Anthropology 102: Human Origins
Spring 2009
MWF 2:30 – 3:20
King 306

Amy Margaris
Office: King 302
Office Hours: MWF 3:30-4:30 or by appointment
Email: Amy.Margaris@oberlin.edu
Course Description & Goals:
This course adopts a biocultural approach to investigating the age-old question of what
makes us human? Anthropology is simply -- and powerfully -- the study of the human
species past and present, and in all of our facets as cultural, linguistic, and biological
entities. Paleoanthropology is the sub-field of anthropology that explores each of these
facets in a “deep time” (evolutionary) perspective, thus shedding light on our species’
shared evolutionary heritage, the origins of the rich cultural diversity observable among
us today, and our place in the natural world.
We will begin the course with a basic introduction to evolutionary principles, and
continue with an examination of the biological and behavioral relationships that exist
between humans and other extant primate species. Non-human primates are fascinating
in their own right, but are of particular interest here because their study provides
paleoanthropologists with models for how our fossil ancestors’ modes of locomotion,
appearances, and behaviors. Fossil and archaeological evidence will shed light on when
hominids may have first evolved, used tools, and migrated out of an African homeland to
eventually populate nearly every corner of the globe.
What biological and cultural features of our species have made this incredible radiation
possible? Is there a biological basis for the concept of race? When is culture first
evidenced in the material record, and what does it do for us? When might our capacity
for language have evolved? In this course, you will gain an appreciation for how
paleoanthropologists approach these and other questions using the fossil and
archaeological records. Through course readings, discussions, videos, independent
research, and structured debate, you will also have the opportunity to explore some of the
many modern-day repercussions of our unique evolutionary trajectory.
Required Text:
Jurmain, R., L. Kilgore and W. Trevathan, with R.L. Ciochon. 2008. Introduction to
Physical Anthropology, 11th ed. Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.
(This is a solid, if unadorned, text that provides essential background reading.)
Additional Required Readings will be posted on Blackboard, and give a more in-depth
look at specialized topics. (Some of these readings derive from the popular press; the
original, technical publications on which they are based are occasionally offered as
optional reading for those with an even deeper interest.)
Course Requirements:
Two Mid-term Exams
Two 50 minute midterms exams will test both objective knowledge and interpretive
skills.
Final Exam
The final exam for the course will be similar in scope and level of detail to the two midterm exams.
Position Paper
This course is organized into five units. You will have the opportunity to research a topic
of special interest to you by writing one short position paper on a controversial topic
related to one of these units. The essay is due approximately one month after the
beginning of the unit to which it pertains. (See “Important Due Dates” and “Schedule of
Topics and Assignments” below for clarification.) The choice of unit is yours, as is the
paper topic, although you must have the topic approved by me before you begin your
research. The essay should be 1250-1500 words (approximately 5-6 pages) in length,
exclusive of illustrations and references. See Blackboard for more complete
directions.
Papers must include proper in-text citations and end references. The contexts in which
citations and references are required may occasionally seem ambiguous, but the
consequences of plagiarism (intentional or otherwise) are grave, so please feel free to
contact me with even a small question. The reference style guide I frequently work from,
issued by the Society for American Archaeology, can be found at:
http://www.saa.org/publications/Styleguide/styframe.html
“Talking Points”
We will carry out several semi-formal debates in this class. For each debate (and the
“Race” discussion), please prepare a roughly 500 word (2 page) document of “talking
points” in which you lay out, in equal measure, points in favor of each side of the debate.
Your ideas, which should stem from the day’s assigned reading and from your own
personal reflection, will help stimulate debate, and should encourage those who are
normally reserved about speaking “off the cuff” to feel more comfortable pitching into
the discussion. This assignment will contribute to your attendance/ participation grade
(see below); come prepared, because you will not know which side of the issue you must
defend until the day of class. Please note that because the assignment is designed to spur
discussion, talking points will neither be accepted late, nor from students who have not
attended the debate itself.
Hands On Exercises
Two or three times during the semester you will have the chance to examine fossil casts
and stone tools in an informal lab setting. There will be no graded lab assignments, but
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lab content will be reflected in exams, and will augment course lectures and discussion.
Be sure to take notes as you go, and to avoid handling the specimens with sticky afterlunch hands.
