COURSE SYLLABUS Human Adaptation - ANTH Fall :00-10:30 AM T/R 330 University Museum

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "COURSE SYLLABUS Human Adaptation - ANTH Fall :00-10:30 AM T/R 330 University Museum"

Pearl Lawrence
5 years ago
Views:

1 COURSE SYLLABUS Human Adaptation - ANTH Fall :00-10:30 AM T/R 330 University Museum Instructor: Dr. Theodore Schurr Teaching Assistant: Tanya McCullough Office: 344 (3114-7) University Museum Office: None Office Hours: Thurs 1:00-3:00 PM Office Hours: By appointment Tel#: Tel#: tgschurr@sas.upenn.edu tanyamcc@sas.upenn.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, we will explore the anatomical, biogenetic and behavioral attributes of modern humans that have allowed them to adapt to a variety of environments and become the most successful hominid species yet known. These attributes will be viewed through an evolutionary perspective, i.e., how these features have evolved though time, from their roots in our mammalian past to their subsequent development in higher primates and humans. Through this approach, we will better understand the adaptive qualities of these features, and gain insights into how and why our biology functions in the way that it does. We will also consider the role of culture in the development of these characteristics, and as an adaptation unto itself. READING MATERIAL: We will read a series of scientific papers, popular science articles, and a book as a basis for discussion of the topics covered during each class period. The course papers and other supplemental materials resources will be available on line as downloadable PDF files through BlackBoard (URL: In addition, all lecture slides will be posted on the web as both PowerPoint and html files for your review and study. The book that will be used in this course is entitled, Human Adaptation [Geoffrey A. Harrison and Howard Morphy (eds) 1998, Berg Publishers, Ltd., Oxford, UK.] It will be available from the Penn Book Center (130 S. 34 th Street, Phila, PA , Tel#: ). We will also use Human Adaptation and Accommodation [A. Roberto Frisancho (1995) University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI.] as a supplemental text. REQUIREMENTS: The requirements for this course are three mid-term examinations and three short essays (2-3 pages in length). The exam questions will not only test your powers of recall, but also require that you think about the materials presented in the course and discuss them in imaginative ways. Similarly, the essays are designed to make you think creatively about the topical areas that are the focus of this course. Your grade will be based on the following course components: Midterm Exams (75% [3 x 25%]); and Essays (25%). ANTH 105 Page 1 Syllabus

2 LECTURE SCHEDULE: Week Day Date Topic 1 R 09/05 Overview: Human Adaptation Part I: Introduction: Evolutionary Background 2 T 09/10 Emergence of Primate Dentition 2 R 09/12 Evolution of Hominid Dentition 3 T 09/17 On-going Human Dental Evolution 3 R 09/19 Evolution of Bipedalism 4 T 09/24 Biomechanical Implications of Bipedalism 4 R 09/26 Biomedical Implications of Bipedalism 5 T 10/01 Evolution of Primate Brain 5 R 10/03 Organization of Human Brain 6 T 10/08 Unique Features of Human Brain 6 R 10/10 Midterm #1 FALL BREAK 10/12-10/14 7 T 10/15 Evolution of Human Life Cycle 7 R 10/17 Growth and Development 8 T 10/22 Human Ecology 8 R 10/24 Human Demography 9 T 10/29 Human Genetic Diversity 9 R 10/31 Natural Selection and Adaptation 10 T 11/05 Physical Trait Variation 10 R 11/07 Evolution of Skin Color 11 T 11/12 Midterm #2 11 R 11/14 Temperature Stress 12 T 11/19 High Altitude Adaptation 12 R 11/21 THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/27-11/30 Nutrition and Adaptation 13 T 11/26 Disease and Adaptation 13 R 11/28 Physical Stress and Adaptation 14 T 12/03 Evolutionary Medicine 14 R 12/05 Culture as Adaptation READING DAYS 12/09-12/11 FINAL EXAMS 12/12-12/ /19 Midterm #3 11:00 AM - 01:00 PM ANTH 105 Page 2 Syllabus

