Anthropology 201.1 - Sonoma State University - Fall 2008
Tu-Th 5:25-6:40, Stev. 1002
Taught by Dr. Bruce Owen
Updated on December 1, 2008
Self-study problems #7 are posted under Handouts
Zoo assignment details and the observation form are posted under Handouts
Study sessions: Mondays 4:00-5:15 Ives 45; Thursdays 7:00-8:15 Darwin 35
Test 3 is postponed to exam week. Cumulative test 4 is eliminated.
What's posted here?
Schedule of readings, assignments, and due dates: All the assigned readings for each class session are listed here, along with due dates, test dates, and so on. Each date shows the readings you should do before the class session on that date. Most readings are from the textbook, but the list also has links to online readings, maps, charts, lecture notes, and the Powerpoint slides you see in class. The lecture notes will usually be posted before the class session, while the slides will usually be posted after it. Some people print the the lecture notes before the class and bring them along to take notes on, rather than trying to write everything down. The notes are useful study aids and sources for written assignments, but they do not necessarily make sense on their own. They are no substitute for studying the assigned readings and attending class. The list of readings may change during the semester, so check it frequently.
So why come to lectures?
First, hearing me explain the notes and slides will be far clearer than trying to figure them out without help. Second, numerous studies show that you understand and remember things better if you get the information in various different ways, like reading, hearing, and seeing. Third, you can ask questions, and listen as others ask questions that you might not have thought of. Finally, I fill in details, explain arguments, and highlight the important points, which should make it easier to see the big picture rather than getting lost in the details.
Handouts: Assignment information, the syllabus, study guides, and so on.
Links: Links to other web pages about subjects we cover. These are completely optional, but may help you study or pursue questions raised by the course. Many have good photos or maps that add a visual element to the readings. All are recommended, and many are fun.
Email: Click the "email" button to ask me a question or make a comment, or to turn in the computer version of an assignment. If you are not using your own computer, be sure to include your email address in the message so I can reply.
Everything on this site has been scanned for viruses and is safe to the best of my knowledge.
Readings, assignments, and due dates
Read the assignments before the class session. Scroll down to see more. The readings and class notes are in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format and should open in a new window. Move it aside or close it to see this one again. Most computers will open PDF files automatically to view, save, or print. If yours won't, download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin for your browser.
"Slides" are the Powerpoint pictures and text you see in class. They supplement and illustrate the lectures, and may not make sense on their own. They do not include all the information in the notes. Recent browsers open these files automatically. Navigate with PageUp, PageDown, RightArrow, LeftArrow, Home, End, and the scroll bar. Close the window to quit. Some browsers may download the file. Double-click the file to open it with Powerpoint. If your computer does not have Powerpoint, download the free Powerpoint viewer for Windows or for Macintosh. Some files are large and may take many minutes to download. They may be impractical if you have a telephone modem. Password: Due to copyright restrictions, many items require the class user ID and password. These are different from your Peoplesoft ID and password. If you can't recall them, email me.
Be patient: Some items may take many seconds or minutes to load, especially with a telephone modem.
Tuesday, Aug. 26: Introduction to the course
- Notes (27 Kb)No Slides for this class
- No reading
- Notes (27 Kb)
Part 1: Evolution
Thursday, Aug. 28: What evolution is and how Darwin explained it
Tuesday, Sept. 2: Evolution in action
Thursday, Sept. 4: What are species and how do they arise?
Tuesday, Sept. 9: Darwin's big problem and Mendelian genetics
Thursday, Sept. 11: Catch-up day: Finish Mendelian genetics
- No additional reading.
- No additional reading.
Tuesday, Sept. 16: Beyond Mendel: molecular genetics, cell division, and sex
- Notes (40 Kb)Slides (3.8 Mb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 2, pg 37-49 (13 pgs)
- Optional: Videos about proteins, DNA, cell division, molecular machinery. Instructive and amazing.
- Notes (40 Kb)
Thursday, Sept. 18: Population genetics and the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory
Tuesday, Sept. 23: Phylogenies, or evolutionary family trees
Thursday, Sept. 25: Catch-up day: Finish phylogenies, review for test if time
- No additional reading. Come anyway!
- No additional reading. Come anyway!
Tuesday, Sept. 30: Test 1: Evolution
Part 2: Living primates
Thursday, Oct. 2: What is a primate, and why do we study them?
Tuesday, Oct. 7: Introduction to our relatives
- Notes (24 Kb)Slides (6.0 Mb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 122-134 (13 pgs)
- Walker & Hagen CD: Prosimians and Anthropoids - Prosimians vs. Anthropoids
- Primate taxonomy chart: Anthropoids (6 Kb)
- Primate taxonomy chart: Prosimians (6 Kb)
- Notes (24 Kb)
Thursday, Oct. 9: Primate ecology: Food and territory
Tuesday, Oct. 14: Primate ecology: Predators and living in groups
Thursday, Oct. 16: Mating: Primate females and males
Tuesday, Oct. 21: Sexual selection
Thursday, Oct. 23: Evolution of social behavior: Altruism and kin selection
Tuesday, Oct. 28: Primate intelligence
Thursday, Oct. 30: Catch-up day. Finish "Primate intelligence".
- No additional reading.
- No additional reading.
Tuesday, Nov. 4: Test 2: Living primates
Part 3: Evolution of humans
Thursday, Nov. 6: Paleontology and the first primates
Tuesday, Nov. 11: Veterans' Day: No class
- Think about those who suffered or died for your freedom, safety, and rights.
- Think about those who suffered or died for your freedom, safety, and rights.
