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
Keenleyside, Anne & Lazenby, Richard. A Human Voyage: Exploring Biological Anthropology, 2nd edition (2015). Top Hat Monocle. (Online)
France, Diane L. 2018. Lab Manual and Workbook for Physical Anthropology. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. (eText)
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.