Anth 375 Paleoanthropology: Human Origins
and
Evolution
Dr. Darlene Applegate
Fall 2004
Course Syllabus
NOTE: The printed and amended course
syllabus that is distributed in class is the ultimate
authority for this class and supersedes
information
posted in this on-line syllabus.
Instructor Contact Information
Email: darlene.applegate@wku.edu
Office: FAC 280 745-5094
Lab: Rock House 745-6511
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 10:00-11:00, Rock House; Friday,
1:30-3:30, FAC 280; and by appointment
Course Objectives
The course examines the origin and evolution of humans in biological
terms, though some consideration is given to developments in material
culture and cultural behavior. Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals
of paleoanthropological research, evidence of human evolution, trends
in human evolution, important fossil finds and sites, and phylogenetic
relationships.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will
- understand the field of paleoanthropology within the context of
evolutionary theory.
- become familiar with the types of evidence used to study human
origins.
- review the fossil evidence of primate evolution.
- learn the general trends in human physical evolution.
- learn the general trends in human cultural development.
- learn of important fossil finds, artifacts, and sites associated
with extinct and extant
- human species.
- evaluate theories related to human origins and evolution.
- understand various interpretations of human phylogenetic
relationships.
- work with skeletal material in a laboratory setting.
This course does not fulfill General Education requirements. The course
prerequisite is Anth 125 or consent of the instructor; Anth 300 is
recommended but not required.
Course Materials
The required text is Principles of
Human Evolution by Roger Lewin and Robert Foley (2nd edition,
2004, Blackwell Publishing). The text may be supplemented with
additional readings.
We will be using Chapters 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 from Lab Manual and Workbook for Physical
Anthropology by Diane France (5th edition, 2004, Wadsworth).
Additional course materials and assignments are accessible on the
course web site at
http://www.wku.edu/~darlene.applegate/paleoanthro/front.html
Videos related to course content will be shown periodically throughout
the semester.
General Expectations
The educational endeavor is a two-way street. To insure a
productive and stimulating learning environment, students and
instructors must meet certain expectations.
It is my expectation that students will attend class regularly, prepare
for each class, exactly follow directions for completing assignments,
complete assignments on time, participate meaningfully and respectfully
in class, ask questions, monitor their performance, and seek assistance
before matters get out of hand.
Students are expected to make themselves aware of the provisions set
forth in this syllabus. Students are expected to bring the syllabus to
every class meeting and to make any adjustments to the syllabus
announced during class. Students are strongly encouraged to
review the information in the syllabus on a regular basis.
Students should expect from me organized presentations, current
information on the subject, thoughtful evaluation of assignments,
timely return of graded assignments, access during office hours, and
guidance in completing course requirements.
Please come see me if you have any concerns during the semester.
Attendance Policy
The University attendance policy states that "registration in a course
obligates the student to be regular and punctual in class attendance"
(WKU 2003-2005 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 29; emphasis added). In
addition, if an instructor “determines that a student’s absenteeism is
inconsistent with the instructor’s stated policy” the instructor may
“request that the Academic Advising and Retention Center arrange a
counseling session with the student” (WKU 2003-2005 Undergraduate
Catalog, p. 29).
Punctual arrival to class is expected. Students who arrive to
class late are expected to find out what they missed.
Class attendance is tracked with sign-in sheets. Students are
responsible for making sure they sign the attendance sheet each
day. Students who are present but forget to sign the attendance
sheet will be recorded as absent.
In order for an absence to be excused, all of the following
requirements must be met.
1. The excuse must be
a legitimate reason for missing class. Legitimate excuses include
serious illness, death in the family, University-sanctioned activities,
out-of-town job interview, jury duty, and religious holidays.
Non-legitimate reasons for missing class include but are not limited to
chauffeuring friends, airplane reservations, family celebrations,
meetings with other professors or advisors, work, and unsanctioned
University activities.
2. Written documentation must be given to the
instructor and will be kept on file.
3. Written documentation must be submitted at the
next class meeting after the absence.
If you are absent from class, it is your sole responsibility to find
out in a timely manner what you missed. You are responsible for
learning the material you missed. It is not possible to make up
some missed class work like videos.
Though your grade will not be lowered for unexcused absences, they will
likely contribute to poor academic performance in this course. In
addition, excessive unexcused absences make students ineligible for
earning extra credit, as explained elsewhere in the syllabus.
