Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Anthropology 005
Fall Quarter 2007
Venue: LLCH

Click here for Exam Review slides

Answers to Case Study 6

For the Final (Tuesday 8 – 11 am, LLCH), please remember to bring Pink ParScore, 2B pencil, eraser, and pen.

Instructor Information:

Instructor: Dr Muhammad Spocter
Office: 2055 HSSB
Office Phone: 893-4179
Email: spocter at anth.ucsb.edu
Office hours Tuesday 10:30-11:30; Friday 11:30-12:30; and by appointment.

TA Carolyn Hodges
E-mail: crhodges at umail.ucsb.edu

TA: Kate Hanson
E-mail:k_n_hanson at umail.ucsb.edu

TA: Julian Lim
E-mail: julianlim at umail.ucsb.edu


TA: Melissa Lambright-Hodelin
E-mail: mlambrig at umail.ucsb.edu

Course Purpose and Goals:

This is an introductory course designed to familiarize students with the evolutionary processes and the mechanism by which humans had and continue to evolve! As a natural science course it is designed to expose students to the Scientific Method and allow them to explore by using basic observational skills and a solid theoretical background, the broader question: What does it mean to be human? It is explicitly evolutionary in nature not only because evolutionary theory is the central organizing principle for the life sciences, but also as it is the only scientifically objective means by which we may explain the origin of all life including humans. By using this broader framework our aim is to show that many of the apparent definitive characteristics of our species, have humble evolutionary beginnings, emphasizing that there is hardly anything special about this ‘naked ape’.

Our journey starts in the rugged African landscape with the emergence of human ancestors and treks to the present day, where we are truly, the only hominid species left on the face of the planet. Through this sad retrospective we are faced with addressing serious questions about our existence as a species: How significant are we? How far are we going? How much have achieved? How did our big brains come in to existence? When did we become bipeds? Are we still evolving? Through the series of lectures, readings, and discussions we hope to provide you with the suitable tools in order to answer many of these questions and more as are task is to empower you to continue your enquiry beyond the classroom.

We will build our understanding progressively by working toward a series of goals. By the end of the course, you should be able to think like a natural scientist to:

• 1) Combine Darwinian natural selection with basic genetics to generate an evolutionary model of organism-environmental interactions.
• Apply evolutionary theory to provide ultimate explanations for the origin of various human cultural and morphological traits.

• Articulate the fallacies of ‘human uniqueness’.

• Evaluate how well (or poorly) humans fit the predictions of the various evolutionary models developed in the course and the pitfalls and strengths of each of these models.

• Use data from contemporary non-human primates and the fossil record to explain the evolutionary basis of various human traits.

• Use your observation skills and basic quantitative procedures to contrast and compare features between various hominin species.

Class Prerequisites

This course is open to all undergraduate students and has no prerequisites since we will build our evolutionary models from basic scientific principles and observations. However, in order to help you understand the concepts and the methods used in contemporary scientific enquiry, we will be making use of basic statistical procedures to show you how these work and how to adequately quantify and describe traits. There is absolutely no need to fret about this, as we are here to guide you through these and you will have ample practice during the course.

You and Your Classmates:

Your classmates will be diverse in their educational backgrounds so take advantage of this range of experience by getting to know your classmates with whom you can discuss ideas and form study groups. Introduce yourself to a couple of your neighbors in class and exchange information. If you know you have to miss class, you can ask one of these people about what you missed and perhaps you can borrow his or her notes. Please respect your classmates by arriving on time to lectures and discussions and keeping noise/disruptions to a minimum.

Required Reading:

Textbook:

Boyd, R. & Silk, J. (2006) How Humans Evolved, fourth edition. New York: W. W. Norton.

There are no other required readings (except where explicitly stated in class or discussion sections). In order to provide you with a more complete understanding of physical anthropology and evolutionary biology, I have combined information from other disciplines, contemporary findings and your textbook into my lectures. This means that there may be certain interesting topics not covered in your textbook but provided in the lectures as means of extending upon your current knowledge base. You are thus urged to attend lectures and to catchup where not possible so as to ensure that you get the maximum worth from your learning experience. A detailed schedule of readings is listed in conjunction with the schedule of lecture topics at the end of this syllabus.

As there is hardly enough time to cover all of the interesting aspects of physical anthropology and evolutionary biology in detail, I urge you to do any extra reading if you come across a topic of interest. I will be happy to recommend additional reading material on any course-related topic you wish to pursue.

Class web site:

The class web site is:

http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/classes/anth005/

We will use it to post course-related announcements, problem sets and information about the week’s case study used in the discussion group.

Grading Policy

Your grade will be composed of the following:

1 final exam………………………..................….36 points

1 take-home midterm exam….………………......30 points

6 problem sets (4 points each).............................. 24 points

2 research credits (CASE 4 & 6) (5 points each)…10 points

TOTAL: 100 points

All assignments, with the exception of the exams, are to be handed-in, in person, to your TA at your discussion group meeting. The mid-term exam (take-home) will be handed-in to me in your classroom at the time exact that it is due.

