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SYLLABUS
The Same But Different: Human Biological Variation
Fall 2000: ANTH083S Freshman Seminar
Time: TTH 1:00-2:15
Place: Matson Museum of Anthropology; 219 Carpenter Building
Instructor: Dr. Joan Richtsmeier Phone: 863-0562 Email: jta10@psu.edu
Office hours: T TH 2:30-3:30 or by appointment
Course objectives: The major objective of this course is to provide students with an
introduction to human biological variation. Equally important objectives include learning to
critically discuss, defend, and write about ideas presented in class.
Course description: This class focuses on the significance of human biological variability. We
adopt a scientific and historical approach to this problem. We build a foundation for the
exploration of human biological variability by investigating the scientific method, genetics and
the concept of evolution. We read Stephen Jay Gould's Mismeasure of Man (1996) in an
attempt to understand historical influences on modern ideas (including misconceptions) of
human biological variability and its role in the concept of race, along with other readings
meant to clarify and complement Gould’s topic.
Evaluation, grading and exams: Grading is based primarily on four papers of moderate length
(5-10 pages including references cited section) that explore topics developed during lecture,
discussion and in reading assignments. The paper topics are fairly broad, and require reference
to readings and class discussion. You are encouraged to find and include additional references;
internet urls are acceptable. Each paper is worth 20% of the final grade. The due dates for the
papers are listed on the syllabus. Assigments are listed on the syllabus the day that they are
DUE, not the day you should start doing them, so look ahead! Points will be taken off for late
assignments. Additional short writing assignments will be given that will contribute to your
class participation portion of your grade (see below).
The remaining 20% of the grade will be determined by class participation (realize that
you must be present to participate, see “Attendence” below) and discussion. If you are
unprepared for class, I will know it and points will be taken off. All students are required to
keep a running dictionary. As you are reading, jot down any and all terms that you either do
not understand or that you would like to discuss in class. Each student will lead a class in
discussion either by themselves or with a partner. This requirement will be discussed and
further defined in class. Finally, each student will retain all written work in a portfolio that
will be turned in at the end of the semester. If you are doing particularly poorly at midsemester, the professor will contact you.
A quiz on Mendelian genetics may be given on September 5 or 7. If given, the grade
from this quiz will be applied to a paper: the quiz grade will raise a paper grade by up to ½ a
letter grade. In other words, an A on the quiz will raise a paper grade by .5, an B raises a grade
by ¼, a C or below will not affect your grade.
Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory. This means that absences will be taken into
account when grades are given. Students who do not attend class regularly may receive a
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failing grade or a lower grade than the student might have secured had attendance been regular.
If you must miss a class for a University-approved curricular or extracurricular activity, discuss
this with Dr. Richtsmeier BEFORE you miss the class, not after. If you are ill, you (or a lessill roommate) should either call or email Dr. Richtsmeier to inform her of the absence. As for
excuses, I’ve heard ‘em all. Honesty ALWAYS goes over better, or at least is more consistent
with the academic integrity statement (see below).
Academic integrity: Penn State defines academic integrity as the pursuit of scholarly activity in
an open, honest and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity,
respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an
environment in which all can succeed by their own efforts. In this class especially, respect for
each other’s ideas, history and dignity is expected and required. My hope would be that this
behavior might spill over into your everyday (out-of-the-classroom) life.
Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes but is not
limited to cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of
academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting
work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering
with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive
academic sanctions and will be reported to the University’s Judicial Affairs office for possible
further disciplinary sanction.
Disability Access Statement: Penn State encourages qualified people with disabilities to
participate in its programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall
have equal access to programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal
characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University
policy or by state or federal authorities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation
in this course or have questions about physical access, please tell Dr. Richtsmeier as soon as
possible (i.e., TODAY).
Course Materials: Gould (1996) The Mismeasure of Man is required reading, should be
purchased by all students enrolled in this course and is available at the University book store.
Xerox copies of additional required reading materials will be distributed by the professor
during the course. You should purchase a notebook or 3-ring binder for organizing these
readings as you will need to refer to them throughout the course and use them as a resource for
your writing assignments. You must also retain all written work and hand it in at the end of the
semester.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Class date
Reading
assignment
DUE
August 22
Class activity
Introduction; course syllabus, how to
use citations, Who are we? What is
anthropology?
