ANTH 4110/5110 Human Evolutionary Biology (The Fossil Record)

Spring 2006

Meeting Place:              Hale 230

Meeting Time:               TR 2:00 pm

Professor:                     Matt Sponheimer

Office:                          Hale 347

Office Hours:                TR 12:30-2:00 pm

Phone:                          303-735-2065

Email:                           matt.sponheimer@colorado.edu

Main Website:               http://www.colorado.edu/anthropology/sponheimer

Website Mirror:             http://melampus.colorado.edu/class/

TA:                              Paul Sandberg

Overview

Paleoanthropology is a topic of tremendous public interest, as is evidenced by the constant stream of new television shows and books on the subject; however, while many people have been exposed to the broad strokes of human evolution, very few are well acquainted with the primary data of the discipline: the human fossil record. This course is designed to address this gap by providing you with a detailed look at the fossils, sites, and techniques that inform us about the deep human past. The emphasis will be on the hard evidence for human evolution rather than theoretical considerations. All told, this class will focus on how we know what we think we know about human evolution.

Readings

The class text Understanding Human Evolution, Fifth Edition is available at the campus bookstore. The text is not required, as it contains only 60% of the material that will be covered in the course. Nonetheless, it is highly recommended, as it is useful to have a text which serves as a foundation for test preparation. I will also post important readings on the class website from time to time.

Grading

There will be three mid-term exams and a comprehensive final exam, all of which will be in multiple-choice format. There will be a review session before each test, which should aid your studying efforts considerably. Furthermore, I will drop the lowest of your three mid-term scores, thus your final grade will be calculated as follows: two mid-terms (33.3% each) and the final exam (33.3%). It is worth noting that much of the material to be covered in lectures (and concomitantly in exams) is not in your textbook. Thus, skip lectures at your peril!  There will be no makeup exams. If you miss a test, the next will be given double weight. None of the exams will be graded on a curve.

Disabilities

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please bring me a letter from Disability Services so that your needs can be addressed.  Disability Services (303-492-8671, Willard 322, http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices) determines accommodations based on documented disabilities.

An Evolving Class Schedule

January

Week 1             Introduction                                                                      Chapter 1

Week 2             Historical Background, Classification & Nomenclature        Chapters 2 & 3

Week 3             Dating and Paleoenvironments                                           Chapter 4

February

Week 4             Early Mammal & Primate Evolution                                   Chapters 4

Week 5             Exam I & More Primate Evolution                                     Chapters 6 & 7

Week 6             Hominins in South Africa                                                   Chapters 8 & 9

Week 7             More Hominins in South Africa                                          Chapters 8 & 9

First Mid-Term Exam on February 14^th

March

Week 8             Hominins in East Africa                                                     Chapter 8 & 9

Week 9             More Hominins in East Africa                                            Chapter 8 & 9

Week 10           Exam II                                                                             No Reading

Week 11           Spring Break                                                                      No Reading

Second Mid-Term Exam on March 21^st

April

Week 12           Early Hominin Paleoecology                                               Chapter 9

Week 13           Homo erectus                                                                   Chapter 10

Week 14           The Muddle in the Middle & Modern Human Origins           Chapters 11, 12 & 13

Week 15           Peopling of the World                                                         Chapter 13

May

Week 16           Exam III & Conclusion                                                       Chapter 14

Third Mid-Term Exam on May 2^nd

Final Exam on Saturday, May 6th, 4:30pm – 7:00pm