Syllabus

ANTH 111.01: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Spring 2024

Period 3 (MWF 10:10-11:00) Oden 130

Professor: Kimmarie Murphy (she/her/hers), Palme House 108, e-mail: murphyk@kenyon.edu

Fall Office Hours (Palme 108): MW 1-3:00pm, Tues. 9:00-11:00am, and by appointment

Course Description: As one of four subfields within the discipline of Anthropology, biological anthropology studies the biological diversity of our species and the evolutionary history that has led us to our present condition. The course includes: (1) examination of the genetics underlying evolution and the mechanisms by which change occurs; (2) variation and adaptation among living humans; (3) living primate populations as keys to understanding our evolutionary past; and (4) human evolution. This course is designed to expose students to the breadth of biological anthropology and to prepare them for upper-level classes in anthropology and related disciplines. Enrollment is limited to first-year students and sophomores. No prerequisites, fulfills Social Science distribution, a requirement for major, an elective in ENVS. Offered every semester.

Course Goals & Objectives: This course exposes students to the breadth of biological anthropology and prepares them for upper-level classes in anthropology and related disciplines in the following ways:

Introduces students to the 4-subfields of anthropology to emphasize the importance of a holistic approach to the understanding of humans.
Focuses on the ways in which biology and culture are intertwined and argues that neither can be fully understood in isolation.
Explores the origins of evolutionary theory to provide a historical framework for understanding human origins.
Discusses biological diversity amongst humans as well as the ways in which our U.S. cultural construction of the concept of race has shaped the way we view humans. This U.S. racial ideology is typological and lends itself to conflating phenotype and behavior with genetics and in doing so blames racial differences in health outcomes, education level, and income to biology/genetics and not to their true social, economic and political origins. We discuss how the stress of racism influences biology and produces disparate health outcomes.
Students learn about our relationship to other primates and discover the similarities and differences in the members of our Order
All of the above information is applied to our understanding of human evolution and the evidence from the fossil record for both biological and cultural changes over time.
We will examine and learn to evaluate the quality of information from popular and scholarly sources. We will scrutinize the history of evolutionary thought and classification, leading us to interrogate a variety of misconceptions concerning humans, primates and human evolution.
Since the class does not utilize a textbook and is intended for first and second years, students will also be practicing and honing their skills of notetaking during lectures, and incorporating class discussion/visual information shared over the course of the semester.

Course Expectations: This course is an introductory course; however, that does not necessarily mean that it is easier than upper level courses. In fact, your first introductory course in a new discipline can be much harder than an upper level course. You can think of it as being similar to learning a new language since you must learn a new vocabulary and concepts unique to that discipline. Whenever possible, I will try to avoid bogging you down with too much new vocabulary and rote memorization, but a certain amount is unavoidable in any subject.

For my part, I will be in class regularly, prepared to cover the material for that day or to lead (or help you lead) class discussion. I will answer any questions to the best of my ability. You will sometimes hear me say, “I don’t know” when you ask me a question. I do know many things, but I do not pretend to know everything. I consider an answer of “I don’t know” not to be a sign of ignorance, but rather a sign of one’s intellectual maturity. When I say, “I don’t know”, I will usually add “but I can find out” (or point you to a source for further exploration). I will give fair exams on the material covered in class and grade and return them in a timely manner. In class or in my office, I will treat your opinions with respect even if I disagree with them; however, I will ask you about evidence to support your opinion.

For your part, I expect you to read all materials carefully and consider their implications before coming to class. I expect you to attend class regularly, be prepared to discuss the ideas covered in readings, prepare in advance for exams, and to turn in assignments on time. I expect you to let me know when you do not understand an idea or concept. I also expect that you may disagree with me (and/or your fellow students) in class, on papers, or on exams. As I said above, I respect varying opinions as long as you support your opinion with scientific data. All disagreements should be respectful. Learning is an interactive and ongoing process and you will rarely find a single answer to a question. Our class time together is central to the educational experience. Please be respectful of your classmates by arriving to class on time and remaining for the entire session. Turn off your cell phone. I strongly discourage the use of laptop computers in class; let me know if you have a special need to take notes on your computer.

Required texts and readings: There is no formal textbook for this class, instead I have tried to provide you with books and articles that offer a basic overview of many of the concepts we will cover. These are available in the bookstore or you may purchase them elsewhere. My job in class is to fill in the gaps and present you with more in-depth discussion and lectures of important terms and concepts.

