
Distribution by Provost Office following approval:
Department Chair(s), UCC Chair, Deans, Registrar
** If “Do Not Concur” is checked, please attach a statement of explanation.
Rev. 04/10/04