ANTH 4180  Anthropological Perspectives—Contemporary Issues in Biological Anthropology

Spring 2007

Meeting Place:                        Hale 260

Meeting Time:                         T/Th 11:00 am

Professor:                                 Matt Sponheimer

Office:                                       Hale 347

Office Hours:                           Th 12:15-3:00 pm and by appointment

Phone:                                       303-735-2065

Email:                                         matt.sponheimer@colorado.edu

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

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

Readings Website:                  https://melampus.colorado.edu/class/readings/4180
 

 

Class Overview

Most classes in biological anthropology are narrow perforce, and as a result, are pale reflections of a broad, vibrant, and deeply relevant discipline. The aim of this class is to cut a broad swath through the field and stimulate discussion on a broad range of topics including the influence of our preconceptions on our interpretation of the human fossil record, creationism, the nature/nurture debate, and medical experimentation on primates. The vehicles for this discussion will be a series of books, largely written for a general audience, that are among the most readable, engaging, and in some cases, controversial in the field. Each text will be very different from the next, and as such, the class will not be about any topic in particular, save perhaps the state of the discipline as a whole. If you require a great deal of class structure, this is not the class for you.

 

Reading

We will be reading the texts in the order that they appear below. All of the books are available at the bookstore. The reading load for this class will be heavy, and you will be expected to keep a journal. The journal is meant to be a forum for developing your ideas about the reading, not a simple recapitulation of the texts.

 

Next of Kin by Roger Fouts

The Creationists by Ronald Numbers

Bones of Contention by Roger Lewin

The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

The Mismeasure of Man by Steven Jay Gould

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

 

Class Format

This is an upper-division discussion course. Thus, you will be expected to be an active participant in ALL class discussions. We will combine small group with whole class discussion, which should make this easier for those shy folks among you. If you think active participation is beyond your ability, you should take a different class.

 

Grading

You will be evaluated on your class participation (including small team projects, 40%), journal (20%), one exam (20%), and one large team project (20%).

 

Disabilities

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

 

Dates to Remember

Final journals due on May 1st; exam on March 13th; final team projects on May 1st and 3rd.