Thursday, Nov. 13: Early hominins
Tuesday, Nov. 18: Continue with early hominins
- No additional reading.
- No additional reading.
Thursday, Nov. 20: Lifestyles of the toolmaking Oldowan hominins
Tuesday, Nov. 25: Genus Homo, but not quite us
Thursday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving: No class
- Appreciate what you are fortunate to have, especially your family and friends.
- Appreciate what you are fortunate to have, especially your family and friends.
Tuesday, Dec. 2: Continue with early Homo
- No additional reading.
- No additional reading.
Thursday, Dec. 4: The Neanderthals
Tuesday, Dec. 9: Modern Homo sapiens
- Notes not yet posted (nn Kb)Slides not yet posted (nn Mb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 14, pg. 362-398 (37 pgs)
- Walker & Hagen CD: Modern Homo sapiens - all sections
- Notes not yet posted (nn Kb)
Thursday, Dec. 11: Modern human variation and the concept of race
- Notes not yet posted (nn Kb)Slides not yet posted (nn Mb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 15, pg. 423-429 (7 pgs)
- Due: Zoo project
- Notes not yet posted (nn Kb)
Final exam week:
Tuesday, Dec. 16: Test 3: Evolution of humans, modern diversity, and race
- 5:00-6:50, Stevenson 1002
- 5:00-6:50, Stevenson 1002
Handout List
Scroll down if you don't see what you need. Click on the Handout that you want. If you have been here before, press your browser's "reload" button to see the latest additions.
Syllabus: Introduction to Biological Anthropology, Anthropology 201.1, Fall 2008 (19 Kb)
Map: Location of North Light Books & Cafe relative to SSU (95 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #1: Evolution (blank): Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (9 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #2: Speciation and Mendelian Genetics (blank): Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (8 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #2: Speciation and Mendelian Genetics (with answers) (12 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #3: Molecular and population genetics (blank): Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (10 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #3: Molecular and population genetics (with answers) (16 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #4: Primates (blank): Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (10 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #5: Food, territory, and groups (blank): Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (9 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #5: Food, territory, and groups (with answers) (12 Kb)
Zoo project / non-human primate observation project assignment details (17 Kb)
Primate observation form (14 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #6: Sexual selection and kin selection (blank) Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (6 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #6: Sexual selection and kin selection (with answers) (11 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #7: Early primates and Plio-pleistocene hominins (blank) Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (11 Kb)
Self-Study Problems #7: Early primates and Plio-pleistocene hominins (with answers) (21 Kb)
Links to sites about evolution, primates, the fossil record, and more
Interesting, often illustrated, from easy to challenging... check these out. Many of these make excellent study aids for preparing for tests. Some may help with the Zoo Project. All are optional. If you have been here before, press your browser's "reload" button to see the latest additions.
Evolution is a fact and a theory. A clear and thorough little essay.
Observed instances of speciation. A review of numerous cases of observed evolutionary changes drastic enough to create new species. Begins with an in-depth discussion of the species concept. Most of the examples are plants or laboratory cases. The language is a bit technical.
Some more observed speciation events. A collection of observed cases of evolution occurring to the point of speciation in laboratory and natural settings. Some are briefly summarized, while others are just the references. Also a few short discussions by various authors.
Biology and Evolution Archive. Clear, concise discussions of evolutionary theory, real examples, responses to creationism, and more for anyone who wants to go beyond the textbook. Starts with an excellent "Introduction to Evolutionary Biology" in serious but readable language. Highly recommended.
The Origin of Species. The full text of Darwin's classic.
Self-correcting Punnett square quiz. A good, easy study aid to make sure you are getting it right. Links to brief explanations and examples. Uses "incomplete dominance" for what we are calling "codominance"; uses "hybrid" for what we are calling "heterozygous" (this is a historical echo of Mendel's method of hybridizing peas to make heterozygotes).
DNA Tutorial. A more detailed introduction to DNA and the processes of replication and protein synthesis. Concise, slightly technical explanations, nice illustrations and animations. It isn't as simple as our textbook makes it seem!
Videos about proteins, DNA, cell division, molecular machinery. Instructive and amazing.
Primate Gallery. Lots of great pictures; clicking "next" gives you more of the same or related species. Many have excellent "fact sheet" and other links below the picture. Learn to tell a langur from a lemur on sight.
ARKive images and videos of primates. Incredible video clips with sound of many species and activities, plus stills and brief writeups. Click around to find other animals and plants, too.
Oakland Zoo web page. Hint: Click the "Animals" item in the menu bar across the top, then pick "Mammals". The very informative animal info pages are listed by the full common name (like White-handed gibbon, rather than Gibbon), so look closely or you might miss something interesting.
San Francisco Zoo web page. Hint: In the white area on the upper left, click on "See", then check out the menu of animals that appears below it for good but brief background information.
Paleoanthropology: A short journey through time. Good survey of the fossil record of human origins, concise but authoritative, based on an excellent phylogenetic chart. A little different in some details from our textbook. Lacks the latest finds.
Summary of the hominid species. Excellent, concise, illustrated review of the fossil hominids, including very recent discoveries. Click the word "Fossils" next to the species names for well-explained features, debates, and photos.
Anthropology in the News. Links to the latest finds, discoveries, and controversies in biological anthro, cultural anthro, linguistics, and archaeology. Updated frequently.
Introduction to Biological Anthropology by Bruce Owen
Copyright (c) 2008, Bruce Owen. All rights reserved.
Please send comments on content and presentation to
bruce.owen@sonoma.edu.
URL of this document: http://bruceowen.com/introbiological/201-08f-1.htm
Revised: 1 December 2008