COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Prefix/Number: ANT 2000
Course Title: Introduction to Anthropology
Course Credit Hours: 3
Instructor Name and Contact Information: Neill J. Wallis @ nwallis@uwf.edu
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites: None
Course Description: Anthropology is the holistic study of human beings. This means that
anthropologists study all aspects of what it means to be human. In "Introduction to Anthropology,"
students are introduced to the full variety of topics which engage anthropologists, including human
biology and biological evolution; the biology and social life of our closest biological kin, the non-human
primates; human language and its uses; and the components of social and cultural organization. In
addition, students are introduced to the different ways in which anthropologists study humans, with
biological or physical anthropology focusing on human biology and evolution, as well as non-human
primates; archaeology focusing on past human societies and cultures; cultural anthropology on
contemporary societies and cultures; and linguistic anthropology on the human use of language in
cultural context.
Goals: Upon completion of the course, students will be able to define ìanthropologyî and identify its subdisciplines. They will be able to discuss the scope and orientation of the discipline and its sub-disciplines.
Students will also be able to discuss human and primate evolution, basic forms of human cultural
adaptation, the origins of civilization, the elements of language and the human use of it, and other
important factors of human cultural and social organization.
About this Course: This course is delivered completely online. You must have consistent access to the
Internet.
Learning at a distance may be a very different environment for many of you. You will generally set your
own schedules, participate in class activities at your convenience, and work at your own pace. You may
spend some additional time online during the first few weeks while you become acclimated to the online
class format and you may feel overwhelmed. You should also be prepared to spend at least 5-7 hours
per week online completing lessons, activities, and participating in class discussions. Finally, you may
want to incorporate these tips to help you get started:
 Set yourself a schedule -- check the course web site early in the class week to see what tasks
you'll need to work on for the week.
 Become very familiar with the site and how to use it. It is a tool to help you learn!
 Team up with your classmates to discuss class assignments and questions you might have.
Check the ìClasslistî link for biography info and email addresses.
 Ask questions when you need answers. If you have instructional problems, contact your
instructor. If you have technical problems, contact the UWF Helpdesk at (850) 474.2075.
Topics and Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Anthropology & Culture
o Define key terms, such as ìanthropology,î ìculture,î and ìadaptation.î
o Identify and discuss the focus of the sub-disciplines of anthropology.
o Discuss the relationship between anthropology and other academic disciplines.
o Define and discuss key concepts, such as ìscience,î ìtheory,î and ìhypothesis.î
o Define ìcultureî and discuss its importance both for human society and as a concept of the
o
discipline of anthropology.
Discuss examples and mechanisms of culture change.
2. Applying Anthropology & Studying the Past
o Define and discuss applied anthropology.
o Discuss the role of anthropology in addressing several contemporary social issues and
problems.
o Identify and discuss the main research methods of anthropology’s sub-disciplines.
o Define and discuss important concerns for ethical research in the sub-disciplines of
physical anthropology and archaeology.
3. Evolution and Genetics & Human Variation and Adaptation
o Identify and discuss the key differences between Darwinian evolutionary theory and
creationism, as well as between Darwinian Theory and other, earlier important theories of
evolution, such as that of Lamarck.
o Define and discuss important concepts of Mendelian genetics and genetic evolution.
o Identify and discuss important examples of human biological adaptation.
o
Discuss why race is a discredited concept with regard to human biology.
o Discuss how race does work as a social system of classification and perception – and
how it does so in different ways in different societies.
o Identify and discuss examples of human biological diversity.
