Anthropology 1L:
Biological Anthropology Lab
Overview | Objectives
| Requirements | Expectations
| Grading | Make-Up Work and
Extra Credit | Schedule |
Labsheets to Print: Password Protected
 
Biological Anthropology Lab
ANTHR1L Fall 2009, Room
431
Sections: 62735: Tu 2:20-5:25pm, 64367: Th 2:20-5:25pm,
62731: F 9:00am-12:05pm
Instructor: Michelle Y. Merrill Office:
Room 429C
Office Hours: M 4:30 - 5:50pm in 429C and 9:05 - 9:15pm in
431 or 429C
Tu 5:30 - 6:30 pm in 429C Th noon - 12:15 pm and 5:30
- 6:15pm 429C
F 12:05-12:30pm in 431 or 429C & other times by appointment
Contact
Info
Printer-friendly
PDF Syllabus
COURSE OVERVIEW
Biological Anthropology is the scientific study of humans as biological
organisms: our biological diversity, our evolutionary relationships
to other organisms, and our origins, including the study of living
primates, human variation, and the fossils of human ancestors and
related species.
The lab course will give you opportunities to explore this science
in greater detail, giving you a better understanding of the material
you are learning (or you have learned) in your lecture course.
You will have opportunities to participate in discussions and simulation
activities (games) with your classmates, and may even perform some
measurements and tests on one another. You will get to carefully
observe and very carefully handle skeletal material and casts
of fossils.
Course Requirements
- You must be currently enrolled in, or have already passed ANTHR
1 (lecture).
- Bring your printed labsheet
for the week to each session. You will find these on the password
protected portion of the course website (Labsheets
to Print: Password Protected at http://www.cabrillo.edu/protected/mmerrill/anthr1lab.htm). It
is always a good idea to bring a calculator, and any lecture
materials (e.g. textbook and notes) to lab.
- Work with your lab team,
but do not copy answers without
understanding the process through which they were determined.
- Arrive on time to lab
and do not leave until
you check out with the instructor or the instructor dismisses
the class. Students are expected to participate
in setting up and cleaning up lab materials.
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Course Objectives
This class provides opportunities to develop skills in all of Cabrillo’s
“Core Four” competencies:
I. Communication:
Reading,
Writing, Listening, Speaking and/or Conversing
- comprehending written and
spoken laboratory instructions
- noting observations, results
or measurements
- writing out responses to thought
questions
II. Critical Thinking and
Information Competency: Analysis,
Computation, Research, Problem Solving
III. Global
Awareness: An Appreciation
of Scientific Complexities, Social Diversity and Civics, and Artistic
Variety
-
using
the methods and practices of biological anthropology
-
learning
biogeography of human ancestors and other primates
IV. Personal
Responsibility and Professional Development:
Self-Management and Self-Awareness, Social and Physical Wellness, Workplace
Skills
-
arriving on-time and prepared to do the assigned
work
-
taking personal responsibility for completeness
and accuracy of labsheets
-
working productively with peers to complete
assignments
-
asking for clarification and assistance from the
instructor
Specifically, students will be expected to:
-
apply the scientific method to the analysis
of lab activity results or materials
-
demonstrate the principles of natural selection,
inheritance and basic genetics
-
identify bones and bone elements of the skeleton
in humans and other species
-
compare and evaluate non-human primate and human
skeletal and dental features
-
classify primates according to diagnostic features
of taxonomic groups
-
observe and evaluate primate behavior using
anthropological practices
-
demonstrate and apply anthropometric techniques
-
identify key anatomical features of the hominids
and other taxonomic groups
-
analyze and compare skeletal materials to determine
or infer species, age, sex, stature and behavior of the living organism
Common Courtesy and Common Sense
Students frequently discover that not everyone shares their personal
beliefs, experiences, and convictions. Respect for many points
of view is required in this class. Disagreements are healthy
and help us to learn, but students must maintain a respectful attitude
and courteous conversation at all times. My goal as an instructor
is not to convince you to hold a particular opinion on controversial
issues, but to encourage you to think critically and with an open
mind about the facts, evidence, ideas and theories presented in class.
