Topics in Biological Anthropology. May be repeated for a total of 12 credits. Since the recognition of the Neandertals as a distinct fossil population, they have been a continuous source of intrigue and controversy. This class is an introduction to the study of Neandertals. It focuses on the fossil and archaeological records and how they are interpreted.
Emphasis is placed on hands-on experience with fossil and tool casts.
Grades will be based on two short reaction papers, laboratory worksheets, one laboratory quiz, and a final project. The three scheduled labs are intended to give students a concrete basis for understanding the readings and lectures. Human evolutionary studies have traditionally focused on the role of men as targets and agents of natural selection. This course will examine human evolution in this way, looking at women's as well as men's roles and their contributions to our evolution. The course will focus on major anatomical and behavioral aspects of human evolution with special emphasis on subsistence strategies and division of labor, sex and reproduction, sexuality, the evolution of culture, and women's roles in human society.