Lori E. Wright - Anthropology 489-503

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Lori E. Wright
Associate Professor

Email:	lwright@tamu.edu
Phone:	(979) 862-7665
Office:	316E Anthropology

Introduction To Bioarchaeology Anthropology 489-503
Course Overview

Course Syllabus

Course Description:

This class will acquaint the advanced undergraduate student interested in archaeology and physical anthropology with the broad range of issues that can be examined with evidence gleaned from human skeletal remains. The course will focus on the role of human skeletal studies in reconstructing both the biological and cultural past of our species. Classes will be a combination of lecture and seminar formats, with some laboratory demonstrations.

Requirements:

Prerequisites: Anth 225 and 202
Recommended: Anth 425, any 300 or 400 archaeology course, or my permission.

Class attendance & participation, reading assignments, a research paper, 2 exams. The exams will cover material presented in lectures and in readings discussed in class. Each student will prepare a research paper (10 to 15 pages) which will also be presented to the class as a seminar (15 minutes).

Texts:*

Larson, CS 1997. Bioarchaeology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521658349

*A bound set of readings may be purchased at Notes-and-Quotes, 701 University Avenue, College Station, Texas.

Grades:

Two exams will cover material presented in lectures and in readings discussed in class. Each student will prepare a research paper (10 to 15 pages) which will also be presented to the class as a seminar (15 minutes). Research paper topics must be selected and approved by March 9. Students are encouraged to include a practical component in their paper. Class attendance and participation in discussion of weekly readings will also contribute to your grade.

Grade scale: 100-90: A, 89-80: B, 79-70: C, 69-60: D, 59-0: F

Schedule:

Week	Topic
Week 1	Class Introduction
	Osteology Basics & Quiz

Week 2	Demographic Parameters: Age, Sex, and Bias
	Age & Sex Lab

Week 3s	Time to work on age and sex lab
	Paleodemography Lecture (lab assignment due)

Week 4	Paleodemography Seminars
	Growth & Stress Lecture

Week 5	Growth & Stress Seminars
	Activity: Trauma, Wear & Tear

Week 6	Activity Seminars
	Prehistoric Diet Lecture: Elements & Isotopes

Week 7	Diet Seminars
	Geology & Migration Lecture

Week 8	Migration Seminars
	MIDTERM EXAM
Spring Break

Week	Topic
Week 9	Paleopathology Lecture: Infectious & Nutritional Disease
	Dr. Wright at SAA meetings — no class!

Week 10	The Agricultural Revolution Seminars
	The Columbian Exchange Seminars

Week 11	Genetics and Population Affinity Lecture
	Morphological Methods Seminars

Week 12	Molecular Methods Seminars
	Catch-up, repatriation film

Week 13	Repatriation Seminars: The NAGPRA Challenge
	Student Seminars

Week 14	Student Seminars
	Student Seminars

	Final Exam