Attendance & Participation
Attendance and participation in discussions, debates, and class activities will count
toward your final grade. It is essential that you come to class regularly because lectures
will build on and complement reading assignments; moreover, in-class discussions and
videos will provide alternative – and hopefully fun – ways of thinking and learning about
the course material.
Grade Breakdown:
Exam 1
25%
Exam 2
25%
One Position Paper
20%
Final Exam
25%
Attendance, Participation
5%
and Talking Points
**********************************
Important Due Dates
F 2/13
Talking Points 1: Race Discussion
F 2/27
Talking Points 2: Language Debate
M 3/2
Unit 1 Essays
F 3/6
EXAM 1
F 3/13
Unit 2 Essays
F 3/20
Talking Points 3: Fossils on the Road Debate
M 4/6
Unit 3 Essays
F 4/10
EXAM 2
F 4/17
Talking Points 4: Neandertal/Modern Human Debate
M 4/27
Unit 4 Essays
F 5/8
Unit 5 Essays
Sat. 5/16
FINAL EXAM
7-9 p.m.
**********************************
Students with Disabilities should be sure to see me at the start of the semester so that I
can provide any necessary accommodations.
The Honor Code:
At the end of each graded assignment you are required to write and sign the Oberlin
honor pledge: “I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment”. For
more information about the Honor System please see:
www.oberlin.edu/students.links-life/rules-regs.html.
Miscellaneous:
All assignments, unless otherwise noted, should be typed and double-spaced with regular
1 inch margins and must adhere to the stated length requirements. Attempts to artificially
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lengthen (or shorten) written assignments by manipulating document spacing or font size
are lame and will be instantly detected.
Extensions will be granted only under extraordinary circumstances. Unless otherwise
indicated, all assignments are due in class, and a late penalty will begin to accrue
immediately thereafter. Late assignments will be graded down 1/3 of 1 letter grade
during every 24 hour period after the due date/time. No assignments will be accepted
more than 1 week late. This policy is for your sake as well as mine. The course will be
fast-paced and it will be essential to complete assignments on time in order to stay on top
of the course material, and to receive written feedback in a timely manner. Please note
that no late talking points will be accepted.
A Call to Alert Readers
Paleoanthropology is a surprisingly hot and contentious field considering most of its
subjects have been extinct for millennia or more. You are encouraged to keep an eye on
late-breaking discoveries in the discipline. Send me your web links to news stories, and I
will post them on Blackboard for the class to check out.
Schedule of Topics and Assignments
DATE
M 2/2
TOPIC
ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON THE FOLLOWING DATES
What Makes Us Human?
UNIT 1: Genes, Populations and Race
W 2/4
Darwin and His
Predecessors
Cultural and Biological
Inheritance
Skim Text Ch. 1 for background on the discipline; Darwin 2000 (1884);
Bowler 2009; Text Ch. 2
Review Text Ch. 3 as needed
M 2/9
Inheritance cont.
Text Ch. 4; Browse Ch. 4 of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859):
http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-ofspecies/chapter-04.html; Optional video on Mendel (30 min.):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OPJnO9W_rQ
W
2/11
Lecture &
DISCUSSION:
Populations, Species,
and Ancestry
Text Ch. 5; Bolnick et al. 2007
Th.,
Feb,
12
200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, and 150th anniversary of On the
Origin of Species !
Want to learn more? http://www.sciencemag.org/darwin/
F 2/13
DISCUSSION: A
Biological Basis for
Race?
F 2/6
Sources to mine: Littlefield et al. 1982;
NOVA website on race:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/first/brace.html vs.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/first/gill.html
American Anthropological Association website:
http://www.understandingrace.org
Talking Points 1 due in class
4
UNIT 2: Our Closest Living Relatives
M
2/16
W
2/18
F 2/20
F 2/20
M
2/23
W
2/25
F 2/27
Meet the Family: An
Introduction to Living
Primates I
Primates Part II
Text Ch. 6
Text Ch. 7 (keep potential application to human societies in mind throughout)
VIDEO: “Jane Goodall’s Optional: Wolfe 2005; Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots volunteer
Wild Chimpanzees”
organization web site: www.rootsandshoots.org
(Mudd VCR 5342; 60
min.)