Lecture: Science….multiple working
hypotheses…Lastrucci….objectivity
Head circumference activity
August 24
Chamberlain:
multiple working
hypotheses
August 29
Mayr (1978)
Lecture: Genetics 1
Mendelian genetics
August 31
Mayr (1978)
September 5
Falconer (19**)
September 7
Diamond (1966
Marks (1992)
Lecture: Genetics 2
Cytogenetics
Lecture: Genetics 3
Quantitative genetics
Lecture: Classification, clustering,
taxonomy, species
More on species
September 12
September 14
Cartmill (1999)
September 19
September 21
September 26
September 28
October 3
Writing assignment DUE
Provide a definition of the word race
(NOT as in foot race). If you use
sources, provide me with the
bibliographic reference; but make
sure that you add a definition and
defense of your choice of definition
in your own words.
Take the IQ test at
http://cech.cesnet.cz/IQ/index.p
hp
Record your score and provide
this information to the class (this
can be done anonymously)
Lecture/Discussion: Race
Class activity: cranial capacity of
Oryctolagus cunniculus
Statistics 101.a; parameters of a
population and probablility
Statistics 101.b: correlations and
causation
Class activity: head circumference and
IQ I.
Gould: Chapter 1
(pp. 51-61)
NY Times
magazine article
Writing assignment 1
Gould: Chapter 2
(pp. 62-104)
October 5
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October 10
NO CLASS
October 12
Chapter 3 (pp.
105-141)
Tobias 1970
October 17
NO CLASS
NO CLASS (yippie!)
Writing assignment 2
October 19
October 24
Chapter 4 (pp.
142-175)
October 26
October 31
November 2
Chapter 5 (pp.
176-263)
November 7
Writing assignment 3
November 9
November 14
November 16
November 21
November 23
November 28
Chapter 6 (pp.
264-350)
THANKSGIVING
NO CLASS
Chapter 7 (pp.351366)
THANKSGIVING NO CLASS
November 30
December 5
(last class)
December 7
(final
assignment
due but no
class)
NO CLASS
NO CLASS
Writing assignment 4.
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Writing assignments:
#1 Due September 26: Write an essay entitled: “The species concept: is it real?” Use
references; argue your opinion.
#2 Due October 12: Biological determinism is defined is the school of thought that believes
that shared behavioral norms, and the social and economic differences between human groups
(races, classes, sexes) arise from inherited, inborn distinctions. In short, society is an accurate
reflection of biology; people at the bottom are constructed on intrinsically inferior material.
Discuss how the role of genetics and the role of environment in producing the phenotype (the
nature-nurture controversy) relates to the theory of biological determinism.
or
Examine the concepts of biological evolution and cultural evolution. Compare these concepts,
contrast these concepts. Is there interaction? Can you give examples of biological evolution
affecting cultural evolution or cultural evolution affecting biological evolution?
Added Oct 3: Substitute assignment: Discuss the nature and significance of human
biological variation in evolutionary terms. Why does variation exist? How can it be
studied? ALSO NO WEB REFERENCES.
#3 Due November 7: What do you think is measured by an IQ test? How does this differ
from the intent of the originator of these tests?
Or
According to Lastrucci (1967:19-20), scientists should not provide opinion or fact to the public
outside of his area of specialty. Gould (1996:39-40) feels strongly that opinion or fact should
be judged by its content and not by the author’s name or rank. Provide your opinion on these
issues giving examples that you have come across in your readings and noting your
understanding of science and the scientific approach.
#4 Due December 7: Provide a definition of the word race and discuss other definitions and
defend yours. How is this definition different from/similar to the definition you provided the
first week of class?
Or
Pick an article from the references listed for this course. Write a summary and
critique/discussion of this article.
Or
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Find three reviews of Gould’s book (either the first or second edition). Pick two of the three
reviews of Gould’s book; (for example, one for the first edition and one for the second) and
compare them (for example, in terms of what was important in the 1980s versus the 1990s, for
example). This will require you to summarize the reviews in your own words.
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Leading a class.
A requirement of this course is that each student lead the class during one class period.
Presentations should be planned to last about 50 minutes but can take the entire 75 minutes if
needed. The class can be planned as discussion, a class activity, an experiment, whatever you
feel might be beneficial, appropriate and interesting to the other students in the class. You will
be graded on the form of your presentation but also on your use of outside sources and
materials. Suggested topics are listed below. You are not limited to these topics, they are
suggestions. Topics must be approved by the Professor. Dates must be chosen and approved
by the Professor on a first come, first serve basis. If you have a reading assignment for the
class, please make it available to the Professor a week ahead of time so that it can be copied
and distributed to the class ahead of time.