There are NO other points to be had; there is NO extra credit. Asking extra credit results in an automatic 10 point deduction!!

Exams may consist of multiple choice, short essay questions and applied problem based questions. We don't expect anyone will cheat in this course by concealing notes, or by looking at others' work. We think you will be interested enough in the material to want to learn it. However, if anyone is caught cheating during the final exam, the exam will be confiscated and a zero grade will be recorded.

Curve Policy. For the midterm and the final (ONLY), if the class mean is below 75%, the difference between the class mean and 75% will be added to everyone’s score.

Problem Sets will be assigned in your discussion groups and must be submitted in person at the beginning of the next discussion group section. A problem set is due each week unless announced otherwise or according to the syllabus. Thoughtful, complete answers that demonstrate you have done the reading will be given full credit. Problem sets will be a brief set of questions based on the main topic of sections and are designed to give you practice with the analytical methods of modern evolutionists and to familiarize you with the concepts and theories used to make sense of human biology. Because we build new knowledge on top of old knowledge in this class, it is imperative that you do not let yourself get behind.

Research credit

To satisfy the research requirement you will be presented with two research scenarios in your discussion groups (CASE 4 and CASE 6) which will make use of your observational skills to draw up a ‘mock’ research paper and forensic report in which you are asked to tie together aspects of the material presented in lectures and discussions. The assignment is basically a formalized write-up of your weekly case study.
Both of these cases are due in week 10 at your final discussion group section. The research assignments are to be no longer than three typed pages (including figures & tables, no more than 1 table & two figures, size 12 font, double spaced, justified left). Due dates and more detailed information regarding these case studies will be made available by your TA’s in the discussion series.
Though these cases will only be discussed in your discussion groups later in the year you need to use the following descriptions to begin your research and use the discussion groups to gather ideas and polish your methods/research. Particularly in CASE 6, when you only have one week between the CASE 6 discussion section and the due date, you must have most of your research done before you arrive to the discussion group.

CASE 4 will be a Forensic case study in which you are the investigating forensic anthropologist. Forensic anthropology is one of the sub-disciplines of physical anthropology and deals specifically with the analysis of human skeletal remains resulting from unexplained deaths. Experts in this study examine human bones with the goal of extracting as much information as possible about the persons involved and the circumstances surrounding their death with the overall aim of obtaining a positive identification of the deceased. Seven main objectives are accomplished by forensic anthropologists namely: 1)Determining ancestry/ population affinity; 2) determining the sex of the individual, 3) determine the age of the individual, 4) determining the living height /stature of the individual, 5) determining the nature of trauma and causative agents, 6) the amount of time since death, and 7) the effective recovery and excavation of skeletal remains so as to minimize the loss of data.

In this scenario you will be presented with skeletal elements uncovered at a local site in your small town district and brought to you by the investigating authorities. You have no access to molecular procedures and are asked to come up with a preliminary description of the individual and any other information which you may be able to derive from your analysis to pinpoint the perpetrator of this crime. Your report should have two main sections a) One page summary that briefly describes the results of the skeletal analyses. This should be in brief, readable format without any unnecessary details. It should contain the case number, date, investigators name and various subheadings as shown below, b) A two page description of the case. This is a more detailed analysis and background of the case and the methods used to obtain the results. Key subheadings should be: Background to the case, General condition of the remains, Inventory of the elements, details of the features leading to your analysis of each of the four areas of demography (i.e., ancestory, sex, age and stature), a list of any ante/peri/postmortem injuries, and finally any recommendations which can be made to the court or investigating officer.

Example of Case Report Summary:

Summary of Skeletal Analysis
Case Number:	2007-SB-5
Prepared by:	M. Spocter, PhD, Professor of Anthropology
Date: Aim:	September 27, 2007 The following summary presents the major findings performed by the investigator on human skeletal remains recovered with the above given case number at…………. On the ………., 2007.
Condition:	Approximately 80 % of the skeleton was found, missing elements include the left femur, both feet and hands, and the distal ends of the tibia. Soft tissue is missing aside from a small lock of hair and there appears to be evidence of post-mortem carnivore damage to the right humerus.
Time since death:	Between 1 and half and 2 years
Ancestory:	Black
Sex:	Female
Age at death:	Between 30-35 years
Stature:	5 feet, 2 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches (average 5 feet, 5 inches)
Trauma:	The skull has a half inch circular hole on the left temporal bone. The defcts and their characteristics are consistent with a wound caused by a large caliber weapon discharged into the right side of the head around the time of death
Unique characteristics:	The skeleton contains some osteological anomalies that may assist in the identification of the this individual. The right femur is markedly shortened indicating the existence of some type of osteopathology which had resulted in the individual have a shortened right leg in life.