* note: office hours cancelled today due to 4 pm lecture (see below)*
Invited Speaker: Chris Roos, Ohio State U., “Fire, Climate and Society in the Ancient Southwest”, 4:30
pm, location TBA
Primate Models for
Text Ch. 8
Human Evolution
DISCUSSION: Primate
Violence and
Cooperation
DEBATE: Language and
Animal Communication
Silk 2007; Zimmer & Brownlee 2006
Required: Dobrovolsky 2005; Use JSTOR or other web sources to locate
other scholarly references to mine for data
Talking Points 2 due in class
Bring specific questions for exam review, plus DIY exam question(s)
(optional).
Unit 1 Essays Due
M 3/2
Section Wrap-up and
Exam Review
W 3/4
Introduction to
Paleoanthropology
EXAM 1 (material
through 3/2)
VIDEO & discussion:
“Search for the First
Human”
The Earliest Hominids
Begin Text Ch. 9
HANDS ON &
DISCUSSION:
Bipedalism
Australopithecines
Ackerman 2006; Rosenberg and Trevathan 2001
Unit 2 Essays Due
Unit 3: To Stand Upright
F 3/6
M 3/9
W
3/11
F 3/13
M
3/16
W
3/18
Australopithecines cont.
F 3/20
DEBATE: Fossils on the
Road: Groupies and
Detractors
Finish Text Ch. 9; O’Higgins and Elton 2007
Text Ch. 10
Wong 2006; Optional primary source: Alemseged et al. 2006
Some sources to mine (you may find others):
Kazziha 2007; Gibbons 2007; Dorfman 2007;
From the Houston Museum of Natural Science:
http://lucyexhibition.com/about-the-exhibit.aspx;
From the Institute for Creation Research:
http://www.icr.org/article/583/ (Morris 2001);
From the Associated Press (Seattle):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20090125/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_who_love
s_lucy
Talking Points 3 due in class
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ENJOY YOUR SPRING BREAK
Unit 4: Our Genus Emerges
M
3/30
W 4/1
F 4/3
The Taung Child
Text Ch. 11
Earliest Stone Tools
HANDS ON &
DISCUSSION:
Technology and the
Human Mind
Out of Africa
Schick & Toth 1993
Wynn 1993 (note: this article is very challenging but innovative; read for the
main points)
W 4/8
Rise of the Hobbits/
Exam Review
Wong 2005; Optional primary sources: Brown et al. 2004; Argue et al. 2006
Bring specific questions for exam review, plus DIY exam question(s)
(optional).
F 4/10
EXAM 2 (material
through 4/8)
M
4/13
Archaic Homo sapiens
Text Ch. 12
W
4/15
Our Neandertal Cousins
F 4/17
M
4/20
DEBATE: Homo
neandertalensis, or
Homo sapiens
neandertalensis?
The Emergence of
Modern Humans
Begin readings for Friday 4/17 debate (you may find others, too):
Alper 2003; Delson & Harvati 2006; Salleh 2008; Culotta 2007; Wynn and
Coolidge 2004; Green et al. 2006 (abstract)
Finish Neandertal readings
Talking Points 4 due in class
W
4/22
VIDEO segment: “The
Mind’s Big Bang”
F 4/24
No class: Margaris at
Society for American
Archaeology (SAA)
conference
DISCUSSION: Upper
Paleolithic Art and
Culture
New Emigrations:
Australia and North
America
M 4/6
Unit 3 Essays Due
Unit 5: Reflections of Ourselves?
M
4/27
W
4/29
Text Ch. 13
Browse website for Ucagizli (pronounced "ewch-au-zluh") Rockshelter
excavation featured in today’s film: http://web.arizona.edu/~hatayup/;
Optional technical article: Kuhn et al. 2009 (browse images and for the main
points only; note the project’s interdisciplinary scope)
Required: study “UP Art” slideshow on BB
Kuhn & Stiner 2006 (Be prepared to also discuss the 4/22 film and UP Art
slides from the perspective of “emerging modernity”.)
