Course Syllabus
Course Prefix/Number: ANT 2000
Course Title: Introduction to Anthropology
Course Credit Hours: 3
Instructor Name and Contact Information: Wayne Abrahamson at
wabrahamson@uwf.edu
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites: None
Course Description
Introduction to Anthropology is designated as a General Studies course. The General Studies
curriculum at the University of West Florida is designed to provide a cohesive program of study
that promotes the development of a broadly educated person and provides the knowledge and
skills needed to succeed in university studies. This course has been approved as meeting your
requirement in the Behavioral area. The major General Studies learning outcomes for this course
are Diversity, and Ethical Reasoning.
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.
Course Goals
This course will explore the fundamentals of the discipline of anthropology, with emphasis on
the sub-disciplines (cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic
anthropology) and their particular orientations. Through the four-field approach offered by the
sub-disciplines, students will be offered an understanding of human and primate evolution, the
forms of human cultural adaptation, the elements of human language usage, and the importance
of preserving cultural material. Emphasis is placed on awareness of human diversity and the role
anthropology has in promoting social change.
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Describe anthropology and its four sub-disciplines.
2. Identify the scope and orientation of the discipline in general and its sub-disciplines
specifically.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of human and primate evolution.
4. Describe the role anthropology has in preserving cultural materials and the human past.
5. Analyze and discuss basic forms of human cultural adaptation and the origins of civilization.
6. Identify the elements of language and the human use of language.
7. Identify and discuss other important factors of human cultural and social organization.
8. Demonstrate an awareness of human diversity.
9. Analyze and discuss the application of anthropology.
Topics and Student Learning Outcomes
1. What is anthropology and what is culture? (Chapters 1 & 2)





Define key terms such as “anthropology”, “culture”, and “adaptation”. (CLO 1)
Identify and discuss the basic focus of the sub-disciplines of anthropology. (CLO 1)
Recognize the relationship between anthropology and other academic disciplines (CLO
2)
Outline the importance of culture for both human society and as a concept of the
discipline of anthropology. (CLO 5)
Discuss examples and mechanisms of culture change. (CLO 5)
2. Evolution 101/Human Variation (Chapters 5 & 6)






Identify and discuss the key differences between Darwinian evolutionary theory and
other theories. (CLO 3)
Define and discuss the important concepts of Mendelian genetics and genetic evolution.
(CLO 3)
Identify and discuss important examples of human biological adaptation. (CLO 3)
Discuss why race is a discredited concept with regard to human biology. (CLO 3)
Identify and discuss how race works as a social system of classification and perception in
different societies. (CLO 3, CLO 7)
Identify and discuss examples of human biological diversity. (CLO 3, CLO 8)
3. Race vs. Population (Chapter 15)


Define the concept of “ethnicity” and its relationship to other terms such as “race”,
“culture”, and “nation”. (CLO 8)
Discuss examples of ethnic interaction, both peaceful coexistence and conflict. (CLO 8)
4. Studying Past Cultures (Chapter 4)




Identify the main research methods of anthropology’s sub-disciplines. (CLO 2)
Discuss important concerns for ethical research in the sub-disciplines of physical
anthropology and archaeology. (CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 9)
Define what fossils are and outline the nature of fossilization and the fossil record. (CLO
3, CLO 4)
Identify important methods for dating the past. (CLO 3, CLO 4)
5. Our Distant Cousins/ The Early Hominini Tribe (Chapters 7 & 8)





Define important commonalities among mammals as a group and among primates as a
group. (CLO 3)
Identify the major taxonomic groups of living primates and identify the important
characteristics of each. (CLO 3)
Discuss the relationship between humans and other primates, including commonalities,
differences, and interaction. (CLO 3)
Identify important fossil primate and hominin species, discuss their characteristics, and
demonstrate knowledge of their chronological order. (CLO 3)
Define the shared characteristics of hominins. (CLO 3)
6. Your Genus Exposed/150,000 Years Young (Chapters 9 & 10)



Define the differences between the genus Homo and earlier hominins, with emphasis on
Homo erectus and later members of the genus which enabled hominin expansion. (CLO
3)
Identify important members of the genus Homo, discuss their defining characteristics,
and place them in chronological order. (CLO 3)
Discuss the tool traditions of different members of the genus Homo, as well as the early
artwork of Homo sapiens. (CLO 3, CLO 4)
7. Domesticating Ourselves/Adaptive Strategies (Chapters 11 & 16)