CASE 6 will be that of a hypothetical Paleoanthropologist working on 4 million year old cave deposit in South Africa and having discovered the remains of a ‘suspected’ hominid specimen amongst an array of other bony elements. (The actual specimen will only be available during the discussion section in week 9. This specimen is the first of its kind from this area and you are asked to announce your discovery to the world in a publication (with all the usual fanfare that accompanies announcements of this kind, and a ‘justifiable’ name for the species) documenting exactly where it had been discovered, the age of the deposit, a description and preliminary analysis of the remains, and a comparison with some existing specimens. Tell us exactly why you think this is a hominin and not an extant ape, what are the share derived/ derived or ‘primitive’ features and contrast this with other hominin species. To which other group of species would you most closely assign this specimen?

Making use of some of the quantitative techniques introduced in this course derive an estimate of body size and brain size/cranial capacity for this species and make a prediction of what you believe the mental capabilities, diet and social organization of this species may have been.

You are also asked to draw a possible phylogeny (family tree) of the relationships between this specimen and the other species included in your comparison based on the following morphological traits:

• Presence of a saggital crest,
• Brain size/ cranial capacity
• Presence of anterior pillars
• The degree of mid-facial prognathism
• Size of post-canine dentition
• Size of mandible/maxilla

You are asked to adhere to the usual scientific format for writing a manuscript (i.e Title, Abstract, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion)

Discussion series:

The discussion series is intended to extend upon the knowledge gathered during lectures and also to delve into some associated topics of physical anthropology and evolutionary biology as a whole. You are expected to attend these discussion sections and to partake in active discussions surrounding the topic for the week. Although a number of in-class activities/labs may be prepared by the TA to facilitate and initiate discussion, only two of 7 sections will be assessed for marks towards the Research credit of this course. An outline of the discussion topics are as they appear from week 2 to week 9 are presented below:

• Case 1: “Do fish fart?” An exploration of the scientific method.
• Case 2: “All in the name of science.” Physical anthropology & ethics.
• Case 3: “Measuring up.” Basic interpretation of graphs using a database of class heights as a model.
• Case 4: “Dead men tell no tales.” Forensic case study.
• Case 5: “ Ape, Men, Apemen.” Interpretations of fossil hominins in the popular media.
• Case 6: “Missing links.” Fossil Hominin case study.
• Case 7: “A rose by any other name.” .Racism in scientific writing.

Late Work, Make-Ups, and Other Policies:

Problem Sets:

We understand there may be circumstances causing you to miss a section. Consequently, your lowest problem set score will be dropped. In its place, we will add the number of points you received on your highest problem set score. Late problem sets will beeligible for half credit. “Late” means 5 minutes after the start of the section.

Tests and Exams:

Due to the large number of students enrolled in this class, exam dates are very inflexible. Please plan ahead. Make-up exams are all essay, and only by prior permission, with a physician's excuse.

Schedule of Lecture Topics, Readings and Assignments:

WEEK	CLASS DATE	TOPIC(S)	READING Chapters	DUE DATES	Activities for Discussion series
1	Mon, Oct 1 Wed, Oct 3 Fri, Oct 5	Adaptation by natural selection (Slides)	1		Problem set 1
2	Mon, Oct 8 Wed, Oct 10 Fri, Oct 12	Mendelian & molecular genetics (Slides)	2	Problem set 1	Case 1 + Problem set 2
3	Mon, Oct 15 Wed, Oct 17 Fri, Oct 19	Models of gene action Heritability & the Modern Synthesis (Slides)	3	Problem set 2	Case 2 + Problem set 3
4	Mon, Oct 22 Wed, Oct 24 Fri, Oct 26	Speciation &Phylogeny (Slides) Introduction to Forensic Anthropology & Osteology (Slides)	4 Class Notes	Problem set 3	Problem set 4
5	Mon, Oct 29 Wed, Oct 31 Fri, Nov 2	Introduction to Primates (Slides)	5 & Class Notes	Midterm on web	Case 4
6	Mon, Nov 5 Wed, Nov 7 Fri, Nov 9	Primate Ecology & Mating Systems (Slides)	6 & 7	Problem Set 4 Midterm Due on Fri, 10:45 AM	Problem set 5
7	Mon, Nov 12 Wed, Nov 14 Fri, Nov 16	Primate life history, evolution of intelligence and evolving Big brains (Slides)	9 & Class Notes	Problem set 5	Case 5 Problem set 6
8	Mon, Nov 19 Wed, Nov 21	From Hominoid to Hominin (Slides)	10, 11
9	Mon, Nov 26 Wed, Nov 28 Fri, Nov 30	From Hominoid to Hominin Olduwan toolmakers (Slides)	10, 11 12	Work on CASE 4 & 6 Problem set 6	CASE 6
10	Mon, Dec 3 Wed, Dec 5 Fri, Dec 7	From Hominin to Homo (Slides) Exam Review	13	CASE 4 & CASE 6 (research credits)
11	Tue, Dec 11 8:00-11:00	FINAL EXAM Make-up for missed exams (with permission) is all essay and at the instructor’s convenience

Note that Chapters 14, 15, 16 & 17 are NOT required.