4. Primates, Early Hominins, & The Genus Homo
o
Define important common tendencies among mammals as a group and among primates
as a group.
o Identify the major taxonomic groups of living primates and identify the important
characteristics of each.
o Discuss the relationship between humans and other primates, including what we have in
common with non-human primates, what makes us different, as well as the ways in which
contemporary human actions endanger many non-human primate species.
o Define what fossils are and discuss the nature of fossilization and the fossil record.
o Identify and discuss important methods used for dating the past.
o
Identify important fossil primate and hominin species, discuss their defining
characteristics,
and place them in chronological order on a timeline.
o
Define and discuss the shared characteristics of hominins.
o Define the differences between the genus Homo and earlier hominins, including especially
the suite of traits of Homo erectus and later members of the genus that enabled the
expansion of these hominins.
o Identify important members of the genus Homo, discuss their defining characteristics, and
place them in chronological order.
o Discuss the tool traditions of different members of the genus Homo, as well as the early art
of Homo sapiens.
5. The First Farmers & The First Cities and States
o Define and discuss domestication of plants and animals.
o Discuss the process of domestication for different parts of the world, including recognition
of the different ways this happened.
o Discuss the transformations brought about by a shift to a lifestyle based upon
domesticated plants and/or animals, including both costs and benefits.
o
Define the key characteristics of states in general.
o Compare and contrast states with other forms of sociopolitical development, including
chiefdoms and egalitarian societies.
o Compare and contrast the characteristics of formative states in different world areas.
o
Discuss the different theories of the origins of states.
6. Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology & Language and Communication
o Discuss the main research methods of the sub-discipline of cultural anthropology.
o Define and discuss important concerns for ethical research in the sub-discipline of cultural
anthropology.
o
Define language and discuss its relationship with other forms of vocal communication,
such as primate call systems.
o Identify and discuss important structural features of language.
o Discuss different theoretical perspectives on the relationship between language, thought,
culture and behavior.
7. Ethnicity and Race & Making a Living
o
Define ìcultureî and discuss its importance both for human society and as a concept of the
discipline of anthropology.
o Discuss examples and mechanisms of culture change.
o Define and discuss the concept of ìethnicity,î and its relationship to other terms, such as
ìrace,î ìculture,î and ìnation.î
o Discuss examples of ethnic interaction, both as peaceful coexistence and as ethnic
conflict.
o Define and discuss the different basic human adaptive strategies: foraging, horticulture,
agriculture, pastoralism, and industrialism.
o
Identify and discuss the main forms of economic exchange found cross-culturally:
reciprocity, redistribution, and market exchange.
8. Political Systems & Gender
o
Identify the important forms of sociopolitical organization: bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and
states.
o Compare and contrast the important features of the main forms of sociopolitical
organization.
o Define the key terms, ìgender,î ìsex,î ìsexuality,î ìgender stratification,î ìpatriarchy.î
o Discuss the relationship between gender and other aspects of culture and social
organization.
9. Families, Kinship, and Descent & Marriage
o Name and define the different principles of descent found in human kinship.
o Identify, discuss, and differentiate between different family types, especially nuclear
families and the different sorts of descent groups.
o Identify different basic patterns of kinship terminology.
o
Discuss relationships between descent, family type, kin terminology, and different types of
societies.
o
Discuss the different characteristics of marriage cross-culturally.
o Define important terms, such as ìincest taboo,î ìexogamy,î and ìendogamy,î and discuss
their relationship to marriage.
o Discuss the social role of marriage.
10. Religion & Arts, Media, and Sports
o
Discuss different forms of religion found cross-culturally, such as animism, totemism, or
various forms of institutionalized religion.
o Discuss the relationship between religion, ritual, and magical practice cross-culturally.
o Discuss the relationship between religion and other aspects of social organization.
o Discuss different characteristics of the arts cross-culturally.
o
Discuss relationships between art and society.
o
Discuss the idea of media as "text."
o
Discuss how media can be used as a form of resistance.
o
Dicuss how media and sports both reflect and influence culture.
