Kemp-Anthropology 260
Anthropology 260: Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Fall Semester 2009
Lecture: M, W, and F 11:10 am-12:00 noon, Todd 301
Labs: M, W, or F 1:10-3:40pm, College Hall 355
Professor: Brian M. Kemp
Office: College Hall 363
Office Hours: by appointment
Office Phone: 335-7403
e-mail: bmkemp@wsu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Casey Roulette
Office: College Hall 383
Office Hours: TBA
e-mail: croulette@wsu.edu
The Course:
What is physical anthropology? What do physical anthropologists study? In
“Introduction to Physical Anthropology” we will explore the various branches of
the field of physical (or biological) anthropology. The ultimate focus is exploring
the biological and cultural evolution of Homo sapiens. The course is
fundamentally divided into four sections:
1) How evolution works
-In this section of the course you will learn about evolution by means of
natural selection and how the theory fits with our modern understanding of
genetics.
2) Living and fossil primates
-In this section of the course you will learn about the physical and
behavioral characteristics of our closest living relatives, the Primates.
Furthermore, we will take a close look at the evidence of primate evolution
in the fossil record.
3) The hominid fossil record
-In this section of the course you will learn about the evolution of hominids
(bipedal apes) through an examination of the physical remains of our
close fossil ancestors.
4) Modern human evolution, genetic variation, and behavior
- In this section we focus on the genetic evidence of our species’ evolution
and the evolutionary forces that have shaped the genetic patterning
exhibited by living humans. In addition, we will explore some reasons that
humans behave in the manner that they do.
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Required Texts:
-How Humans Evolved (5th Edition) by Robert Boyd and Joan Silk
-Additional readings will be distributed by e-mail
Lectures:
Each lecture will focus on a particular theme and may take up more than a single
class period. I do not like to rush through material simply to conform to a 50minute period. This flexibility is meant to allow the appropriate time for you to
absorb the material. Moreover, it also provides time for questions and open
discussion. Lectures will be supplemented with slides, audio/visuals aids, and/or
films. Readings will supplement material covered in lecture. The schedule of
lectures and readings is subject to revision.
Labs:
The labs will be taught by the teaching assistant (Casey Roulette) and will
include hands-on work with fossil casts and skeletal materials, biological
experiments, group discussions, lectures, films, and video presentations.
Laboratory grades will be based on attendance, participation, and graded
assignments. It is important to put effort into completing the labs, as this material
will be covered on the exams.
Class Constructed Study Guide:
No study guides for the exams will be provided. Rather, a “wiki” page has been
established where at the professor will post key terms, questions, etc. It is solely
up to the students to contribute answers to this page. In other words, the study
guide is in the hands of the students. Instructions on how to add to the wiki page
will be proved later. The web page is as follows:
http://wiki.wsu.edu/wsuwiki/Anthropology_260_Kemp_Study_Guide
Blackboard:
A blackboard web page has been created at elearning@wsu.edu. On this page
will be posted lectures, labs, assignments, readings, etc.
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Your Responsibilities:
1) You are expected to attend lectures. There is no substitute for good
note taking during lectures. In addition, not all of the material covered in
lecture will be from the texts. If you need to miss a lecture, please make
sure you get a copy of the notes from another student.
2) You are expected to do the assigned reading before class. You will
get far more out of the lectures if you already have some familiarity with
the material.
3) All students are required to have a WSU e-mail account and to check
it daily. I will communicate regularly with the class through e-mail. If you
do not use your WSU e-mail account, make sure you have it forwarded to
the account that you do use.
4) Lab attendance is mandatory. Your attendance, participation, and
graded lab assignments count towards a quarter (25%) of your final grade.
5) Think critically and be inquisitive! The material covered in
Anthropology 260 is fundamentally interesting, but not necessarily simple.
Asking questions during lecture, in office hours, or over e-mail can help
you avoid misunderstanding the material.
Exams:
Exams will consist of a mixture of essay questions, short answer questions,
multiple-choice questions, true and false questions, identifications, and/or
matching exercises. Exams will cover material presented in lectures, the labs,
and the reading assignments. The first exam will cover material up to the date of
the exam. The second exam will cover material presented from the material
following the first exam to the date of the second exam. The second exam will
not be cumulative, but referencing material covered by the first exam may be
helpful. The final exam will be cumulative, with a focus on material presented
after the second exam. The dates for exams are as follows:
Exam 1
Monday, September 28th, in class
Exam 2
Monday, October 26th, in class
Final Exam Monday, December 14th, 3:10 – 6:10 pm
***Wearing baseball caps will not be permitted during exams nor will the use of
cell phones or other electronic devices (e.g. iPods).
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Exam Regrade Policy:
If you feel that your answer to any question was incorrectly graded, put your
explanation of the error in writing, explaining clearly how your answer deserves
more credit. Note that correctly understanding questions is part of test taking, so
misunderstanding the intent of the question is not grounds for regrading.
