ANT 100 Section 001: Intro To Anthropology

Mondays and Fridays, 10-11am, and by appointment. Do not hesitate to make an appointment to see me if this time is not convenient.

This course provides a broad introduction to anthropology, which is the study of humanity’s past and present.  We will critically examine all the sub-fields of anthropology, demonstrating the benefits of a holistic approach to understanding the human experience.  Experts from each of the sub-fields will illustrate how the different methods of inquiry and analysis from the humanities and the biological, social, and historical sciences interact to enhance our understanding of the human species.

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to synthesize and evaluate human diversity in terms of (1) human evolution and biology, (2) how humans lived and interacted in the past, (3) how we communicate through language, and (4) the variability and adaptability of contemporary cultures.  In this increasingly global society, it is important that we learn to analyze, understand and appreciate the differences among people.

 

Date	Topic	Readings
Jan 6  (W)	Section 1: Pre-test	GET BOOK
Jan 8 (F)	Course introduction	“      “
Jan 11 (M)	Core concepts and pioneers in anthropology	Ch. 1, 13
Jan 13 (W)	Section 2: Quiz 1	Ch. 1, 13
Jan 15 (F)	Methods in physical anthropology and archaeology	Ch. 2
Jan 18 (M)	Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday – No Class
Jan 20  (W)	Section 3: Lab Project 1 (What is bipedalism?)	Ch. 2 & pp.91-95
Jan 22  (F)	Evolution	Ch. 3
Jan 25  (M)	Human physical variation	Ch. 12
Jan 27  (W)	Section 4: Lab Project 2 (The trouble with race)	Ch. 3, 12
Jan 29 (F)	Human adaption and sociocultural change	Ch. 28
Feb 1 (M)	Introduction to primates	Ch. 4
Feb 3 (W)	Section 5: Quiz 2	Ch. 2, 3, 4
Feb 5 (F)	FIRST EXAM
Feb 8 (M)	Early hominid evolution	Ch. 6, 7
Feb 10 (W)	Section 6: Lab Project 3 (Hominid evolution)	Ch. 6, 7
Feb 12 (F)	Later hominid evolution	Ch. 7, 8
Feb 15 (M)	The Paleolithic	Ch. 9 (pp.143-150)
Feb 17 (W)	Section 7: Quiz 3	Ch. 7, 8
Feb 19  (F)	Modern humans and the peopling of the world	Ch. 9 (pp.150-157)
Feb 22  (M)	Subsistence	Ch. 17
Feb 24  (W)	Section 8: Quiz 4	Ch. 9, 17
Feb 26  (F)	Origins of agriculture and farming villages	Ch. 10
Mar 1 (M)	Development of complex societies	Ch. 11 (Ch. 19, 24)
Mar 3 (W)	Section 9: Quiz 5	Ch. 10, 11
Mar 5 (F)	SECOND EXAM
Mar 8 (M)	Social stratification and Moundville	Ch. 19, 24
Mar 10 (W)	Section 10: Quiz 6	Ch. 19, 24
Mar 12 (F)	Exploring power, prestige, and wealth	Ch. 19, 24
	Spring holidays (Mar 15-19) – No Class
Mar 22 (M)	First cities and states in the New World: Teotihuacan	Ch. 11
Mar 24 (W)	Section 11:  Lab Project 4 (Artifact classification)	Ch. 11
Mar 26 (F)	First cities and states in the Old World: Writing systems	Ch. 11
Mar 29  (M)	Studying modern cultures	Ch. 13, 15
Mar 31  (W)	Section 12: Quiz 7	Ch. 11, 13, 15
Apr 2  (F)	Language and communication	Ch. 16
Apr 5  (M)	Making a living: Economic systems	Ch. 17, 18
Apr 7 (W)	Section 13: Quiz 8	Ch. 16, 17, 18
Apr 9 (F)	THIRD EXAM
Apr 12 (M)	Social and political systems	Ch. 19, 24
Apr 14 (W)	Section 14: Lab Project 5 (Freelisting)
Apr 16 (F)	Sex, gender, and culture	Ch. 20
Apr 19 (M)	Families, kinship, descent, and marriage	Ch. 21, 22
Apr 21 (W)	Section 15: Quiz 9, Writing assignment due	Ch. 20, 21, 22
Apr 23 (F)	Magic and religion	Ch. 26
Apr 26 (M)	Globalization and folk art	Ch. 27, 28
Apr 28  (W)	Section 16: Final exam review
Apr 30  (F)	Careers and applying anthropology	Ch. 29, 30
May 7 (F)	COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM (Friday, 5/7/10, 8-10:30 a.m.)

