Anthropology 131 Laboratory in Physical Anthropology Professor Kate Teffer, Instructor ANTH 131 • 1-unit, satisfies GE Laboratory Science requirement (Area B) • Prerequisite/Co-requisite: C or better grade in Anthropology 130 or equivalent • CSU and UC transferable (talk to your counselor) A bit about me… • B.A. (Psychology) University of Chicago • M.A. (Anthropology) U.C. San Diego • Ph.D (Anthropology), UCSD • My specialty is comparative neuroanatomy; I study the brains of humans and the living great apes to determine what differences there are, and when they arose during the course of human evolution Contact Information • • • • kate.teffer@gcccd.edu kateteffer.wordpress.com Email is best way to get hold of me As an adjunct professor, I do not have an office at Grossmont. However, if you need to meet in person, please email me and we will arrange something. Required Text • Exploring Physical Anthropology by Suzanne Walker (2nd ed,2010). Earlier edition is not acceptable. • Comes unbound and 3-hole punched • If you purchased used, watch for missing pages! • Put into a 3-ring binder and bring to each class • You will need to have the lab manual by the third class. Scans of Chapters 2 & 3 are on the course website Other required materials • 4 Grademaster Forms (Form 25420) • 3-ring binder to hold lab manual • Pencils (don’t use pens around skeletal material) • Calculator • Clipboard (optional, but helpful during Practical exams) Grading: • 5 quizzes (20 pts each) – 3 multiple choice quizzes (single handwritten sheet of notes allowed) – 3 practical quizzes (no books or notes) – Your lowest quiz is dropped • Take-home Final Exam (40 points) • 12 lab exercises (10 pts each) – Will do 14; Lowest 2 exercises are dropped • Primate observation project @ zoo (30 pts) Course policies • Attendance is extremely important—only 1 unexcused absence allowed. Two or more unexcused absences may cause you to be dropped. • 2 Tardies/Early departures = one absence • No make ups for missed labs or quizzes (no exceptions). • Although we will not always need the entire class period, you should plan to stay the entire time. Lab Rules • Share the lab equipment • Handle everything with extreme care. Hold all bones over the table. Handle skulls with both hands. Be gentle with the measuring equipment. • Be respectful of the human skeletal material. Most of the bones are replicas, but a few are real. • If you break something, let me know right away. • No food. Don’t drink at your lab station if we are working with materials. • Keep an eye on personal possessions Group work and collaboration • You are encouraged (and sometimes required) to work in groups to share ideas and complete lab work. Don’t be shy of your neighbors—you might have to measure their heads, or ask them about their earwax! • However, all group members must be actively participating and contributing. If you are not, you may be asked to leave. • Outright copying of labs by students who didn’t participate is not allowed. • Everyone should collect data individually for the primate observation project. While I am taking roll, could you please write the following on your index card… 1.Your name (and what you would like to be called if different from the roll sheet) 2. Have you previously taken ANTH 130, or are you currently taking it? 3. Anything about your educational goals (major, field of interest, transfer plans, etc) 4. Anything else you think it may be important for me to know that may affect your course experiences (athletics, registered disability, etc) Physical Anthropology • The study of the biological aspects of humans • Includes wide variety of fields • What are some of these fields? Course Topics Genetics • Cell Biology and DNA • Principles of inheritance • Genetics and evolution Human Osteology • The human skeleton • Human variation • Anthropometric techniques and forensic anthropology Primatology • Primate classification • Anatomy and behavior • Primate evolution Human Ancestors • Early hominins • The genus Homo • Archaic and modern H. sapiens Today’s lab exercise • Anthropology, science and the scientific method The Scientific Method How do physical anthropologists “do” science? What are some criteria in evaluating scientific experiments? Science experiment #1 Annie is a bioarchaeologist studying health and disease patterns among the ancient Moche people who lived in Peru 2000 years ago. She finds a skeleton with abundant evidence of malnutrition and tuberculosis. She concludes from this that the Moche population was incredibly unhealthy and disease-ridden. Science experiment #2 You are part of a team investigating patterns of aggressive behavior among wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. You notice that two members of your team, Troy and Abed, are generating wildly varying types of data. Troy is observing many more instances of aggressive behaviors among the chimpanzees he is studying than Abed is among his population. Next week… • Make sure to buy the lab manual and bring it to class. • Lab handout #1 is due if you didn’t finish it today • Read Chaps 1, 2 and 3. Pay special attention to Chap. 3 on DNA!