Define the domestication of plants and animals. (CLO 5)
Outline the differing processes of domestication for different parts of the world. (CLO 5)
Discuss the transformations brought about by a shift to a lifestyle based upon
domesticated plants/animals, including both costs and benefits. (CLO 5)
Identify the different basic human adaptive strategies: foraging, horticulture, agriculture,
pastoralism, and industrialism. (CLO 5)
Identify the main forms of economic exchange found cross-culturally: reciprocity,
redistribution, and market exchange. (CLO 5, CLO 8)
8. Organizing Ourselves- Politics, Kinship, and Descent (Chapters 17 & 19)






Identify the important forms of sociopolitical organization: bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and
states. (CLO 5)
Compare and contrast the important features of the main forms of sociopolitical
organization. (CLO 5)
Name and define the different principles of descent found in human kinship. (CLO 5,
CLO 7)
Differentiate different family types and descent groups. (CLO 5, CLO 8)
Identify differing patterns of kinship terminology. (CLO 5)
Discuss relationships between descent, family type, and kin terminology in different
societies. (CLO 5, CLO 8)
9. Gender Explored/Institutions of Marriage (Chapters 18 & 20)





Define the key terms “gender”, “sex”, “sexuality”, “gender stratification”, and
“patriarchy”. (CLO 7)
Discuss the relationship between gender and other aspects of culture and social
organization. (CLO 7)
Identify the different characteristics of marriage cross-culturally. (CLO 7, CLO 8)
Define important terms such as “incest taboo”, “exogamy”, and “endogamy”, and discuss
their relationship to marriage. (CLO 7)
Describe the social role of marriage. (CLO 7)
10. Belief Systems/Language (Chapters 14 & 21)





Define language and discuss its relationship with other forms of vocal communication.
(CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 6)
Identify and discuss important structural features of language. (CLO 6)
Discuss different theoretical perspectives on the relationship between language, thought,
culture, and behavior. (CLO 6, CLO 7)
Identify different forms or religion found cross-culturally, such as animism, totemism,
and various forms of institutionalized religion. (CLO 7)
Describe the relationship between religion, ritual, and magical practices cross-culturally.
(CLO 7)

Discuss the relationship between religion and other aspects of social organization. (CLO
7)
11. Studying Present Cultures/Expressions of Culture (Chapters 13 & 22)







Identify the main research methods of the sub-discipline of cultural anthropology.
(CLO1, CLO 2)
Define and discuss important concerns for ethical research in cultural anthropology.
(CLO2, CLO 9)
Identify different characteristics of the arts cross-culturally. (CLO 7, CLO 8)
Locate relationships between art and society. (CLO 7)
Describe the idea of media as “text”. (CLO 7)
Discuss how the medic can be used as a form of resistance. (CLO 7)
Identify how media and sports both reflect and influence culture. (CLO 7)
12. Colliding, Changing Cultures (Chapter 23)






Identify the emergence of the modern world system. (CLO 7)
Define industrialism and industrial stratification, with emphasis on the role of
industrialism in the world system. (CLO 5, CLO 7)
Describe important characteristics of the world system. (CLO 5, CLO 7)
Discuss colonialism, with emphasis on the transformative role it had in many societies
worldwide. (CLO 7, CLO 8)
Describe the relationship between colonialism, development of the world system, and
economic development. (CLO 5, CLO 8)
Locate relationships between world system and culture change, including both
homogenizing effects and local cultural resistance to cultural imperialism. (CLO 5, CLO
7, CLO 8)
13. Applying Anthropology/Global Issues & Anthropology (Chapters 3 & 24)



Define applied anthropology. (CLO 9)
Identify the role of anthropology in addressing contemporary social issues and problems.
(CLO 9)
Discuss important topics in anthropology today, such as global warming, environmental
degradation, risk, interethnic contact, the role of the media in globalization,
postmodernity, and human rights. (CLO 8, CLO 9)
Texts / Materials
Required texts:
Anthropology: Appreciating Human Diversity, Fifteenth Edition. Conrad Phillip Kottak.
McGraw-Hill, 2012 (no CD included or required). ISBN-13: 978-0078035012
Available from the UWF bookstore, Textbook Brokers, and online bookstores (Amazon,
Half.com, etc.)
Recommended texts:
None.
Required Materials:



Internet Access (broadband is recommended)
Activated UWF ArgoNet E-mail Account
Respondus LockDown Browser
Assignments
Assignments in this course will be composed of weekly discussions, alternating quizzes and
extended response papers, as well as four exams. Please see Course Schedule and Assignments
for assignment details and due dates.
All quizzes and exams for this course will be taken using the Respondus LockDown
browser. The quizzes will focus on content specific to certain chapters of your textbook. Each
exam will cover topics spanning two or three modules, but will not be comprehensive in regard
to content covered by previous exams.
There will be no make-up for missed exams except in emergencies (medical, death in the family,
natural disaster) or conflicts with approved University functions (travel to participate in athletic
competitions, academic and student activities travel, conference attendance, participation in
debates or other academic competitions, student government conferences, etc.). I may request
proof of the emergency or approved University function at my discretion. Requests to take an
exam early will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Discussion posts or extended response essays submitted late will be subject to a 1 point
deduction for each day late, and will not be accepted beyond a week past the due date.
Submission of late work beyond a week past the due date will not be tolerated except in
emergencies (medical, death in the family, natural disaster). Quizzes and exams in the course
cannot be submitted beyond the due date, except in emergencies.
Grading/Evaluation
Grades for the course will be weighed in the following manner:
Weekly Discussion
10%
Quizzes
15%
Response Papers
15%
Exams (4 @ 15% each)
60%
100%
Letter grades for the course will be assigned as follows:
93% or better A 77% to 79% C +
90% to 92% A - 73% to 76% C
87% to 89% B + 70% to 72% C 83% to 86% B 60% to 69% D
80% to 82% B - 50% or less F
Attendance Policy
Students will be expected to log in to the course regularly in order to fully participate in
discussion and complete assignments.
Minimum Technical Skills and Special Technology Utilized
by Students
This course is totally online. All instructional content and interaction takes place over the
WWW. In addition to baseline word processing skills and sending/receiving email with
attachments, students will be expected to search the internet and upload / download files. In
addition, students may need one or more of the following plug-ins:







Adobe Acrobat Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
PowerPoint Viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=048DC840-14E1-467D8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en
Windows Media Player: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloadwindows-media-player
QuickTime Player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Real Player: http://www.real.com/realplayer/search
Adobe Flash Player: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Respondus LockDown Browser:
https://secure.uwf.edu/itsdocsandtraining/elearning/respondus/index.cfm?thehost=uwf.ed
u&initialState=0
Expectations for Academic Conduct / Plagiarism Policy
Please read and review the following resources. The penalty for any instance of academic
misconduct will result in an automatic grade of "0" for the test or assignment, as the minimum
penalty, and will be handled according to the Office of Academic Affairs Academic Misconduct
Procedure.
Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Site) | (PDF Format) |
UWF Library Online Tutorial: Plagiarism |
Assistance for Students with Disabilities
The University of West Florida supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If
there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation,
such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and
podcasts, reasonable accommodations can be arranged. Prior to receiving accommodations, you
must register with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) at
http://uwf.edu/sdrc/internal/. Appropriate academic accommodations will be determined based
on the documented needs of the individual. For information regarding the registration process, email sdrc@uwf.edu or call 850.474.2387.
Accessibility Resources


Follow this link for information on accessibility features in eLearning.
Follow this link for information on accessibility features in UWF's Learning Management
System (LMS), Desire2Learn.
ASSISTANCE FOR MILITARY AND VETERANS:
The University of West Florida (UWF) is excited to have a center dedicated to supporting our
military and veteran students. With the growing number of veterans returning to school, UWF
will continue to grow support through additions such as this Military & Veteran Resource
Center. The goal of this center is to provide a “one-stop” location for all military and veteran
students to simplify the transition process from the military to an academic environment. You
may contact the MVRC at 850.474.2550 or visit uwf.edu/mvrc.
TurnItIn
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.
Weather Emergency Information
In the case of severe weather or other emergency, the campus might be closed and classes
cancelled. Official closures and delays are announced on the UWF website and broadcast on
WUWF-FM.


WUWF-FM (88.1MHz) is the official information source for the university. Any
pertinent information regarding closings, cancellations, and the re-opening of campus
will be broadcast.
In the event that hurricane preparation procedures are initiated, the UWF Home Web
Page and Argus will both provide current information regarding hurricane preparation
procedures, the status of classes and the closing of the university.
Emergency plans for the University of West Florida related to weather or other emergencies are
available on the following UWF web pages:


Information about hurricane preparedness plans is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/hurricaneprep.cfm
Information about other emergency procedures is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/