Required texts (alphabetical, not in reading order):

Marks J (2017) Is Science Racist? Polity: England

Sapolsky R (2001) A Primate’s Memoir. Touchstone: NY

Walker A & P Shipman (1996) The Wisdom of the Bones. Vintage Books: NY.

Wood B (2019) Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction. 2nd ed. Oxford: NY.

Article Readings (alphabetical, not in reading order):

Balter M (2005) Are Humans Still Evolving? Science 309(5732):234-237.

Ferrari, SF (1991). Diet for a small primate. Natural History, 100(1), 38.

Fuentes, A (2021). “The Descent of Man,” 150 years on. Science, 372(6544), 769-769.

Goodman A (2000) Why Genes Don’t Count (for Racial Differences in Health). Am. Journal of Public Health 90(11):1699-1702.

Gursky-Doyen, S (2010). Married to the Mob. Natural History, 119(1), 20–26

Harmand, S & Lewis, J (2018). Chipping Away: An early toolkit emerges. Natural History 126(8), 27-29.

Hobaiter, C, et al. (2021) The importance of local specialists in science: Where are the local researchers in primatology? Current Biology 31(20): R1367-R1369.

Jablonski, NG (2010). The Naked Truth. Scientific American, 302(2), 42-49.

Lee, S (2015) “Asia Challenges Africa’s Stronghold on the Birthplace of Humanity” Chp 11 in, Close Encounters with Humankind. WW Norton: NY.

Lee, S (2015) “Are You a Neanderthal?” Chp 17 in, Close Encounters with Humankind. WW Norton: NY.

Mayr E (2000) Darwin’s Influence on Modern Thought. Scientific American 283(1):78-83.

Nabhan GP (2013) Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity, 2nd ed. Island Press: WA. Chps 1&3 (pdf on Moodle)

Smedley A & BD Smedley (2005) Race as Biology is Fiction, Racism as a Social Problem is Real. Am

Psychologist 60(1):16-26.

Article Readings cont’d:

Stanford, C (2001) Got Culture? https://news.usc.edu/3122/Got-Culture/ (pdf on Moodle)

Wong, K (2015) Neanderthal Minds. Scientific American 312(2), 36-43.

Most articles are not on the Moodle website. Unless otherwise noted, It will be your responsibility to look up these citations and to find the full text articles. Additional readings may be placed on Moodle throughout the semester. Readings should be completed before class on the day they are listed on the schedule.

Exams: Exams consist of a combination of short-answer essay and longer essay questions.

Labs: There will be primate and hominin labs during the semester corresponding to different topics of the course. The due dates for labs are noted on the syllabus. Lab material covered will be on exams.

Reading responses: You must complete 10 (there are 15 to choose from) Reading Responses over the course of the semester (details in handout). Reading responses are ideally due through Moodle on the day listed in the syllabus, prior to class so that you can contribute to discussion. This allows you to take an active part in discussion and ask any questions you have about the article. I will accept and give full credit to reading responses turned in within a week of the deadline. No credit will be given for reading responses turned in after that point. Material in all articles is fair game for exams, hence the reason for doing them in a timely fashion.

Paper: You will be responsible for completing one short (3-5pgs) paper during the semester. This paper asks you to compare a book about primate behavior to a scholarly article on the same primate. A detailed description of the assignment and expectations will be given later.

General Class Policies: All assigned readings should be completed before class on the date they are listed on the syllabus. In addition to readings, students should review their class notes on a regular basis to seek connections and themes in the material and to help prepare for exams. General grading policies are as follows: (1) All assignments and exams must be completed to pass the course. (2) Late papers are automatically deducted one-half letter grade for each day late!! Only legitimate medical excuses or emergencies are exempt from this policy. Computer crashes are not acceptable excuses for late papers. You should always make a back-up copy of you work. (3) Late Reading Responses are not accepted. (4) Make-up exams will only be provided in cases of illness or other emergency documented by the college. If you know you are going to miss an exam, you must contact me ahead of time to be eligible for a make-up. (5) You are responsible for any lecture/discussion material you may have missed, and supplementing with web material is not appropriate or recommended. (6) E-mailed papers, labs or Reading Responses are not accepted. You must turn in a copy of any assignment via Moodle or during class unless you have consulted with me about any problems.

Point Breakdown

Exam 1 100 Exam 2 100

Exercises/Labs (2) 50 Primate Paper 100

Final 100 Response Papers 50

Total Points 500

Your final letter grade is based on total number of points you have earned.

463-500 A

398-412 B-

338-347 D+

448-462 A-

388-397 C+

298-337 D

438-447 B+

363-387 C

< 297 F

413-437 B

348-362 C-