Overview
Anthropology 278: Human Evolution and Diversity is designed to introduce students to the varied subjects and avenues of study that comprise the field of biological anthropology. In so doing, students will gain an appreciation of what biological anthropology is and how it contributes to our understanding of who humans are as a species, when we emerged onto the global landscape, and what our bones, bodies, and historical artifacts can tell us about how we came to be here. As an introductory course, the material presented is primarily intended to engage students in the story of ourselves, and the hope is that students will be inspired to further explore the various topics and sub-fields that are available to biological anthropologists, either as an academic (or professional) pursuit, or simply out of personal interest.
Outline
The course consists of the following fifteen units.
- Unit 1: Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Part 1: Mechanisms of Evolution
- Unit 2: Science and the Development of Evolutionary Theory
- Unit 3: The Biological Basis of Human Variation
- Unit 4: From Variant to Species
Part 2: The Primates
- Unit 5: What it Means to be a Primate
- Unit 6: Primate Behavioural Ecology
- Unit 7: Primate Evolution
Part 3: Hominin Evolution
- Unit 8: What it Means to be a Hominin
- Unit 9: Hominin Origins: From Ape to Australopithecus
- Unit 10: The Emergence of the Genus Homo
- Unit 11: The Advent of Humanity: Archaic Hominins and the Neanderthals
- Unit 12: The Emergence of Anatomically Modern Humans
Part 4: Contemporary Human Evolution
- Unit 13: Contemplating Modern Human Diversity
- Unit 14: Biology of Contemporary and Past Populations
- Unit 15: Human Legacies, Human Prospects
Evaluation
To receive credit for ANTH 278, you must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final examination, and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. The weightings for the course activities are as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Quiz | 5% |
| Assignment 1: Lab & Workbook | 22% |
| Assignment 2: Lab & Workbook | 18% |
| Midterm Exam | 15% |
| Assignment 3: Lab & Workbook | 20% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Keenleyside, Anne & Lazenby, Richard. A Human Voyage: Exploring Biological Anthropology, 2nd edition (2015). Top Hat Monocle.
France, Diane L. 2018. Lab Manual and Workbook for Physical Anthropology. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Other Materials
The course materials also includes a course manual.
The course is also accompanied by measuring instruments, required for the lab exercises, available from the AU library.