Attendance policies related to exams and other course assignments are
explained elsewhere in the syllabus.
According to University policy, “excessive absenteeism may result in
the instructor’s dismissing the student from class and recording a
failing grade, unless the student officially withdraws from the class
before the withdrawal deadline” (WKU 2003-2005 Undergraduate
Catalog, p. 29). So if you don't attend class, don't
satisfactorily complete the course requirements, and don't withdraw by
the scheduled date (October 18), you will fail the class.
Assignments
Following is a list of assignments for the course. Each is described in
more detail elsewhere in the syllabus and on the course web site.
Students should keep track of their grades on the assignments and track
their progress toward their target grades.
Assignment
Points
Grade
Examination 1
100 points
Examination 2
100 points
Examination 3
100 points
Lab Exercise 1
50 points
Lab Exercise 2
50 points
Lab Exercise 3
50 points
Lab Exercise 4
50 points
Lab Exercise 5
50 points
Lab Exercise 6
50 points
TOTAL
600 points
Though it is unlikely, the instructor reserves the right to add or
eliminate assignments during the course of the semester. If this is
necessary, students will be given prior notification during class.
Due Dates
Two of the skills I expect that students will acquire in college are
time management and responsibility. Therefore, I expect that all
assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class on the days
they are due. Be warned that I will not accept/grade lab assignments
that are submitted after the due dates. If you can't be in class on a
day when an assignment is due, you need to submit the assignment early
or have someone turn it in for you on time. Students who need to submit
assignments early and can't find me on campus may slide the assignments
under my office door or leave them in my mailbox in the department
office (FAC 237).
Under unusual circumstances, students may petition for an extension of
the due date for a lab assignment. The instructor reserves the right to
deduct points from extended assignments. Extensions will be considered
only if all of the following requirements are met.
1. A written request
for an extension, explaining a legitimate reason why extra time is
needed, must be submitted to the instructor. (Computer failure, work
schedules, extracurricular activities, and an overload of work in other
classes are examples of non-legitimate reasons for requesting an
extension.)
2. The student must meet with the instructor at least
three days before the due date to submit and discuss the written
request. If the extension is granted, a new date will be established by
the instructor.
3. The student must complete the assignment by the
new due date.
Grading Procedures
Numerical grades are given for each assignment. If curving is
necessary, it will be done on individual assignments; curving usually
involves adding points to the numerical grade earned by each student on
a particular assignment. Letter grades are not given for individual
assignments.
The final course grade is calculated by dividing the points earned
(including any extra credit points) by the total points possible
(excluding extra credit). This percentage is then translated into a
letter grade based on a 10% scale (A=90-100%, B=80-89%, etc.). Final
course grades will not be curved. In some cases, students with
borderline percentages (e.g., 59%, 69%, 79%, 89%) are given the higher
grade based on class attendance, class participation, improvement,
and/or attitude.
Tests and Testing Policies
Three exams (two midterms and a final) are scheduled over the semester.
Exams cover material presented in lecture, lab, readings, and/or
videos. While midterm exams are not comprehensive per say, it is
assumed that students will build and draw upon a foundation of material
from previous tests.
Each test is worth 100 points. Most of the questions are subjective
(identification, essay), but there may be a small proportion of
objective (multiple choice, true-false, matching, fill in) questions.
Review material is posted on the course web page about one week prior
to each exam.
Students are expected to arrive on time for tests. To insure that
you arrive on time, I suggest that you set two alarm clocks (one
battery operated), have a friend call you, and leave home early enough
to beat traffic and find a parking place. In the case that a
student is excessively late in arriving to take a test, the instructor
reserves the right to deny that student the opportunity to take the
test with no possibility of a make-up exam. If a student arrives
late to an exam and other students have already completed and turned in
their tests, then the tardy student will not be permitted to take the
exam and will not be given a make-up exam.
To insure security during tests, students will be instructed to place
all their materials in a closed book bag under their desks.
Students wearing ball caps must remove them or turn them
backwards. Once a student starts an exam, he/she cannot leave the
testing room for any reason until the exam is turned in. Students
cannot get into their book bags during the test, unless permission is
granted by the instructor.
Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic
adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must
contact the Office for Student Disability Services, Room 445, Potter
Hall. The OFSDS telephone number is 745-5004 V/TDD. Please
do not request accommodations directly from me without a letter of
accommodation from the Office for Student Disability Services.
Students should inform me in writing of accommodation needs at least
three days in advance of each scheduled test date.
Full attendance on exam days is expected. However, the following
policies will apply in those special cases when a student has a
legitimate and documented reason for missing a scheduled exam.
Early exam policy: Students who know they will be absent from
class on an exam date for a legitimate reason (University-sanctioned
activity, out-of-town job interview, jury duty, religious holiday) must
make arrangements at least three days before the scheduled test to take
the exam early. Written documentation of the reason for missing
the test and a written request for an early exam must be
submitted. Early exams will be scheduled at the instructor's
convenience.
Make-up exam policy: Students who miss an exam because of
unexpected and unavoidable circumstances may be permitted to take a
make-up exam. Make-up exams may be a different format from the
regular exams. All make-up exams will be scheduled at the
instructor's convenience. Make-ups for missed exams are given
only if all of the following requirements are met.
1. The instructor is
notified by the student (not someone else) at least 24 hours prior to
the exam time. If you cannot reach me directly, leave a voice-mail
message or send an email.
2. The absence occurs for a legitimate and unplanned
reason, such as serious illness, death in the family, or auto accident.
3. The absence is documented in writing.
Exams are typically handed back during the first class session
following the test. Students who are absent when exams are
returned and who want to pick up their exams must do so during the
instructor's office hours.
Lab Exercises
Six in-class lab assignments relate to topics covered in lecture. They
provide hands-on experience and are designed to allow students to apply
new information. The lab assignments cover speciation and phylogeny,
skeletal anatomy, primate evolution, australopithecine fossils, early
Homo fossils, and late Homo fossils.
Each lab assignment is worth 50 points. Directions for completing lab
assignments are posted on the course web site and are updated about one
week before each lab. While labs are usually completed in small groups,
each student is expected to read the lab overviews carefully before
each lab and to follow the directions exactly.
Students are expected to stay for the entire lab session. Most of the
lab questions should be completed during class time. Labs are due at
the next class meeting following the lab session.
Full attendance is expected for lab sessions. Students who miss a lab
because of a legitimate reason and provide written documentation of the
absence at the next class session (see Attendance Policy) will be given
one week from the date they return to class to make up the lab.
However, it behooves you to do all labs on the scheduled dates for
several reasons. Lab make-ups will be scheduled at the instructor's
convenience. Students are expected to make up the work on their own; I
will not reteach the labs. Students who miss labs prior to exams are
still responsible for that lab material on the exams, whether or not
their make-up lab assignments have been completed, submitted, and/or
graded.
Videos
Several videos related to course material are scheduled over the
semester. Full attendance on video days is expected, and missed videos
cannot be made up. Students are expected to record notes during and
after each video. The entire class will discuss the video content and
relate it to lecture material and readings. Students are responsible
for video information on the exams.
Academic Dishonesty
"The maintenance of academic integrity is of fundamental importance to
the University. Thus it should be clearly understood that acts of
plagiarism or any other form of cheating will not be tolerated and that
anyone committing such acts risks punishment of a serious nature" (WKU
2003-2005 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 27).
Academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, will be dealt
with in accordance with University policy. "Students who commit
any act of academic dishonesty may receive from the instructor a
failing grade in that portion of the coursework in which the act is
detected or a failing grade in the course without possibility of
withdrawal" (WKU 2003-2005 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 27). Sanctions may
also be brought against the perpetrator. Students are responsible
for understanding what constitutes cheating and plagiarism; the
University descriptions are provided below.
"No student shall receive or give assistance not authorized by the
instructor in taking an examination or in the preparation of an essay,
laboratory report, problem assignment or other project which is
submitted for purposes of grade determination” (WKU 2003-2005
Undergraduate Catalog, p. 27). Student work may be checked using
plagiarism detection software.
"To represent written work taken from another source [book, journal,
web site, lecture, lab, or other source whether it is prepared by the
instructor, a guest speaker, or a classmate] as one's own is
plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offense. The academic
work of a student must be his/her own. One must give any author
credit for source material borrowed from him/her. To lift content
directly from a source without giving credit is a flagrant act.
