Course syllabus

Anthro 201 Course outline_Floyd_2020_v5a.docx

ANTHRO 201: Human Evolution

SEMESTER ONE, 2020

15 points

 

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Course Convenor: 

Bruce Floyd - b.floyd@auckland.ac.nz

 Teacher:

Bruce Floyd - b.floyd@auckland.ac.nz

 Tutor:

Alison Wade - awad010@aucklanduni.ac.nz 

 

Course delivery format:

E.g. - 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of lab tutorial every other week

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 Summary of Course Description:              

This course explores issues fundamental to understanding humans’ place in nature from a biocultural perspective. What led to the evolution of bipedalism, large brains and language? How do we define species in the fossil record? How can we reconstruct ancient diets and ecologies? The course will examine how new discoveries and advancements in biology are reshaping understandings of our evolutionary history. We will explore how various evolutionary forces act within biosocial contexts to influence distributions of phenotypic variation over multiple generations.

Students will be introduced to important concepts like life history theory and niche construction and review others, like natural selection, gene flow, and genetic drift. Students will learn that answers to most of the important questions we ask are incomplete and debated. Take advantage of things you are learning here and elsewhere to ask useful questions. Think about the kinds of evidence required to evaluate them. These are challenging tasks but exciting too.

Course delivery has been modified over the past two years in response to students’ requests for more time for labs. This year we will have two hours of lecture every week and two hours of lab every other week. Note for students who have Friday labs, we need to shift Lab 3 to the first week after the mid-semester break.

This course is intended to build on the skills and knowledge gained in ANTHRO 102. Please consult with the Course Convenor if you have not taken 102.

Course goals

To develop, enhance and improve your:

• Understanding of human evolutionary history and processes
• Understanding of the theories, methods and techniques used by biological anthropologists
• Skills involved with reading and understanding scholarly literature
• Critical thinking abilities
• Ability to incorporate new evidence with existing knowledge
• Ability to synthesise and present scientific information

 Course outcomes:

E.g. A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:

• acquire knowledge of human evolution and apply interpretations of evidence to practical lab exercises
• learn about theoretical models used to generate hypotheses and practice interpreting research results
• acquire skills in critical thinking, academic literacy and numeracy and research report writing

 Assessment Summary:

Weighting of assignments and due dates if available, eg:

15% lab assignments                     each due at the end of lab

10% reading/movie quizzes        each due by Thursday 11am before given lecture

15% research paper proposal     April 6th

25% research paper                        June 1st                                

35% final exam                                  to be scheduled  

Weekly Topics:

 

Recommended Texts:

See course outline that is attached above

 Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details (see attached pdf above).