Fall 2015
Glendale Community College presents
ASM 104:
Bones, Stones and Human
Evolution
Section 20697
TuTh 5:45 – 8:05 pm
HU 101
INSTRUCTOR:
Molly Elmer
Email: molly.elmer@paradisevalley.edu
Office hours by appointment only
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to the topic of Biological
Anthropology. Biological Anthropology addresses a diverse range of topics united
by their focus on the biology of the order Primates (including strepsirhines,
monkeys, apes and humans). Topics of interest to biological anthropologists
include the origin and evolutionary history of both humans and non-human
primates, as well as the physical and behavioral differences among and between
primate groups. The specific goal of this course is to familiarize students with
each of these topics. A more general aim is to place humans within the context of
the natural world, considering the factors that unite us with other members of the
animal kingdom, as well as factors that may make us unique. The unifying
framework for understanding these diverse issues is evolutionary theory.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Essentials of Physical Anthropology 9th edition (2013) by R. Jurmain, L.
Kilgore, & W. Trevathen. Wadsworth Publishing.
COURSE POLICIES
ATTENDANCE POLICY: The best way to know what material is covered in
class is to attend class. Not attending class could affect your final grade. Please
make every effort to be ready to pay attention when class starts. Coming in late
is distracting to your classmates and myself, please try to avoid it.
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REQUIREMENTS and GRADING: Each student is responsible for the material
covered in lecture and labs.
Readings: Readings provide important background and/or supplemental
information. They come from the required textbook, Essentials of Physical
Anthropology, and are listed on the course schedule. Other readings will be
posted on the Canvas website. There will be one Reading/Writing Assignment,
in which you will be required to read a scientific article and then answer a number
of questions. Other similar assignments are available as extra credit.
Labs: This course contains a lab component. Each week a portion of class
time will be devoted to a lab activity. The lab is a way to reinforce some of the
material from lecture and can also be a source of new material. You will gain
hands-on experience and one-on-one instruction that will be very useful to you
for the exams. Sometimes we will watch videos in class and you will have a
written assignment based on the material covered in the video. These
assignments will be factored in to your lab grade. The completed labs will form a
portion of your final grade. If you miss a lab, it might be possible for you to make
up all or some of the work, as you long as you can do this within one week of the
missed class. There will be other written assignments that will be factored into
your lab grade, including the Reading assignment discussed above.
Canvas: The handouts that you will use in lab, as well as other class
handouts such as study guides, slides, the Reading assignment, extra credit
reading assignments, the syllabus, and other fun tidbits will be posted on the
Canvas website.
Grades: Your final grade will be assigned on the basis of four exams and
your average lab grade. No exams are cumulative, except concerning material
that is relevant throughout the course. Exams are a combination of multiple
choice questions, identifications, fill-ins, and short essays. You will receive a
score for each lab. Your lowest lab score will be dropped before figuring your
average lab grade.
The first exam is worth 15% of your grade. The other three exams are
each worth 20% of your grade, and your average lab grade will be worth
25% of your final grade. A standard formula for determining final grades is
used: A: 90-100%; B: 80-89%; C: 70-79%; D: 60-69%; F: below 60%.
Regarding Missed Exams: Few excuses are acceptable for missing an
exam, and permission must be obtained from me prior to the listed exam
date to be considered for taking a make-up exam.
This syllabus may be modified during the course of the semester to fit the
particular circumstances of this class.
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Conduct in course: I take issues related to academic honesty very seriously.
Acts of academic dishonesty on the part of any student will result in failure of the
course. Such acts are defined in the current catalog, and include plagiarism,
cheating, fabrication and falsification, multiple submission and misuse of
academic materials. Make sure you understand and avoid these behaviors.
Please refrain from using cell phones during class time. You may use laptops,
iPads, etc. to look at lecture slides or take notes, but please only use them for
academic purposes during class time. Being disrespectful to your classmates or
myself may result in you being asked to leave the classroom. If this occurs, you
will be marked as absent for the day.
