What's posted here?
Schedule of readings, notes, slides, tests, and due dates: Shows what you should read before the class on each date. Most readings are in the textbook. Others are links to online material. The schedule also shows dates of tests, assignment due dates, and so on. Lecture notes for each class are usually posted in advance, while the Powerpoint slides are usually posted after it. Some people print the the lecture notes and bring them to class to take notes on. The notes and Powerpoint slides are useful for studying and preparing assignments, but they are no substitute for reading the assigned material and attending class.
The schedule will be adjusted during the semester, so check it frequently for current readings and deadlines.Handouts: The syllabus, assignment details, study guides, and so on.
Links: Links to other web pages about subjects we cover. These are 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.
Everything on this site has been scanned for viruses and is safe to the best of my knowledge.
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.
Email and submitting assignments
Assignments are submitted as files attached to emails. Contact me and submit assignments by emailing to
bruce.owen@sonoma.edu
I will usually reply within 24 hours, often less. If you don't hear back in 48 hours, assume that I did not get your message or attachment, and try again. If you are not using your own computer, be sure to include your email address in the message so I can reply.
Schedule of readings, notes, slides, tests, and due dates
This schedule will change, so don't rely on a printed copy. Read the assignments before the class session. Scroll down for more. Most items are PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files and should open in a new window to view, save, or print. Move it aside or close it to see this one again. If the PDF files do not open, install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or a less standard but faster alternative, the free PDF-XChange Viewer.
The slides are the Powerpoint presentations you see in class. They do not include all the information in the notes or readings. They should open in a new window. Navigate with PageUp/Down, Arrow Left/Right, Space/Backspace, Mouse clicks and scroll wheel, and Home/End to jump to the start or end of the presentation. Esc or close the window to quit. If your browser downloads the file, just double-click the file to open it. If your computer does not have Powerpoint, install the free Powerpoint viewer for Windows or Impress, part of the free OpenOffice for Macintosh.
User ID and 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.
Please be patient: Some files are large and may take a while to download.
Introduction to the course
Part 1: Evolution
- Tuesday, Aug. 30: What evolution is and how Darwin became convinced of it
- Thursday, Sept. 1: Why evolution happens
- Notes Slides shown on Sept. 1 and 6
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 1, pg. 5-12 (8 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Darwin's theory, but not the example of the finches on Daphne Major.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Sept. 6: Kinds of variation, cumulative change, local optima, and rates of evolution
- NotesSlides shown on Sept. 6 and 8
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 1, pg. 12-21 (10 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Finches on Daphne Major (from last class), and this class's subjects except for the example of "camera" and "compound" eyes, and rates of evolution.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 8: Quiz, evolving elephants, and epistemology
- NotesSlides shown on Sept. 13
- Review the readings, notes, and slides so far!
- Suggestion: work on the self-study problems. Versions with and without answers are posted under Handouts.
- In-class quiz: Evolution
- What we actually covered in this session: The remaining material for Sept. 6.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Sept. 13: What are species and how do they arise?
- NotesSlides shown on Sept. 13 and 15
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 4, pg. 85-96 (12 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Species concepts through anagenesis.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 15: Darwin's big problem and Mendelian genetics
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 15 and 20
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 1, pg 21-22 (2 pgs)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 2, pg. 24-36 (13 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Remaining species concepts, started Mendelian genetics.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Sept. 20: Beyond Mendel: molecular genetics, cell division, and sex
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 20, 22, 27
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 2, pg 37-50 (14 pgs)
- Videos about proteins, DNA, cell division, molecular machinery. Instructive and amazing.
- What we actually covered in this session: Finished Mendelian genetics, started molecular genetics.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 22: Catch-up: Finish molecular genetics
- Review the readings and notes so far
- No new readings. The regular reading quiz will cover recent material.
- What we actually covered in this session: Almost finished molecular genetics, cell division and sexual reproduction.
- Tuesday, Sept. 27: Population genetics and the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 27, 29
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 3, pg 53-68 (16 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Finished molecular genetics, started population genetics.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 29: Classificiation and Phylogeny: Evolutionary family trees
- NotesSlides
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 4 pg. 96-112 (17 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Finished population genetics and forces of evolution, started classification and phylogeny. Please see the remaining notes and slides, as well as today's readings.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 4: Test 1: Evolution
Part 2: Living primates
- Thursday, Oct. 6: What is a primate, and why do we study them?