3 READING LIST Week Day Date Assignments 1 R 09/05 Overview: Concepts of Adaptation Baker PT (1984) The adaptive limits of human populations. Man 19: T 09/10 Emergence of Primate Dentition 1. A.E.W. Miles (1972) Teeth and Their Origins. In: Oxford Biology Readers, J.J. Head and O.E. Lowenstein (eds), Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK., pp R 09/12 Evolution of Hominid Dentition 3 T 09/17 Modern Human Dental Evolution 1. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. March 1984, Consumer Reportspp R 09/19 Evolution of Bipedalism 1. Lovejoy CO (1988) Evolution of human walking. Scientific American, pp David R. Carrier (1984) The Energetic Paradox of Human Running and Hominid Evolution. Curr. Anthropol. 25(4): T 09/24 Biomechanical Implications of Bipedalism 1. Shipman P, Walker A, and Bichell D (1985) The Human Skeleton. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, Chp R. McNeill Alexander, 19xx. The Human Machine. Columbia University Press, New York. 4 R 09/26 Biomedical Implications of Bipedalism 1. Wenda R. Trevathan (1987) Human Birth: An Evolutionary Perspective. Aldine de Gruyter, New York. 2. John W. Frymoyer (1988) Back Pain and Sciatica. The New England Journal of Medicine 318(5): T 10/01 Evolution of Primate Brain 1. Harry J. Jerison (19xx) Paleoneurology and the Evolution of the Mind. Scientific American, pp Ralph Holloway (1983) Human paleontological evidence relevant to language behavior. Human Neurobiology 2: R 10/03 Organization of Human Brain 1. Robert Ornstein and Richard F. Thompson (19xx) The Amazing Brain. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA., pp Norman Geschwind (19xx) Specializations in the Human ANTH 105 Page 3 Syllabus

4 Brain. Scientific American, pp T 10/08 Unique Features of Human Brain 1. F.H.C. Crick (19xx) Thinking about the Brain. Scienitfic American, pp Christopher Wills (19xx) The Runaway Brain. Basic Books, New York, pp R 10/10 Midterm #1 FALL BREAK 10/12-10/14 7 T 10/15 Continuing Concepts of Adaptation Mazess RB (1975) Biological adaptation: Aptitudes and acclimatization. In: Watts ES, Johnston FE, and Lasker GW (eds) Biosocial Interactions in Population Adaptation. The Hague: Mouton Press, pp R 10/17 Evolution of Human Life Cycle Barry Bogin (2001) The Growth of Humanity, Wiley-Liss, New York, pp [Chp 4: Evolution of the Human Life Cycle] 8 T 10/22 Growth and Development Leigh S (1996) Evolution of human growth spurts. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 101: Barry Bogin (2001) The Growth of Humanity, Wiley-Liss, New York, pp R 10/24 Human Ecology Thomas RB, Gage TB, and Little MA (1989) Reflections on adaptive and ecological models. In: Little MA and Haas JD (eds) Human Population Biology: A Transdisciplinary Science. London: Oxford University Press, pp Bruce Winterhalder (2001) The behavioral ecology of hunter-gatherers. In: Hunter-Gatherers: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, C.Panter-Brick, RJ Layton, and P Rowley- Conwy (eds), Cambridge University Press, pp T 10/29 Human Demography Barry Bogin (2001) The Growth of Humanity, Wiley-Liss, New York, pp R 10/31 Human Genetic Diversity 10 T 11/05 Natural Selection and Adaptation Green L (1993) G6PD deficiency as protection against falciparum malaria: An epidemiological critique of population and experimental studies. Yrbk. Phys. Anthropol. 36: R 11/07 Physical Trait Variation 11 T 11/12 Evolution of Skin Color ANTH 105 Page 4 Syllabus

5 Frisancho AR (1995) Chps R 11/14 Midterm #2 12 T 11/19 Temperature Stress 1. Frisancho AR (1995) Chps R 11/21 High Altitude Adaptation THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/27-11/30 13 T 11/26 Nutrition and Adaptation 1. Frisancho (1995) Chps Barry Bogin (2001) The Growth of Humanity, Wiley-Liss, New York, pp [Chp 5: Food, Demography and Growth] 2. William R. Leonard (2000) Human Nutritional Evolution. In: Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspsective, S Stinson, B Bogin, R Huss-Ashmore, and D O Rourke (eds) Wiley-Liss Inc, New York, pp R 11/28 Disease and Adaptation 1. Frisancho (1995) Chps McGarvey et al. (1989) Modernization and adiposity: Causes and consequences. In: Little MA and Haas JD (eds), Human Population Biology: A Transdisciplinary Science. London: Oxford University Press, pp T 12/03 Physical Stress and Adaptation 14 R 12/05 Evolutionary Medicine Paul W. Ewald (1999) Using evolution as a tool for controlling infectious diseases. In: WP Trevathan, JJ McKenna, EO Smith (eds), Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp R 12/05 Culture as Adaptation P.J. Richerson and R. Boyd (19xx) Cultural Inheritance and Evolutionary Ecology. In: pp Eric Alden Smith and Bruce Winterhalder (19xx) Natural Selection and Decision: Some Fundamental Principles. In: pp READING DAYS 12/09-12/11 FINAL EXAMS 12/12-12/19 ANTH 105 Page 5 Syllabus

6 12/19 Midterm #3 11:00 AM - 01:00 PM ANTH 105 Page 6 Syllabus

Introduction to Human Evolution Anthropology 102 KY150

Introduction to Human Evolution Anthropology 102 KY150 Professor: Kate Pechenkina, Ph. D. Office: Powdermaker Hall 312A Telephone: (718) 997-5529 Fax: (718) 997-2885 E-mail: ekaterina.pechenkina@qc.cuny.edu