Student Responsibilities: Please be advised that your continued enrollment
and participation in this class implies that you have read and accepted the terms
and conditions of this syllabus. Also please be advised that you are responsible
for being aware of and in compliance with the college policies included in the
college catalog and the student handbook.
Disabilities: I will make any reasonable accommodations for limitations due to
disabilities, including learning disabilities. Please see me personally before or
after class or during my office hours to discuss any special needs you might
have. If you have a documented disability and require specific accommodations,
you will need to contact the Disability Resources and Services Office at 623-8453080.
COURSE COMPETENCIES
1. Identify the major areas of anthropology
2. Evaluate contrasting scientific viewpoints regarding the process of
evolution
3. Explain the basic terms and processes of Mendelian genetics
4. Describe the structure of DNA and the process of mutation
5. Identify and define the forces of evolution
6. Describe one human physiologic variation as an adaptation to
environmental factors
7. Distinguish between the major biological categories of living primates and
describe the anatomical differences between those categories
8. Relate aspects of primate social behavior to group cohesion and/or
environmental factors
9. Identify major trends in early primate evolution
10. Compare and contrast various early hominid fossils and sites
11. Describe the skeletal characteristics and the culture of later hominids
12. Evaluate different theories regarding the origins of anatomically modern
humans
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Schedule for Fall 2015 ASM 104
Date
8/25
8/27
9/1
9/3
9/8
9/10
9/15
9/17
9/22
9/24
9/29
10/1
10/6
10/8
10/13
10/15
10/20
10/22
10/27
10/29
11/3
11/5
11/10
11/12
Topics Covered in Class/Labs/Exams
Introduction to Anthropology
What is Science?
Origin of Evolutionary Theory
Video: “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” - worksheet
Darwin and Natural Selection
Lab 1: Natural Selection
Cells, Protein Synthesis, Mitosis
Meiosis, Mutation
Lab 2: DNA
Mendelian Genetics
Lab 3: Mendelian Genetics
Modern Synthesis
Video: “Great Transformations” – worksheet
Mechanisms of Evolution
What is a Species?
Evolutionary Patterns
Lab 4: Evolutionary Mechanisms
Exam 1
Osteology
Lab 5: Osteology
Systematics: Phylogeny Reconstruction & Classification
Lab 6: Systematics
Introduction to Primates
Video: “Social Climbers” - worksheet
Primate Diversity
Primate Evolution
Primate Classification
Lab 7: Classification
Primate Societies and Reproductive Strategies
Video: “Human Spark – So Human, So Chimp” - worksheet
Primate Adaptations – Diet and Locomotion
Lab 8: Adaptations
Exam Review
Exam 2
Geology and Paleontology
Lab 9: Geology
Beginning of the Human Fossil Record
Video: “Becoming Human: First Steps” - worksheet
Australopithecus afarensis
Lab 10: Bipedalism
Australopithecines
Paranthropines
Human Origins Group Assignment
Text
Chapter(s)
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
4, 5
5
Appendix
5
6
6, 8
6
7
6
5,8
8
8
8
4
11/17
11/19
11/24
11/26
12/1
12/3
12/8
12/10
12/15
Homo habilis and the Oldowan
Video: “The Human Spark: Becoming Us” – worksheet
Lab 11: Early Hominins
Review for Exam 3
Exam 3
NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING
Homo erectus
Video: “Becoming Human: Birth of Humanity” - worksheet
Homo heidelbergensis
Neandertals: Biology and Culture
Naked Truth Reading Assignment due
Homo sapiens: Biology and Culture
Homo floresiensis
Human Variation
Lab 12: Late Homo
Science Survey Due
Exam 4 5:45 – 8:05 pm
8
9
10
11, 12
12
*Schedule is subject to change at instructor’s discretion.
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