ANT 670

DATES

TOPICS AND PRESENTATIONS

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Topics:

• Organizational Meeting

• What is Physical Anthropology and how did it get that way?

• What are the conceptual underpinnings of modern physical anthropology?

Presentations available:

1. History of Physical  Anthropology

2. Molecular and Familial Genetics

3. Population Genetics

4. Evolutionary Theory

5. Misconceptions in Evolution

Additional information:

• See this essay to learn more about Dr. Bindon

Readings:

• Graves, Intro, Ch. 1-9

• Tattersall and Schwartz, Preface, Ch. 1, 2

• Your physical anthropology text (YPAT): Intro chapter, chapters on genetics, cell biology, and evolution

Assignments:

• Assignment 1: Edit your statement on our website using this link to tell about your background in anthropology, why you came to UA, who you're working with, and what you hope to do for your thesis research. (due ASAP)

• Assignment 2: Genetics Problems (due 9/20: all assignments are due by noon on the assigned date)

• Assignment 3: Submit a critique of an article on the evolution/creation/intelligent design debate. (due 9/19)

Topics:

• Primates

• What is man’s place in nature?

• Who are our closest relatives and what can we learn about ourselves from them?

Presentations available:

• Primates

• Primate Evolution

Readings:

• Beard, whole book

• Relethford, Preface, Ch. 1 – 2

• YPAT: Chapters on Primates, taxonomy, behavior, evolution

Assignments:

• Assignment 4: Submit a critique of an article on living primates (due 10/3)

• Assignment 5: Submit a critique of an article on primate evolution (due 10/10)

Topics:

• How do we differ from our closest relatives?

• Where did we come from?

• How did we get here?

Presentations available:

• Models of Hominid Origins

• Pliocene-Pleistocene Hominids

• Fossil Hominids

• The Genus Homo

• Modern Humans (see this new presentation)

Readings:

• Hart and Sussman, whole book.

• Relethford, Preface, Ch. 3, 4

• Tattersall and Schwartz, Ch. 3 - 8

• YPAT: Chapters on fossil man, paleoanthropology

Assignments:

• Assignment 6: Submit a critique of an article on the evolution of early hominids, prior to the genus Homo (due 10/24)

• Assignment 7: Submit a critique of an article on the evolution of the genus Homo prior to Homo sapiens (due 10/31)

• Assignment 8: Submit a critique of an article on the evolution of Homo sapiens (due 11/7)

Topics:

• How do we differ from one another?

• What causes differences between groups of people?

• How are human differences patterned?

Presentations available:

• Race—the power of an illusion, Episode 1: The Differences Between Us

• Race—the power of an illusion, Episode 2: The Story We Tell

• Race: the Power of an illusion, Part III: The House We Live In

• Human Variation

• G6PD

• Sickle Cell

• Human Adaptation

• Skin Color Example

• Samoan Adaptation

• Samoan Foodways

Additional Resources:

• Baker, PT. 1984. The adaptive limits of human populations. Man, 19:1-14.

Readings:

• Graves, whole book

• Relethford, Ch. 5 – 10

Assignments:

• Assignment 10: Submit a critique of an article about human variation (due 11/14)

• Assignment 11: Submit a critique of an article on race (due 11/21)

• Assignment 12: Submit a critique of an article on human adaptation (due 11/28)

Additional Resources:

• Bindon JR. 1997 Coming of age of human adaptation studies in Samoa. In: R. Huss-Ashmore and S. Ulijaszek (editors). Human Adaptation. Oxford University Press. Pp. 126-156.

• Brace, CL. The concept of race in physical anthropology.  In Ember and Ember.

• Brown, Ryan A. and Armelagos, George J. (2001) Apportionment of Racial Diversity: A Review. Evolutionary Anthropology, 10:34-40.

• Crews, D.E. and J.R. Bindon. 1991. Ethnicity as a taxonomic tool in biomedical and biosocial research. Ethnicity and Disease, 1:42-49.

• Green L. 1993. G6PD deficiency as protection against falciparum malaria: an epidemiologic critique of population and experimental studies. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 36:153-178.

• Livingstone FB. Anthropological implications of sickle cell gene distribution in West Africa.  American Anthropologist, 60:533-562.

• Montagu A. 1962. The concept of race.  American Anthropologist, 64:919-928