Once you have written your explanation, attach it to your exam and give it to the
teaching assistant. You may not submit your exam for regrading within 24 hours
after it is handed back in class (e.g. you cannot immediately question the TA
about the grading of a particular question). You must submit your exam for
regrade within two weeks of the date that the exam was returned in class. After
the two-week period no exams will be regraded.
Mistakes in adding up totals do happen, so be sure to report any oversights.
Missed Exams:
Students who miss an exam must promptly: (1) notify the professor on the day of
the exam (or beforehand), by an e-mail (bmkemp@wsu.edu) or a phone call
(335-7403), (2) provide a legitimate reason for missing the exam, and (3) if
permitted, complete a make-up exam at the professor’s convenience. Make-up
exams may not be identical to the ones for which they are substituting.
Extra Credit Opportunities
Periodic opportunities will be available for you to earn extra credit. Each extra
credit opportunity, if completed sufficiently (i.e. done to the professor’s level of
expectation), will contribute an extra 1% to your final grade. During the term you
may only earn a total of 5% extra credit. In other words, there will be more than
5 extra credit opportunities, but you may only put five of them towards your final
grade.
You may ask yourself..."What good is 1% towards my final grade?" To this I will
offer an example. Let's say you earn 89.6% as a final grade. This amounts to a
B+. However, if you have successfully completed an extra credit opportunity, you
will have earned a 90.6% instead. This amounts to an A- for a final grade.
Extra credit opportunities may include pop-quizzes (on which you must answer
all of the questions correctly), attending a lecture on campus and writing a one
page summary of the main points, or others activity that seems worthy. If you
think there is something that can serve as an extra credit opportunity, please feel
free to pass the idea by the professor and/or teaching assistant. The professor
will make the final decision.
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Official Policy on Texting, Facebooking, etc. During
Class
These activities are on the rise on campuses across the nation. It is
extraordinarily disrespectful when students text, surf the web, check their e-mail,
and/or update their facebook pages during class. It is also disrespectful to read
the newspaper and/or work on crossword puzzles and other games during class.
All of these are also extremely distracting. This semester, Professor Kemp has
instituted an official policy against texting, facebooking, etc. If you engage in any
of these activities during the lecture or lab periods, you will first be given a verbal
warning and your name will be recorded. Each additional time that you engage
in any of these activities you will be asked to leave the classroom and will be
given no credit for that day’s activity. The teaching assistant has been instructed
about this policy, will report deviant behavior to Professor Kemp, and is
authorized to remove you from the lab or lecture.
To avoid the temptation it is advisable to just turn off your cell phones,
blackberries, etc. during class. If you use your computer to take notes, it is
recommendable to keep your web browser and IM program off.
When you are in Anthropology 260, please provide your full attention to the
professor, teaching assistant, and any guest lecturers. It’s the respectful thing to
do.
A Few Easy Things You Can Do To Keep Professor Kemp
Happy
1. When e-mailing Professor Kemp, please add a greeting or salutation to the
message. While manners in e-mail tend to get lost due to the expedient nature
of the technology, they are still important. Please begin your e-mails with “Dear
Professor Kemp” or “Hello Dr. Kemp”, for example. Do not begin your e-mails
with “Hey” or “Dude” or no greeting at all. Ending your e-mail with “Thanks”,
“Have a nice day”, “Take care”, or “Sincerely” wouldn’t hurt either.
2. Never slide anything under Professor Kemp’s office door. Professor Kemp
has a mailbox in the Department of Anthropology on the first floor of Young Hall.
Please drop things off during business hours to the department staff.
3. TBA.
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Final Grade Determination:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final Exam
Lab
94-100%
90-93%
87-89%
84-86%
80-83%
20%
25%
30%
25%
100%
A
AB+
B
B-
77-79%
74-76%
70-73%
67-69%
60-66%
C+
C
CD+
D
below 60%
F
Final grade percentages will not be rounded up. For example, a student that
earns 89.9% will receive a B+ for a final grade.
Academic Integrity:
Unless noted otherwise by the professor or teaching assistant, all of the work in
this course is to be completed by the individual. Anyone caught cheating or
found guilty of plagiarism will receive an “F” for the given assignment and will be
reported to the Office of Student Conduct. Please refer to Washington State
University’s official statement (available on-line) on academic integrity standards
and procedures.
Students with Disabilities:
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented
disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully
participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All
accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg,
Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a
disability specialist.
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Week
Dates
1
Topics/Themes
Aug 24, 26, 28
*What is physical anthropology anyhow?