Unit 4 Essays Due
Hudjashov et al. 2007; Esty 2008; Optional: Keim 2009:
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/01/outoftaiwan.html
and the 2 associated primary sources: Moodley et al. 2009; Gray et al. 2009
A Glimpse Farther Down the Road…
F 5/1
M 5/4
W 5/6
F 5/8
From Foraging to
Farming
DISCUSSION: The Pros
and Cons of Agriculture
Final Exam Review/
Humans Still Evolving
Course Wrap-up &
Evaluations
Begin Smith Ch. 2
Finish Smith Ch. 2; Diamond 1999
Excerpt from Wills 1996; Bring specific questions for exam review, plus DIY
exam question(s) (optional).
Unit 5 Essays Due
FINAL EXAM: Saturday May 16, 7-9 p.m.
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Preliminary List of Readings Posted on Blackboard:
Ackerman, Jennifer. The Downside of Upright. National Geographic July 2006, pp.
126-145.
Alemseged, Zeresenay, Fred Spoor, William H. Kimbel, Rene Bobe, Denis Garaads,
Denne Reed and Jonathan G. Wynn. A Juvenile Early Hominin Skeleton from Dikika,
Ethiopia. Nature Vol. 443, September 21, 2006, pp. 296-301.
Alper, Joe. Rethinking Neanderthals. Smithsonian June 2003, pp. 83-87.
Argue, Debbie, Denise Donlon, Colin Groves and Richard Wright. 2006. Homo
floresiensis: Microcephalic, pygmoid, Australopithecus, or Homo? Journal of Human
Evolution 51:360-374.
Bolnick, Deborah, Duana Fullwiley, Troy Duster, Richard S. Cooper, Joan H. Fujimuru,
Jonathan Kahn, Jay S. Kaufman, Jonathan Marks, Ann Morning, Alondra Nelson, Pilar
Ossorio, Jenny Reardon, Susan M. Reverby, Kimberly Tallbear. 2007. The Science and
Business of Genetic Ancestry Testing. Science Vol. 318, October 19, 2007, pp. 399-400.
Bowler, Peter J. Darwin’s Originality. Science Vol. 323, 9 January, 2009, pp. 223-226.
Brown, P. T. Sutikna, M. J. Morwood, R. P. Soejono, Jatmiko, E. Wayhu Saptomo, and
Rokus Awe Due. A New Small-Bodied Hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores,
Indonesia. Nature Vol. 432, October 28, 2004, pp. 1055-1061.
Culotta, Elizabeth. Ancient DNA Reveals Neandertals With Red Hair, Fair
Complexions. Science Vol. 318 October 26, 2007, pp. 546-547.
Darwin, Francis, editor. 2000. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin. Prometheus
Books, Amherst, New York, pp. 183-184.
Diamond, Jared. 1999. The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race. In
Lessons from the Past: An Introductory Reader in Archaeology, edited by Kenneth L.
Feder, pp. 20-23.
Delson, Eric and Katerina Harvati. Return of the Last Neanderthal. Nature Vol. 443,
October 19, 2006, pp. 762-763.
Diamond, Jared. 1999. The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race. In
Lessons from the Past: An Introductory Reader in Archaeology, edited by Kenneth L.
Feder, pp. 20-23. Mayfield Publishing Company, Mountain View, California.
Dobrovolsky, Michael. 1995. Animal Communication. In Contemporary Linguistics 5th
edition, edited by William O’Grady and John Archibald, pp. 555-585. Bedford/ St.
Martin’s Boston.
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Dorfman, Andrea. The Hassles of Having Lucy in Houston.
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1656226,00.html , accessed December 17,
2007.
Esty, Amos. 2008. Author Interview: The Boodshelf Talks With Paul S. Martin.
American Scientist Online. April 1, 2008.
Gibbons, Ann. Nariokotome Boy to Go on the Road Despite Protests. Science Vol. 318,
October 5, 2007, p. 32.
Gray, R.D., A.J. Drummond and S.J. Greenhill. Language Phylogenies Reveal
Expansion Pulses and Pauses in Pacific Settlement. Science Vol. 323, 23 January 2009,
pp. 479-483.
Green, Richard E., Johannes Krause, Susan E. Ptak, Adrian W. Briggs, Michael T.
