Human Origins and Prehistory

Anthropology A103/A303

Schedule, Spring 2007

Note: Any changes of schedule will appear here first.

This page will give you the best assessment of where we are in the class.

Tentative Lecture, Reading and Exam Schedule

Following is a loosely arranged lecture and reading assignment schedule. I reserve the right to change the schedule based on class needs, illness, or other factors. The dates given for the Milestone Quizzes are only approximations of when I think they will be. I will announce some quizzes, but not others, so you will benefit by staying up to date on readings and lectures. You will be given at least one class period’s notice if a change is made for an announced milestone quiz (this won’t happen for the pop quizzes, of course). Notice that sometimes you will have a group of readings with nothing following the next class. This group of readings may apply over several class periods. Read ahead if you like. In bold Italics are key activities, quizzes and due dates. Lectures will expand on and illustrate the following topics:

Approx Date

Topic or activity

Readings

Jan 9	Introductions
Jan 11	How do we know what we know? Video: A Private Universe
Jan16	What culture is; What anthropology is	Chapter 1 The Essence of Anthropology.
Jan 18	A history of evolutionary theory Powerpoint to accompany lecture	Chapter 2 Biology and Evolution.
Jan 23	Misconceptions about evolution
Jan 25	Continued
Jan 30	Understanding Evolution (video)	Read online intelligent design materials
Feb 1	Lab 1 Concepts of Time; The Mechanics of Evolution
Feb 6	Milestone Quiz 1
Feb 8	Primate studies 1	Lab 1 report due; Chapter 3 Living Primates.
Feb 13	Primate studies 2
Feb 15	*Lab 2 Evolution of primate anatomy and locomotion (In class)* Primate studies (video TBA)
Feb 20	Primate Studies 3: Behaviors
Feb 22	Primates concluded	Lab Report 2 due
Feb 27	Milestone Quiz 2 On doing archaeology	Chapter 4 Field Methods in Archaeology & Paleoanthropology.
Mar 1	Critical thinking and the past: The Wild Side of Midwestern Archaeology: Pseudoscience and the Past
Mar 6	What makes us human? Ape Men: The Human Puzzle video	Chapter 5 Macroevolution and the Early Primates. Do "Challenges of Human Paleontology" section on CD-ROM
Mar 8	The ape that stood on its own two feet Milestone Quiz 3	Chapter 6 The First Bipeds.
Mar 13 & 15	No class: spring break	Use CD-ROM to learn more about specimens
Mar 20	Ape Men: Giant Strides video	Chapter 7 Homo habilis and Cultural Origins.
Mar 22	Ape Men: All in the Mind video	Use CD-ROM to learn more about specimens
Mar 27	The Hobbit video	Chapter 8 Homo erectus and the Emergence of Hunting & Gathering.
Mar 29	Creationism Redux: Video: Ape Men: Science and Fiction; Discussion	Chapter 9. Archaic Homo sapiens and the Middle Paleolithic
Apr 3	Summarizing the main ideas about human evolution; Milestone Quiz 4 Lab 3 Sacred sites-Sacred Art On your own	Chapter 10. Homo sapiens and the Upper Paleolithic.
Apr 5	Times of Great Change: The Neolithic and the Rise of Civilization	Chapter 11. The Neolithic Revolution: Domestication of Plants & Animals.
Apr 10	Times of Great Change continued; Lab 4 Monumental Architecture On your own
Apr 12	The Ice Man video	Chapter 12. The Emergence of Cities & States.
Apr 17	Who Built Stonehenge? video; Milestone Quiz 5 Lab 5 Digging Through the Web On your own
Apr 19	Race: Humanity’s Most Dangerous Myth	Chapter 13 Modern Human Diversity.
Apr 24	*All non-exam projects due*―e-mail or deliver to Zimmerman office
May 1	*Final Examination 1:00 - 3:00 PM in the regular classroom*

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