ATH 255 - FOUNDATIONS OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Course Syllabus
Fall 2004
TR 2-3:15 p.m.
71 Upham
3 credit hours
Office phone 9-1594
Dr. Linda F. Marchant
Office 157 Upham
Office hrs. T 9:30-11:30;
TH 8-10
or by appointment
Required Texts:
Jurmain, R., Kilgore, L., Trevathan, W., Nelson, H. 2004. Essentials of Physical
Anthropology, 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Whitehead, P.F., Sacco, W.K., Hochgraf, S.B. 2005. A Photographic Atlas for
Physical Anthropology, Brief Edition. Englewood, CO: Morton Publishing
Company.
A Reader, available at Oxford Copy Shop, 10 Poplar.
[Your reader will be available after Aug. 30th at the latest]
Course Description: [Please note - the prerequisite for this course is ATH 155]
This course serves as an introduction to biological anthropology. We consider
how an evolutionary perspective is essential to the life sciences. We review basic
rules of inheritance, tackle the role of natural selection in the evolution of species,
and address the relationship between populations and species. Our discussion
of the palaeontological record begins with a review of vertebrate evolution. The
focus then shifts to the order primates, including hominids. We examine the fossil
record from the Paleocene through the Pleistocene, but link our examination to
extant species’ morphology and behavior. In the last weeks of the course we
return to the present and look at modern Homo sapiens sapiens as a biological
organism. We consider issues like: population variation, population adaptation,
and the human life course.
Grading:
Your grade is determined by:
“Familiarization” Quiz
5%
Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 25%
Final Exam 25%
Book Review 20%
Preparation & Participation 5%
100%
Information about your Book Review is distributed on Aug. 24, 2004. Although
Preparation & Participation (P&P) may look modest in that it accounts for 5% of
your grade, it can make a difference, obviously. P&P will entail being called upon
at random to respond to questions regarding the content of your textbook or
other assigned readings. You may be asked to explain an evolutionary
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mechanism, e.g. the role of mutation; clarify an issue in taxonomy, e.g., why is
genus Pongo more distantly related to us than is genus Pan; and similar sorts of
questions.
The “Familiarization” Quiz is a chance for you to become familiar with how I
structure objective questions on examinations. It too accounts for 5% of your
grade; it will help you to prepare for the more extensive examinations. For the
”familiarization” quiz, you will have 25 minutes in which to complete 30 objective
questions. Examinations are a combination of objective and written (short answer
and short essay) sections.
No make-up exams will be given, except by prior arrangement and
documentation of serious illness or family death. Remember, please
contact me either before the exam or on the day of the exam.
Attendance policy: Attendance is taken every class meeting; if you have
more than 5 un-excused absences during the semester, your final grade
will be lowered one interval on the letter grade. For example, a B+ will be a
B.
COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK OF:
TOPIC
TEXT -CHAPTER(S)
Aug 24,26
The Evolutionary Perspective
1
Aug 31,
Sept 2
History of Evolutionary Theory
2
Sept 7,9
Mon/Tues Switch, Mon classes meet
Cell Biology
3
Sept 14,16
Cell Biology cont.; Heredity
BOOK REVIEW SELECTION DUE, 9/14
“FAMILIARIZATION” QUIZ, 9/16
3,4
Sept 21,23
Heredity cont.; The Living Primates
4,5; W p.5-8
W p.10-12
Sept 28,30
The Living Primates cont.
EXAMINATION 1 - SEPT. 30
5; W p.13-18
Oct 5,7
Primate Behavior
6
Oct 12,14
Macroevolution
7; W p.3132, p.43-53
2
Oct 19,21
Hominid Origins
8; W p.1922,29-30,5467
Oct 26,28
Homo erectus and contemporaries
9; W p. 6874
Nov 2,4
Guest Lecture: Dr. Clyde Snow, 11/2
Neandertals and other archaics
Nov 9,11
Nov 16,18
EXAMINATION 2 – NOV. 9
Neandertals cont.
Homo sapiens sapiens
10;W p.7889
10
11; W p.9095
Guest Lecture: Dr. William McGrew, 11/18
Nov 23
Human Variation
BOOK REVIEW DUE IN CLASS 11/23
Thanksgiving Break
12
Nov 30,
Dec 2
Human Variation cont.