The following exams and assignments will be given to assess your performance in the course: 3 midterm exams, 1 cumulative final exam, 9 quizzes, 5 lab projects, 1 writing assignment, and attendance at lectures and discussion sections.  Refer to the Outline of Topics for specific dates. 

Each exam will involve a combination of map locations, multiple choice, and short answer questions, and will cover material from lectures (including films), sections and the textbook.  The final exam is cumulative.  Quizzes will be given during Wednesday sections and involve short-answer, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank questions based on the chapter readings for that week.  Labs and in-class assignments will also occur during Wednesday sections.  The writing assignment will be distributed during class in early April; it will be 2-3 pages long and require outside reading and/or research beyond the textbook.

Your course grade will be based on your performance on 3 midterm exams, 1 cumulative final exam, 9 quizzes, 5 lab projects, 1 writing assignment, and attendance at lectures and discussion sections.  Your total point score will be calculated as follows:

3 midterm exams (1 lowest grade will be dropped)                  100 points each (200 points possible)

9 quizzes (1 lowest grade will be dropped)                                 10 points each (80 points possible)

5 lab assignments                                                                            10 points each (50 points possible)

1 writing assignment                                                                        20 points possible

1 final exam (cumulative)                                                                150 points possible

                                                                                             TOTAL=  500 points

A student will be allowed to make-up an exam, quiz, or other assignment only if: (1) the student has a written and verified excuse from a doctor, minister, or other similar authority, and (2) the student makes arrangements with the instructor prior to the exam, quiz, or assignment date.  If the student misses the exam, quiz, or assignment without meeting these two conditions, the student will receive zero points for that exam, quiz, or assignment.

You are expected to attend all lectures and sections, and actively participate in section discussions.  Attendance is required at all lecture and section meetings to earn a satisfactory grade.  This course should be dropped immediately if a student cannot regularly attend all class meetings.  Attendance may be taken at lectures and sections, and/or may be assessed through pop quizzes on assigned readings from the textbook or material covered in lecture that day.  Any student who misses more than three lectures or sections will have their final grade decreased by 10% (e.g., if you earn a B+ in the class but miss more than three classes, your final grade will be a C+).     

Use the eLearning website (available through MyBama) to access the syllabus, lecture outlines, and your course grade. You are responsible for checking it regularly, as I will frequently post new material.  The lecture outlines alone are not sufficient to pass exams.  You should, however, print out the outlines and bring them to class to make your own notes.  They will save you time from trying to copy down the material on the PowerPoint slides so you can focus on the discussion of the slides and take careful notes on the presentations.  To read these, you must have Acrobat Reader (free download at www.adobe.com).

The textbook comes with a website (http://cwx.prenhall.com/ember) provided by the publisher, where students can take practice quizzes on text content and encounter additional materials on subjects of interest.  This website is very useful in studying for the weekly quizzes. 

Extra credit participation points can be earned in Wednesday sections.  Being present is worth 1 point, contributing to discussion is worth 2 points, and making an exceptional contribution to the discussion is worth 3 points.  Being absent from a section meeting for any reason results in a 0 participation score for that day.  Extra credit points can also be earned in lecture through pop quizzes (up to 2 points per pop quiz; see Attendance Policy for more details). 

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may be necessary. If you have a disability, but have not contacted the Office of Disability Services, please call 348-4285 or visit 133-B Martha Parham Hall East to register for services. Students who may need course adaptations because of a disability are welcome to make an appointment to see me during office hours. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, 133-B Martha Parham Hall East, before receiving academic adjustments.

All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.

The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.

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