- NotesSlides shown Oct. 6 and 11
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 116-122 (7 pgs)
- Primate taxonomy chart: Strepsirrhine primates
- Primate taxonomy chart: Haplorrhine primates
- Optional: Primate taxonomy chart: All primates OK on screen, but very small type if printed
- What we actually covered in this session: Finished a condensed versin of phylogenies lecture; started introduction to primates.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 11: An introduction to our relatives: Strepsirrhines, tarsiers, and platyrhines
- NotesSlides & videos shown Oct. 11 and 13 (After each video clip, click on Powerpoint at the bottom of the screen to continue)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 122-126 (5 pgs)
- A Survey of the Living Primates (Strepsirrhines and Platyrhines), from Jurmain et al. 2011, Introduction to Physical Anthropology (8 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Finished introduction to primates; strepsirrhines.
- Notes
- Thursday, Oct. 13: An introduction to our relatives: Catarrhines
- NotesSlides shown Oct 13 and 18
- A Survey of the Living Primates (Catarrhines), from Jurmain et al. 2011, Introduction to Physical Anthropology (13 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Platyrhines, Catarrhines through Cercopithecoids.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 18: Mating: Primate females and males
- NotesSlides shown Oct. 18 and 20
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 6, pg. 148-161 (14 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Hominoids. Explanations in terms of reproductive success and strategies.
- Notes
- Thursday, Oct. 20: Primate ecology: Food and range
- NotesSlides & videos shown Oct. 25 and 27
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 127-138 (12 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Primate female and male reproductive strategies.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 25: Primate sociality: Predators and living in groups
- NotesSlides shown Oct 27 and Nov. 1
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 138-145 (8 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Food and range except for territoriality.
- Notes
- Thursday, Oct. 27: Mating and sexual selection
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 1 and 3
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 6, pg. 161-173 (13 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Finished territoriality; theories of sociality; female and male social behavior, more to come.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Nov. 1: Evolution of cooperation: Altruism and kin selection
- NotesSlides posted, most shown Nov. 8
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 7, pg. 176-195 (20 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this session: Types of social groups and ranging; started sexual selection.
- Notes
- Thursday, Nov. 3: Evolution of primate intelligence
- NotesSlides posted, not shown in class
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 8, pg. 198-214 (17 pgs)
- Notes
- Tuesday, Nov. 8: Catch-up day
- No additional readings. The regular in-class quiz will cover material from any of the readings on living primates, so start reviewing for the test!
- Thursday, Nov. 10: Test 2: Living primates
Part 3: Evolution of humans
- Tuesday, Nov. 15: Paleontology and the first primates
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 15 and 17
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 9, pg. 218-239 (22 pgs)
- Notes
- Thursday, Nov. 17: Apes and early hominins
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 17 and 22
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 9, pg. 240-244, and Chapter 10, pg. 246-251 (11 pgs)
- Notes
- Tuesday, Nov. 22: Early Australopithecines, bipedalism, and tools
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 22 and 29
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 10, pg. 252-261 (10 pgs)
- Notes
- Thursday, Nov. 24: No class - Thanksgiving Break
- Consider how fortunate you are to have your family and friends...
- Tuesday, Nov. 29: A world full of Plio-pleistocene hominins
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 29
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 10, pg. 261-280 (20 pgs)
- Notes
- Thursday, Dec. 1: Lifestyles of the toolmaking Oldowan hominins
- NotesSlides shown Dec. 6
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 11, pg. 282-303 (22 pgs)
- Notes
- Tuesday, Dec. 6: Genus Homo, but not quite us
- NotesSlides posted, not yet shown
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 12, pg. 305-339 (35 pgs)
- DUE in class: Turn in a printout of your paper, your filled-in primate observation forms, and your original ticket and receipt in class.
- DUE by 11:55 PM: Submit your paper as a computer file via the Anth 201.3 Moodle page.