The Human Life Course
12,13
Dec 7,9
The Human Life Course cont.
Prospects and Pitfalls
13,14
FINAL EXAMINATION - MONDAY, DEC. 13TH, 9:45 A.M.
W indicates pages in Whitehead et al.
See your Reader’s Table of Contents for related chapter material.
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The Following Statement Appears in the Anthropology Majors Handbook
Revised February 11, 2004
Academic Misconduct*
The Department of Anthropology is committed to supporting the
intellectual growth and academic potential of students through the
development of new skills, the capacity for self-assessment, and advice
from instructors. This learning process is undermined when students submit
work that is not their own. Students who do so deny themselves the
opportunity to practice skills essential to success at university and beyond.
Students who engage in academic dishonesty cannot receive accurate
assessments of their skills and they may also prevent other students from
receiving accurate assessments of their knowledge or abilities. As a form
of theft or deceit, such conduct is unethical and violates the relationships
of trust and respect among students, their peers, and their instructor.
Students who gain a grade dishonestly are only pretending to become
educated, and defraud themselves and others (Whitley & Keith-Spiegel,
2002).
Academic misconduct, as defined by the Miami University Student
Handbook, covers a wide variety of activities, including copying or
allowing others to copy one’s exams or assignments, turning in an
assignment that the student has not written, and submitting the same
material for more than one class. Instances of academic misconduct will
be dealt with in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Student
Handbook, which is available on-line at:
http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/
One form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism, which is presenting
the work, words or ideas of another person as though they were one’s
own, without giving the originator credit. For example, it is plagiarism to
paraphrase material from another source without proper citation.
Consider the following statement from Barbara Myerhoff’s 1980
ethnography Number Our Days: “Thus, in addition to being an intrinsic
good, learning was a strategy for worldly gain.” It is plagiarism for the
student to write the following in a paper: “Learning was not only
inherently good, but a way to acquire worldly things.” Although a few
words have been changed, the sentence is basically the same, and
Myerhoff is not given credit. An acceptable sentence in a student paper
would be, “Myerhoff (1980:92) notes that although learning was valued for
its own sake, it was also “a strategy for worldly gain.” Here, Myerhoff is
given credit for the idea, and her exact words are placed in quotation
marks. The same rules apply to material from websites, and student work
may be subject to online plagiarism searches.
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Why do students cheat?
 Students sometimes cheat because they procrastinate on studying
for a test or writing a paper. The Bernard B. Rinella, Jr. Learning
Assistance Center in 23 CAB gives students help with time
management and study skills.
 Students sometimes plagiarize because they are embarrassed to
ask for help on writing assignments (Whitley, Jr. & Keith-Spiegel,
2002). The anthropology faculty encourage you to ask them for
help, and the Center for Writing Excellence also provides a number
of links on how to write a paper, including proper citation and how
to avoid plagiarism:
http://www.units.muohio.edu/cwe/Online_Resources.html.
 Students sometimes plagiarize because they believe instructors will
think they are stupid or unoriginal if the paper is full of citations to
other people’s work (Whitley, Jr. & Keith-Spiegel, 2002). This is a
misconception: good scholarly work consists of organizing the ideas
and evidence presented by other people as the foundation or
support for argument. An extensive References Cited section is a
strength in any paper.
 Students sometimes commit academic misconduct because they
are unsure of the rules in a particular class, e.g., how much “working
together” is acceptable. It is important to ASK your instructor for
clarification of any questions you have about assignments. If you
don’t ask, instructors will assume that your understanding of the
assignment is the same as theirs. According to the Student
Handbook, “Misunderstanding of the appropriate academic
conduct will not be accepted as an excuse for academic
misconduct.”
Many students recognize that academic dishonesty hurts the student
who does it. Students have noted the following: “You miss out on
opportunities to master research and writing skills—two essential abilities in
today’s marketplace” “You do not experience the gratification that
comes from creating something that is distinctly your own,” and “If you
commit plagiarism and it is discovered, your career is ruined before it
starts” (Whitely, Jr. & Keith-Spiegel, 2002). Academic integrity is the
foundation of self-respect and is the responsibility of every member of the
Miami community.
* This statement is copied, verbatim in some paragraphs, from Miami
University’s Department of Psychology ad-hoc committee report on
Academic Dishonesty, May 1, 2003.
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