Our understanding of human origins is based on evidence. Available sources can be broken into two general categories: evidence from the living world (biology, including genetics, of living organisms) and evidence from the past (geology, paleontology, and paleoanthropology). Our present knowledge of genetics does not provide a means to fully recreate the morphology of our ancestors or their environment. Thus, the fossilized remains of our ancestors are our basis for understanding the course of our evolution after we split away from our chimpanzee and bonobo cousins. These fossil remains are like lottery winners, they were the ones that died, got buried, petrified and later exposed by geological processes: the human fossil record. As of the early 21st Century, the human fossil record is vast, increasingly popular, and these days understanding it as a simple narrative is impossible. The only way to approach it is to understand the record itself, a relatively intensive endeavor.

This class provides an overview of the human fossil record. Be forewarned that this means lots of memorization; the course will take as much time as you are willing to give it. Graded on a curve, this course regularly sees significant competition for A's and high B's.

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, or if you would need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation, please contact me as soon as possible. Students with disabilities needing accommodation should speak with the Accessibility Services.

California State University, East Bay is committed to being a safe and caring community. Your appropriate response in the event of an emergency can help save lives. Information on what to do in an emergency situation may be found at:
http://www.aba.csueastbay.edu/EHS/emergency_mgnt.htm
Please be familiar with these procedures. Information on this page is updated as required. Please review the information on a regular basis.

ANTH 3101 Learning outcomes

• Students will become familiar with basic knowledge of the multiple sciences that are associated with paleoanthropology: geology, archaeology, paleontology, biology, & anthropology.

•Students will understand the origins of written ideas about where life came from, understand the slow dawn of our understanding of deep time over the last 500 years, and finally understand the last 250 years of evolutionary thinking in biology.

• Students will learn the history of human origins science.

• Students will become familiar with major paleoanthropological discoveries and sites.

• Students will learn how utilize scholarly literature in writing.

• Students will become familiar with science, evidence, empiricism, the history of science, and how science gets popularized.

Reading

The Human Fossil Record Page. You are required to be familiar with this page, its searches, and much of its content.

Conroy and Pontzer Reconstructing Human Origins: A Modern Synthesis, third edition. Use the text as a reference to better understand the lectures.

There will be considerable additional reading assigned and numerous electronic handouts will be given out. See schedule to the right for each week's reading

Also, the course will employ the cast collection of UC Berkeley's Human Evolution Research Center as a teaching and learning resource. This collection is available at the following website:
http://middleawash.berkeley.edu/HERC_specimen_db/main_query.php

Midterm, exams and participation

There will be a midterm and a final exam. Each will be a combination of short-answer, multiple choice, and short essay questions. You are expected to come to class prepared and to have read assigned material BEFORE class. You will be evaluated on your effective participation in class discussions. Role may be taken on random days in class. Any material from the reading, lecture, or handouts may appear on tests, so come to every class.

By enrolling in this class the student agrees to uphold the standards of academic integrity described at http://www20.csueastbay.edu/academic/academic-policies/academic-dishonesty.html

Sorta-weekly writing assignment (~8 papers)

Follow PAPER INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY for full credit.

IMPORTANT!! FAILURE TO COMPLETE A PAPER DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID REASON FOR AN INCOMPLETE IN THE COURSE. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE A PAPER YOU WILL RECEIVE A ZERO FOR THE ASSIGNMENT. LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

All class assignments are turned in via Turn-It-In (find this through your normal Blackboard page interface).

Attendance and participation

Missed exams, quizzes, or assignment deadlines MUST BE CLEARED BEFOREHAND. If you get sick, YOU MUST SEND ME AN EMAIL BEFORE THE EXAM, AND YOU MUST BRING A NOTE FROM THE DOCTOR. No note, no makeup.

Role might be taken on random days. Missed days will negatively affect your participation grade. Note is taken os students who are active in the class and it improves the attendace/participation score.

email

Email will generally be addressed during office hours. Email must relate to course material or academic advice. ALWAYS put "ANTH 3101" in the subject or send the mail via blackboard or I WILL NOT RESPOND. It may take me two or three days to respond. This is especially true on the days just before exams. Also, expect emails to be terse and pointed. Due to the high volume of emails I will answer questions in a rather mechanical way.

grading

GENRAL NOTE: BASED ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, PRESENCE ALONE IN NOT ENOUGH TO PASS THE CLASS WITH A C.

Participation: 10%; Analytical classwork 5%; Osteology Quiz 5%; Midterm: 20%; Papers: 25%; Final Exam: 35%

Grading will be based on a curve. The class average is set to a B-/C+. One standard deviation above this is an A-. One standard deviation below this is a C-. There tends to be a very bimodal distribution of grades. This means that the top 25% generally score much better than the average. THIS OFTEN MEANS THAT THE MEDIAN SCORE IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE AVERAGE.

Here is a table that you can use to figure out your grades. Any changes to this breakdown will be discussed in class. (AVE=average score; StDEV=standard deviation):

A/A- cutoff AVE+StDEV+(0.3xStDEV)
A-/B+ cutoff AVE+StDEV
B+/B cutoff AVE+(.67*StDEV)
B/B- cutoff AVE+(.33*StDEV)
C+/B- cutoff AVE
C+/C cutoff AVE-(.33*StDEV)
C/C- cutoff AVE-(.67*StDEV)
C-/D cutoff AVE-StDEV
D/F cutoff AVE-(2*StDEV)