Dr. Nancy E. Todd

SPRING (2007, 2009)

Office: BR 228a

M: 4:45-7:45 PM

Phone: 323-5121

Website: http://www.geocities.com/elephaslady

Office Hours: See webpage

WHAT IS HUMAN?

When and where did our ancestors originate? How old is Homo sapiens sapiens? Are Neandertals our ancestors or cousins? How many hominid species are there? This course will cover the study of humans in their evolutionary, ecological and adaptational setting. Topics will include: a survey of modern human variation, adaptation and genetics; an introduction to the primate fossil record; and detailed examination of the evolutionary history of hominids.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

This class will be an intensive analysis and writing class. Emphasis will be on critical analysis of reading and research and class participation and discussion. Students will have the chance to collect data and analyze it qualitatively and analytically.

Fossil species - references, powerpoint presentation - 5 page paper

Primate species - references powerpoint presentation - 5 page paper

Exercises - Cladistics and statistics

Primate behavior

Teeth and diet

Bipedalism

Cranial variation in the genus Homo

Neandertals

Final essay

In addition to this work, graduate students will initiate and complete a comprehensive lesson plan for teaching human biology, human evolution or evolution in general to the grade level they choose.

Good attendance is necessary for complete comprehension of the course material and will be noted. Assigned reading should be done before coming to class and students will be expected to participate in class discussion. Extra time will be needed for the research exercises and will be done on an individual basis.

Graded material:

2 Papers and Presentations

Research projects

class participation

% of Class Grade

50%

40%

10%

CLASS TEXTS:

Required

Campbell, B. 1999. Humankind Emerging. Allyn and Bacon Pubs.

• BLACKBOARD: Students will be required to enroll in Blackboard at Manhattanville. This is an online system for downloading assignments, checking web pages and announcements and discussion. To enroll in the class, go to http://blackboard.mville.edu/. If you don’t have an account, click on “Create account” and follow the directions. Once you have an account, click on “Course catalogue”. Select “Biology” and look for this class in the list. Click on the “Enroll” button to the far right. The password is human.

• LAB SAFETY: All students working in the laboratory must read the Biology Lab Safety Guidelines, which can be found at http://www.mville.edu/biology/biosafety.html. In addition, all students must read, print and sign the Student Safety Contract. This form can be found at http://www.mville.edu/biology/safetycontract.html.

• CLASS CONDUCT: Students are expected to do their own work on the exams, written work and lab reports. Even though the lab projects will be done in teams, each student is responsible for his/her own write-up of the project. Copying or plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the class. All students must read, print and sign the Biology Honor Code Contract, which can be found at http://www.mville.edu/biology/honorcode.html.

• THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP EXAMS. If you are going to miss a lecture or lab exam, you must contact me before the exam takes place, and you must produce a written excuse from your doctor or the dean's office. If you miss an exam and do not contact me before the exam, you will receive a zero (0) for that exam.

• LATE WORK: There will be a penalty of 5 pts. per day of work that is handed in beyond the due date. Work will not be accepted more than 2 weeks after the assigned due date.

• All work must be turned in by December 9, 5:00 PM. Work turned in after this date and time WILL NOT be accepted.

• THE FINAL EXAM WILL BE DUE ON DECEMBER. 9. 5:00 PM. ANY EXAMS TURNED IN AFTER THIS DATE AND TIME WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.

LECTURE SCHEDULE

Schedule

Topics / Assignments

Reading/Exercises

Week 1:

• Introduction - What is human?

Chap. 3

Week 2:

• Evolution: Theory and Mechanisms

Chap. 1, 2

Online Skeleton exercise

Week 3:

• Taxonomy and classification

• The cladistic method

Chap. 3, pp. 76-80

EXERCISE - Cladistics

statistics

Week 4:

• Basic statistics

• Teeth

EXERCISE - Teeth

Week 5:

• Human skeleton: Skull

• Human Skeleton: postcrania

EXERCISE - Skeleton

Week 6:

• Fossilization

• Interpreting the fossil record

Fossil exercise

Week 7:

• Major events in evolutionary history

TBA

Week 8:

• SPRING BREAK

Week 9:

• The living primates: ecology and behavior • Fossil primates

Chap. 4-5

EXERCISE - Teeth and diet

Week 10:

• Hominid beginnings

Chap. 6-7

EXERCISE - Bipedalism

Week 11:

• Genus Homo

• Variation

Chap. 8-9

EXERCISE - Variation in early Homo

Week 12:

• Homo erectus

• Early humans Out of Africa

Chap. 10-11

EXERCISE - Variation in early Homo

Week 13:

• Middle Pleistocene I: building Homo sapiens

Chap. 14-15

Week 14:

• Middle Pleistocene II: The many Modern humans

Chap. 16-17

EXERCISE - Neandertals

Week 15:

• The human condition

Chap. 18