To present a borrowed passage without reference to the source after
having changed a few words is also plagiarism" (WKU 2003-2005
Undergraduate Catalog, p. 27).
Extra Credit
In certain circumstances, students are permitted to earn extra credit
points in order to achieve at their desired level. Extra credit work is
completed in the Anthropology Lab at the instructor's convenience and
usually involves artifact washing. Students who work at the
Anthropology Lab will be required to sign a Lab Responsibility Contract.
Students may earn up to 30 points of extra credit per course at the
Anthropology Lab. Students earn five points for every hour worked
at the lab, up to a maximum of six hours per course per semester.
Extra credit is not intended as a means of recouping lost points due to
poor class attendance and/or failure to complete all assignments.
A student will be afforded the opportunity to do extra credit only if
he/she fulfills all of the following requirements.
1. The student has no
more than three unexcused absences over the course of the semester.
2. The student completes all assignments.
3. The student makes a written request that includes
the following information: how many unexcused absences you have
had, what your target grade is, what your current grade is, why you are
not achieving at your desired level, and what you plan to do (other
than extra credit) to improve your performance. Also include your
name, the date, and the course number. The request may be
handwritten.
4. The student submits the written request and speaks
with the instructor during office hours or by appointment.
Note-taking Policies
An accurate and complete set of lecture notes is important for
performing well in this class. Many topics covered in class are not in
the text book, so lecture is the only source for information on such
topics. Suggestions for taking good notes include pre-reading,
pre-class preparation, listening for clue words, taping lectures,
comparing notes with other students and/or the text book, rewriting and
reorganizing notes, and asking the instructor for clarification in
class or during office hours. See the instructor for more
specific note-taking strategies.
Tape recording of lectures for the purpose of improving note-taking is
permitted only when a written request is made to the instructor and
when prior consent is given by the instructor.
The instructor considers lecture material (like any other course
material) to be intellectual property. Students who enroll in
this class are entitled to use this material for their personal
education. Students are not to sell lecture notes (and other
class materials) to other students or to note-taking services, online
or otherwise; such action constitutes copyright infringement and will
be prosecuted.
Students with cellular phones or pagers must turn them off before the
start of each class, unless prior arrangements are made with the
instructor.
Syllabus Modifications
The instructor reserves the right to modify anything in the syllabus,
with prior notification via an in-class announcement, during the course
of the semester. Students are responsible for being apprised of any
such modifications and for recording such modifications on their
syllabi.
Course Schedule
Every attempt will be made to adhere to the following schedule, but the
instructor reserves the right to make adjustments as necessary. Changes
to the course schedule will be announced in class.
WEEK DATE
TOPICS
READINGS
1 Aug
23-25
Introduction, Evolutionary Theory
Chapters 1, 2
2 Aug
30
Speciation and Phylogeny
Chapter 3
Aug
30
Drop/Add Ends
Sep 1
Lab 1: Classification and
Phylogeny Online Lab Overview
3 Sep
6
Holiday: No Class
Sep 8
Evidence for Evolution
Chapters 4, 5
4 Sep
13
Overview of Skeletal Anatomy
none
Sep
15
Lab 2: Skeletal Anatomy
Online Lab Overview
5 Sep 20
Primate
Evolution
Chapers 6, 7, 8
Sep
22
Lab 3: Primate Evolution
Online Lab Overview
6 Sep
27-29
Australopithecines
Chapters 9, 10
7 Oct
4
Midterm Exam 1
Oct
6
Australopithecines
Chapters 9, 10
8 Oct
11-13 Lab 4:
Australopithecines
Online Lab
Overview
9 Oct
18-20 Early Homo Species
Chapters 11, 12
10 Oct
25-27 Homo erectus
Chapter 13
11 Nov
1-3 Lab 5:
Early Homo
Species
Online Lab Overview
12 Nov
8-10 Late Homo Species
Chapters 14, 15
13 Nov 15
Midterm Exam 2
Nov 17
Late Homo Species
Chapters 16
14 Nov
22
Late Homo
Species
Chapter 17
Nov 24
Holiday: No
Class
15 Nov 29-Dec
1 Late Homo Species
Chapter 18
16 Dec
6-8 Lab 6: Late Homo Species
Online Lab Overview
17 Dec 13,
Mon Final Exam
1:00-3:00
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Last updated on August 26, 2004
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