- Notes
- Thursday, Dec. 8: Homo sapiens
- NotesSlides posted, not yet shown
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 13, pg. 342-383 (42 pgs)
- Notes
Final exam week:
- Thursday, Dec. 15: Test 3: Evolution of humans
- 5:00-6:50, Stevenson 3008 (our regular room)
Handouts
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 201.3, Fall 2011
- Map Location of North Light Books & Cafe relative to SSU
- What plagiarism is and how to avoid it
- Primate taxonomy chart: Strepsirrhine primates Many still call these "prosimians".
- Primate taxonomy chart: Haplorrhine primates Many still call these "anthropoids".
- Primate taxonomy chart: All primates OK on screen, but very small type if printed
- Simplified SAA style guide: How to handle citations and bibliographies if you use published or online material in your zoo paper. This is a style used by several leading archaeology journals, and similar to some major cultural anthropology journals. You may also use any other standard format (MLA, Turabian, etc.) if you prefer.
- Self-study problems #1: Evolution Blank.
- Self-study problems #1: Evolution With answers.
- Self-study problems #2: Species and Mendelian genetics Blank.
- Self-study problems #2: Species and Mendelian genetics With answers.
- Self-study problems #3: Molecular and population genetics Blank.
- Self-study problems #3: Molecular and population genetics With answers.
- The Zoo Project: Non-human Primate Observation Assignment instructions. Visit a zoo between October 28 and November 30.
- The Zoo Project: Primate Observation Form Print at least two copies to bring to the zoo.
- Study guide for Test 1.
- Self-study problems #4: Primates Blank.
- Self-study problems #4: Primates With answers.
- Self-study problems #5: Food, range, and groups Blank.
- Self-study problems #5: Food, range, and groups With answers.
- Self-study problems #6: Sexual selection and kin selection Blank.
- Self-study problems #6: Sexual selection and kin selection With answers.
- Study guide for Test 2.
- Self-study problems #7: First primates, apes, and early hominins Blank.
- Self-study problems #7: First primates, apes, and early hominins With answers.
- Self-study problems #8: Plio-Pleistocene hominins Blank.
- Self-study problems #8: Plio-Pleistocene hominins With answers.
- Self-study problems #9: Homo but not quite us Blank.
- Self-study problems #9: Homo but not quite us With answers.
- Study guide for Test 3.
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.
...about evolution
- 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.
- 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.
...about genetics
- 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).
- Videos about proteins, DNA, cell division, molecular machinery (not yet posted). Instructive and amazing.
...about primates, and help for the zoo project
- Primate Taxonomy. Find the full taxonomy of the primates you observe by searching this list using your browser's "find" feature. Search for the primate's common name or species name, then note all the higher-level taxonomic terms for your Primate Observation Form. Some terms are links to useful, concise information.
- Primate Taxonomy and info. Lots of pictures, extensive text, even sounds of many primates, arranged by taxonomy.
- 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. Type a name (like gorilla) or category (like primate) into the search box. "Primate" and "Primates" produce different lists. Click around to find other animals and plants, too.
- Primate Taxonomy and info. Click your way down the primate taxonomy to find information about groups of species (cercopithecines, lemurs, etc.) all the way down to information about individual species. Dry and technical, but complete and organized.
- SAA Style Guide: The full instructions on citation and bibliography formats for authors submitting articles to American Antiquity, Latin American Antiquity, and other journals. Useful for cases not covered in the simplified version under Handouts.
...zoo websites and public transportation planner
- Oakland Zoo web page. Hint: In the menu bar, click "Animals", then "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 "Animals", then "Mammals", then check out the menu of animals that appears for good but brief background information.
- Sacramento Zoo web page. Hint: In the menu bar, click "Animals and Conservation", then "Zoo animals", then "Mammals", then the primate you want to know about.
- Public transportation trip planner. If you don't have a car and absolutely cannot get a ride to a zoo, tell the Trip Planner when you want to leave, and it will suggest several complete itineraries of buses, streetcars, etc. with times and prices. This is only really feasible for the San Francisco zoo, and you will spend about three hours each way. An interesting experience, but not good if you are short on time.
...about fossil evidence of human evolution
- 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.
...about current discoveries and debates
- Anthropology in the News. Links to the latest finds, discoveries, and controversies in biological anthro, cultural anthro, linguistics, and archaeology. Updated frequently.
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Introduction to Biological Anthropology by Bruce Owen |
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Please send comments on content and presentation to
bruce.owen@sonoma.edu |
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