Suggested topics:
Presentation and discussion of the contents of any chapter (or part of a chapter) in Gould
(1996).
Presentation and discussion of either of the entries in the Epilogue in Gould (1996).
Research the life of a scientist discussed by Gould (1996) and present this information to the
class.
Further discussion of an issue discussed by Gould (1996). If you do this you must choose a
date that corresponds with the class reading assignment.
Read any article in the New York Times series on “Race in America” published over the
summer and present this information to the class leading a discussion.
Conduct an in-class exercise or experiment with the class.
Read : Herrnstein, RJ and Murray, C 1994 The Bell Curve: the reshaping of American Life
by difference in intelligence. New York: Free Press. Provide a synopsis for the class and lead
a discussion
Read up on Twin studies. Present relevant material and lead a discussion on Nature versus
Nurture.
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Readings and general references for this course:
Cartmill, M. 1998. The status of the race concept in physical anthropology.
American Anthropologist 100(3):651-660.
Cavalli-Sforza, L.L. and F. Cavalli-Sforza. 1995. The Great Human Diasporas. New York:
Helix Books, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Chapter 5: How different are we?
The genetic history of the human species . Pp. 106-125.
Copi, I.M. 1982. An Introduction to Logic. New York: Macmillan. Pp. 462-511.
Chapter 13, Science and Hypothesis
Cummings, M.R. 1997. Human Heredity: Principles and Issues. 4th Ed.
Cincinnati, OH: West/Wadsworth, International Thomson Publishing Company.
Pp. 49-107.
Chapter 3, Transmission of Genes from Generation to Generation
Chapter 4, Pedigree Analysis in Human Genetics
Diamond, J 1966 Zoological classification system of a primitive people. Science
151(3714):1102-1104.
Diamond, J. 1994. Race without color. Discover 15(11):82-89.
Fausto-Sterling, A. Sex, Race, Brains, and calipers. Discover magazine, October 1993
Gagneux, Pascal et al. Mitochondrial sequences show diverse evolutionary
histories of African hominoids. PNAS, USA 96:5077-5082, April 1999
Gould, SJ 1996 The mismeasure of man. New York: WW Norton.
Gould, S.J. 1983. Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes. New York: WW Norton Inc.
Pp. 158-165, 176-186. \Chapter 12, Kingdoms without Wheels
Chapter 14, Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes
Jablonski and Chaplin. 2000. The evolution of human skin coloration.
Journal of Human Evolution 39:57-106.
Lastrucci, CL 1967 The Scientific Approach. Basic Principles of the Scientific Method.
Cambridge: Schenkman .
Lewontin, R.C. 1976. The problem of genetic diversity. The Harvey
Lectures. Series 70, 1974-1975. p. 1-20.
Marks, J. 1997. Systematics in anthropology: where science confronts the
humanities (and consistently loses). In: G.A. Clark and C.M. Willermet
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(Eds), Conceptual Issues in Modern Human Origins Research. New York: Plenum
Press. Pp. 45-59.
Marks, J. and R.B. Lyles. 1994. Rethinking genes. Evolutionary Anthropology
3(4):139-146.
Mayr, E. 1963. Animal Species and Evolution. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press
of Harvard University Press. Pp. 136-163.
Mayr, E. 1976. Evolution and the Diversity of Life. Cambridge, MA: Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press. Pp. 26-29.
Chapter 3, Typological versus Population Thinking
Mayr, E. 1978 Evolution. Scientific America 239:46-55.
Mayr, E. 1991. One Long Argument. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Pp. 12-47, 149-157.
Stocking, G.W. Jr. 1968. Race, Culture, and Evolution. New York: The Free
Press, A Division of Macmillan Publishing Co. Pp. 161-194.
Chapter 8, The Critique of Racial Formalism
Templeton, A.R. 1998. Human races: A genetic and evolutionary perspective.
American Anthropologist 100(3):632-650.
Tobias, P 1970. American Journal Physical Anthropology.32:3-26
Williams, R.J. 1956. Biochemical Individuality. New York: John Wiley and
Sons, Inc. Pp. 1-17, 166-196.
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