11. The World System and Colonialism & Global Issues Today
o
Discuss the emergence of the modern world system.
o Define and discuss industrialism and industrial stratification and discuss the role of
industrialism in the world system.
o Define and discuss important characteristics of the world system today.
o Define and discuss colonialism, including especially the transforming role it played for
many societies around the world.
o Discuss the relationship between colonialism, the development of the world system, and
economic development.
o Discuss relationships between the modern world system and culture change around the
world, including both homogenizing effects and local cultural resistance to cultural
imperialism.
o
Discuss topics important in the field today, such as global warming, environmental
degradation and ecological anthropology, deforestation, risk, interethnic contact, the role
of media in globalization, postmodernity, and the rights of indigenous peoples.
Texts:
Required texts: Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity, Thirteenth Edition. Conrad
Phillip Kottak. McGraw-Hill, 2008 (no CD included or required). Available from the UWF
bookstore and online bookstores.
Recommended texts: None
Required Materials:
Internet Access to eLearning and the McGraw-Hill website
E-mail Account
Grading / Evaluation: Three exams, a written component and ongoing coursework and participation
activities demonstrate student proficiency and expertise in the topics listed above. Students will complete
activities related to the student learning outcomes.
The course grade will be determined as follows:
Three Examinations (50 points each)
150
Exam information comes from textbook readings, critical thinking questions, and key terms
identified in the text.
Research Paper
50
Six page paper on approved topic. The paper will include abstract, outline, first draft, and final
draft. Paper requirements described in ìResearch Paper Guidelinesî file located under ìImportant
Course Information.î
Coursework (5 points each)
115
Complete (on time) Internet exercises and chapter essays as described in the ìDropbox
Assignment Guidelinesî file located under ìImportant Course Information.î
Participation (10 points each)
50
Participate in class discussions in the Discussion Forum by posting comments in the Session
Message Boards during any five of the 12 sessions of the semester. Students may post an
insight or comment or respond to another student's post. These posts must be 3 or more
sentences of thoughtful comment and CANNOT be simple statements such as "I agree" or "I think
culture's weird" or "Monkeys are funny."
Letter Grade to Percentage Equivalents:
A 93-100, A- 90-92, B+ 87-89, B 83-86, B- 80-82, C+ 77-79, C 73-76, C- 70-72, D+ 66-69, D 6065, F 0-59
Special Technology Utilized by Students: This course is totally online. All instructional content and
interaction takes place over the WWW. See About the Course, Topics, and Student Learning Outcomes
for additional requirements.
Expectations for Academic Conduct/Plagiarism Policy:
All UWF students are expected to have read and understood UWF's Plagiarism and Academic
Misconduct Policies. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for academic misconduct. Plagiarism will
not be tolerated in this class and will result in serious penalties, which can include, but are not limited to,
receiving a zero on the assignment in question, meeting to discuss the incident, additional assignments
as a sanction, citation for academic misconduct to Student Affairs, final grade reduction, and expulsion
from the course.
Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Plagiarism Policy: (Word Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Student Handbook: (PDF Format)
Use of TurnItIn Software
UWF maintains a university license agreement for an online text matching service called TurnItIn. At my
discretion, I will use the TurnItIn service to determine the originality of student papers. If I submit your
paper to TurnItIn, it will be stored in a TurnItIn database for as long as the service remains in existence.
If you object to this storage of your paper:
1.
You must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class.
2.
I will utilize other services and techniques to evaluate your work for evidence of appropriate
authorship practices.
As part of this course, you will be required to create a user profile at TurnItIn (www.turnitin.com) and
"enroll" in this course -- Introduction to Anthropology 5042 (class ID: 3310147, enrollment password:
ANT2000) -- on that website. You may choose to submit your assignments to TurnItIn weekly (this is
separate from, and should not be confused with, the course dropboxes). If you do not submit your
assignments to TurnItIn, they will be submitted for you, but you will be able to view the originality report
for each of your assignments.
ASSISTANCE:
Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other course-related
accommodations should contact Barbara Fitzpatrick, Director of Disabled Student Services (DSS),
dss@uwf.edu, (850) 474-2387. DSS will provide the student with a letter for the instructor that will specify
any recommended accommodations.