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Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution
Anthropology 312-500, Fall 2004 |
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Course Overview |
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The purpose of this course is to offer you a detailed examination of the evolution of the human lineage, from our earliest ape ancestors more than 5 million years ago, through to modern humans of today. We will focus on the fossil evidence, but will also consider the culture, technology and ecology of the hominins, as well as the genetic evidence that shapes our understanding of human evolution. There is no lab component to this course, but we will be examining casts of fossils on a regular basis to give you a hands-on opportunity to study skeletal morphology.
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| REQUIRED TEXTS AND ARTICLES
Textbook: Principles of Human Evolution, 2nd Edition by Roger Lewin and Robert A. Foley
Other required readings: In Search of the Neanderthals by Christopher Stringer and Clive Gamble 1993
“Fate of the Neandertals” by Joao Zilhao. Archaeology 2000, pp 24-31
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Grades:
Your grade for this course will be determined by your score on 3 examinations, plus a grade for periodic quizzes used to evaluate your attendance, as follows:
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Exam 1 |
30% |
Tuesday October 5th |
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Exam 2 |
30% |
Tuesday November 11 |
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Final Exam |
35% |
Friday December 12, 3-5 |
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Attendance & Participation |
5% |
Weekly |
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Total Grade |
100% |
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Schedule:
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DATE |
LECTURE TOPICS |
READING ASSIGNMENT |
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ANTH 312-500: Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution |
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Tues. 8/31 |
Introduction |
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Thurs. 9/2 |
Evolution and Natural Selection |
Chapter 2 |
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Tues. 9/7 |
Micro and Macroevolution |
Chapters 3, 4 |
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Thurs. 9/9 |
Human Taxonomy |
Chapter 5 |
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Tues. 9/14 |
Basic Osteology and Primate Origins |
Chapters 6,7 |
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Thurs. 9/16 |
Origin of Apes |
Chapter 8 |
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Tues. 9/21 |
Australopithecines I |
Chapter 9 |
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Thurs. 9/23 |
Australopithecines II |
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Tues. 9/28 |
Australopithecines: Diet and Ecology |
Chapter 10 |
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Thurs. 9/30 |
Australopithecines: Biology and Phylogeny |
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Tues. 10/5 |
EXAM I |
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Thurs. 10/7 |
Origin of the Genus Homo |
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Tues. 10/12 |
Homo habilis or Australopithecus habilis? |
Chapters 11, 12 |
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Thurs. 10/14 |
Homo erectus and Early Dispersals |
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Tues. 10/19 |
Homo erectus Biology |
Chapter 13 |
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Thurs. 10/21 |
Homo erectus Behavior: Hunting and Stone Tools |
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Tues. 10/26 |
Middle Pleistocene Homo |
TBA |
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Thurs. 10/28 |
Introduction to Neandertal Anatomy |
Stringer & Gamble Ch. 4 |
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Tues. 11/2 |
Neandertals I: Evolution and Biology |
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Thurs. 11/4 |
Neandertals II: Behavior and Adaptation |
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Tues. 11/9 |
In Search of the Neandertals |
Zilhao 2000 |
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Thurs. 11/11 |
EXAM II |
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Tues. 11/16 |
Early Modern H. sapiens: Middle Paleolithic Humans |
Stringer & Gamble Ch. 5 |
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Thurs. 11/18 |
Early Modern H. sapiens: Upper Paleolithic Humans |
Chapter 18 |
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Tues. 11/23 |
Neandertals vs. Modern Humans: Brain and Behavior |
Chapters 16, 17 |
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Thurs. 11/25 |
Thanksgiving – No class |
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Tues. 11/30 |
The Origin of Modern Humans II: Phylogenetic Models |
Chapters 14, 15 |
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Thurs. 12/2 |
In Search of Human Origins (Part 2) |
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Tues. 12/7 |
Modern Homo sapiens Global Dispersals |
Chapter 19 |
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Fri. 12/12 |
FINAL EXAM 3-5pm |
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