Ronan, Jan F. Simons, Lei Du, Michael Egholm, Jonathan M. Rothberg, Maja Paunovic
and Svante Paabo. Analysis of One Million Base Pairs of Neanderthal DNA. Nature
444, 16 November 2006, pp. 330-336.
Hudjashov, Georgi, Toomas Kivisild, Peter A. Underhill, Phillip Endicott, Juan J.
Sanchez, Alice A. Lin, Peidong Shen, Peter Oefner, Colin Renfrew, Richard Villems, and
Peter Forster. Revealing the Prehistoric Settlement of Australia by Y Chromosome and
mtDNA Analysis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Vol. 104, No. 21,
May 22, 2007, pp. 8726-8730.
Kazziha, Khaled. Paleontologist Denounces Lucy Skeleton Tour. The Ithaca Journal,
Saturday, August 11, 2007.
Keim, Brandon. Gut Bacteria, Language Analysis Solve Pacific Migration Mystery.
Wired Science. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/01/outoftaiwan.html
Accessed January 26, 2009.
Kuhn, Steven L. and Mary C. Stiner. 2006. What’s a Mother to Do? The Division of
Labor Among Neandertals and Modern Humans in Eurasia. Current Anthropology
47(6):953-980.
Kuhn, Steven L., Mary C. Stiner, Eskin Gulec, Ismael Ozer, Hakan Yilmaz, Ismael
Baykara, Aysen Acikkol, Paul Goldberg, Kenneth Martinez Molina, Engin Unay, and
Fadime Suata-Alpaslan. 2009. The Early Upper Paleolithic Occupations at Ucagizli
Cave (Hatay, Turkey). Journal of Human Evolution 56:87-113.
Littlefield, A., L. Lieberman, and L. Reynolds. 1982. Redefining Race: The Potential
Demise of a Concept in Physical Anthropology. Current Anthropology 23(6):641-655.
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Moodley, Yoshan, Bodo Linz, Yoshio Yamaoka, Helen M. Windsor, Sebastien Breurec,
Jeng-Yih Wu, Ayas Maady, Steffie Bernhoft, Jean-Michel Thiberge, Suparat
Phuanukoonnon, Gangolf Jobb, Peter Siba, David Y. Graham, Barry J. Marshall and
Mark Achtman. The Peopling of the Pacific from a Bacterial Perspective. Science Vol.
323, 23 January 2009, pp.
O’Higgins , Paul and and Sarah Elton. 2007. Walking On Trees. Science Vol. 316, June
1, 2007, pp. 1292-1294.
Salleh, Anna. Neanderthals Stitched Too Little Too Late. ABC Science Online.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/03/neanderthal-clothes-print.html
Accessed January 4, 2008.
Schick, Kathy D. and Nicholas Toth. 1993. Making Silent Stones Speak. Simon and
Schuster, New York.
Silk, Joan B. 2007. Social Components of Fitness in Primate Groups. Science Vol. 317,
September 7, 2007, pp. 1347-1351.
Smith, Bruce D. 1995. The Emergence of Agriculture. Scientific American Library,
New York.
Trevathan, Wenda. 1996. The Evolution of Bipedalism and Assisted Birth. Medical
Anthropology Quarterly 10(2):287-290.
Wills, Christopher. 1996. Yellow Fever, Black Goddess: The Coevolution of People and
Plagues. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
Wolfe, Linda D. 2005. Field Primatologists: Duties, Rights, and Obligations. In
Biological Anthropology and Ethics: From Repatriation to Genetic Identity, edited by
Trudy R. Turner, pp. 15-26. State University of New York Press, Albany.
Wong, Kate. Lucy’s Baby. Scientific American December 2006, pp. 78-85.
Wong, Kate. The Littlest Human. Scientific American February 2005, pp. 56-65.
Wynn, Thomas. 1993. Two Developments in the Mind of Early Homo. Journal of
Anthropological Archaeology 12:299-322.
Wynn, Thomas and Frederick L. Coolidge. 2004. The Expert Neandertal Mind. Journal
of Human Evolution 46:467-487.
Zimmer, Carl and Shannon Brownlee. 2006. Is Male Aggression and Competition Key to
Reproductive Success? In Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in
Physical Anthropology, edited by Mary Courtis, pp. 86-106. McGraw-Hill, Dubuque, IA.
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