Classroom etiquette regarding portable electronic devices is not
unlike takeoff and landing on an airplane – they should be turned
off and stowed away. Cell phones and pagers should be OFF
at all times (an exception may be made for parents or caretakers who
can keep their phones/pagers on vibrate for emergency situations,
provided the instructor is notified ahead of time). You should
have nothing in your ears other than hearing aid devices if needed.
Calculators, PDAs, and laptop computers are permitted provided they
aren't making much noise; such devices are neither needed nor permitted
during exams.
Other behavioral norms are expected to minimize classroom disruptions
and avoid disturbing your fellow students. Arrive on time for
class. Do not interrupt the instructor or your classmates while
they are speaking, but by all means DO raise your hand when
you have a question or comment. Basically, use a little common
sense, try to imagine what is likely to annoy your instructor or your
classmates, and then avoid doing those things if you wish to remain
in class.
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Grading
As with so many things, the essence of success in lab is showing
up - not only being physically present, but being prepared, paying
attention and actively engaging with the work at hand. Your
grade will be based on:
- your participation (25%) note that you will
loose partial credit for the day if you are more than a few
minutes late, if you are unprepared (don't have your printed labsheet),
if you are disruptive or if you are not productively engaged with
the work,
- your completion of lab assignment sheets (50%),
- your performance on the mid-term lab exam (10%), and
- your performance on the final lab exam (15%)
100-90% = A
89-80% = B
79-70% = C
69-60% = D
59-0% = F
Exams are open-note, so you are well advised to carefully
and thoroughly complete all lab sheets, and keep them neat and in
order. While your work in regular lab sessions will most often
be in teams, you may need to work independently during the lab exams.
Cheating on exams is grounds for an immediate failing grade in the
class.
Labsheets will be accepted for review upon completion each
week. If you need more time to finish answering thought questions,
the labsheet will still count as on-time if submitted at the beginning
of class the session after completion of the lab assignment.
Please staple or clip sheets together to hand in for review.
Labsheets are graded for completeness, not for accuracy. Confirming
the accuracy of your lab notes is your responsibility; if
you are in doubt about your answers on a labsheet, check with the
instructor during the lab activity.
Each labsheet will be graded on a 10-point scale:
10: very thorough and
complete, nothing missed
9 : left one or two small
questions/blanks, or a response to a thought question was not very thorough
8 : left 3 or 4 blanks,
multiple thought questions with weak responses, or a major thought question
unanswered
7 : many blanks, multiple
questions or page left incomplete
6 : 1/3 of the assignment
undone
5 : 1/2 of the assignment
undone
etc.
Make-Up Work and Extra Credit
Setting up for labs and exams takes a lot of time and effort, and
many lab activities require the presence and participation of your
classmates. Therefore there are no make-ups for exams
without a verifiable excuse (e.g. note from doctor's office). Mid-term
exams will most likely be the end of October, the exact dates will
be posted on the website by early October. Specific scheduling for
Final Exams will be discussed in November. For now, you should plan
to be available to take your final at the predetermined scheduled
time:
Section 62731: Friday, Dec. 18th 9:00am-11:50am
Only one make-up
lab is allowed per student. Make-up labs will
consist of completing
related work in the Human Evolution Coloring Book as described
here (or other work to be determined by the instructor) and must
be completed within two weeks of your absence. You will still
be responsible for knowing what went on in lab and how to recognize
materials for lab exams, so I strongly recommend contacting a classmate
and discussing the lab activity with them, and making notes on a copy
of the lab sheet (available on website).
If you know you are going to miss
a lab or exam, contact me to see if you can attend another
one of my sections. If you make these arrangements,
it will not count as your one make-up.
Extra-credit
work may be available provided you request it no later than November
20th. The assignment, its value, and its due
date are entirely up to the discretion of the instructor (whiners
will receive less credit).
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Course Schedule
Note: these dates
and topics are subject to change. Changes will be announced
in class and posted on the course website. It is your
responsibility to make sure you are aware of any revisions. Click
"print" to go to the password protected site where
you can link to the PDF for that week's labsheet.
My gratitude
to Kristin Wilson and Jim Funaro for their contributions to and assistance
in preparing earlier versions of this syllabus.
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