*Why lambs and aparagus should or
shouldn't be classified together
LAB
Tree Thinking
August 31, Sept 2, 4
*Even evolutionary thought had to have
evolved
Lecture
Introduction to the Course/What is Physical
Anthropology
Nature's Complexity and Organization
Reconstructing Phylogenies/Tree-Thinking
2
LAB
3
Sept 9, 11
LAB
4
Sept 14, 16, 18
LAB
5
Sept 21, 23, 25
LAB
6
Sept 28, 30, Oct 2
LAB
7
Oct 5, 7, 9
LAB
8
Oct 12, 14, 16
LAB
Evolution of Evolutionary Thought I
Evolution of Evolutionary Thought II
Evolution by Means of Natural Selection
Readings
Prologue
de Muizon 2001: Walking with
Whales
B&S Chapter 4 (96-112)
Dobzhansky 1973
B&S Chapter 1 (to pg 21),
Chapter 3 (pgs 68-71)
Conner Museum
NO CLASS (Labor Day)
*The theory of evolution by means of
What Darwin Never Understood: Mendelian
natural selection explained a lot, but Darwin
Genetics
didn't know everything after all!
Molecular Genetics
No Lab (Labor Day)
Population Genetics
*The X-men are Awesome! (but mutation
What Darwin Never Understood: Source and
cannot do that),
*The Chihuahua
Maintenance of Variation
Problem
*Speciation
What Darwin Never Understood: Speciation
DNA and Protein Synthesis
Flim: Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial
*Flim: Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on (first half)
Trial
*Why
Flim: Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial
elephants cannot fly
(second half)
Constraints on Adaptation
Genetics
EXAM 1
*EXAM 1 (Sept 28th)
Film: Life in the Trees
*Introducing the primates: from the super
The Living Primates: Our Place Among Our
cute to the super bizarre
Closest Relatives I
What is a Primate?
The Living Primates: Our Place Among Our
Closest Relatives I
*What's the deal with food and sex?
Primate SocioEcology
Female Mating Strategies
Primate Food Fights
Male Mating Strategies
*Why monkeys are considered to be smart
Evolution of Cooperation
and why they should cooperate sometimes
Primate Life History/Intelligence
TBA
B&S Chapter 1 (pgs 21-22)
Chapter 2 (pgs 24-36)
B&S Chapter 2 (pgs 37-50)
B&S Chapter 3 (pgs 51-60)
B&S Chapter 3 (pgs 60-68)
B&S Chapter 4 (85-96)
TBA
TBA
B&S Chapter 3 (pgs 71-82)
B&S Chapter 5 (pgs 116-126;
143-145)
B&S Chapter
143-145)
B&S Chapter
B&S Chapter
Milton 2006
B&S Chapter
B&S Chapter
B&S Chapter
5 (pgs 116-126;
5 (pgs 127-143)
6 (pgs 148-161)
6 (pgs 161-173)
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Kemp-Anthropology 260
Week
Dates
9
Oct 19, 21, 23
LAB
10
Oct 26, 28, 30
LAB
11
12
13
Nov 2, 4, 6
LAB
No Lab (Veteran's Day)
No Class Thanksgiving
Nov 30, Dec 2, 4
Dec 7, 9, 11
LAB
Origins of Hominidea/Bipedalism
B&S Chapter 10 (pgs 246-253
;271-275)
Early Hominin Diversification:
Australopithecines, Paranthropines, and
Kenyanthropines
B&S Chapter 10 (pgs 253-271;
275-280)
Olduwan Tool Makers
B&S Chapter 11
*New creatures, new technologies, and new Emergence of the Genus Homo
lands
Neandertals
*Emergence of modern humans
Nov 16, 18, 20
Readings
B&S Chapter 9 (pgs 223-227
;238-239)
B&S Chapter 9 (pgs 218-223;
227-237)
B&S Chapter 9 (pgs 240-244
Skeletal Elements and Bipedalism
Nov 9, 13
LAB
16
*EXAM 2 (October 26th)
*Why walk on two legs anyhow?
*Attack of the Ape Men
Early Hominds
LAB
15
Lecture
How to Become a Fossil and Impress Your
*How to Become a Fossil and Impress your Friends
Friends
*Fossil
Primate Fossil Record
Record
*Origin of apes
Origins of Hominoidea
Primate Fossil Record
EXAM 2
LAB
LAB
14
Topics/Themes
Emergence of Homo sapiens
NO CLASS (Veteran's Day)
Casey Roulette Lectures
Genetic Origin of Homo sapiens
*Genetic and archaeological evidence to for
the origin and spread of modern humans
Spread of Modern Humans
Agricultural Revolution
Later Hominid Fossils
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
No Class (Thanksgiving Break)
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
No Lab (Thanksgiving)
TBA
Human Variation, Human Behavior
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Human Variation, Human Behavior
TBA
TBA
TBA
B&S Chapter 12 (pgs 305-328)
B&S Chapter 12 (pgs 328-339)
B&S Chapter 13
TBA
B&S Chapter 13
B&S Chapter 13
TBA
B&S Chapters 14-16
B&S Chapters 14-16
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