Anthropology (ANTH) 278

Overview

ANTH 278 is an introductory level physical anthropology course designed to provide students with an understanding of human evolution and diversity from a biological perspective. The course is divided into five parts and begins with an introduction to physical anthropology within the discipline of anthropology. Part Two presents a history of the development of evolutionary theory, and discusses the biological basis for human evolution and adaptation. Part Three covers the ecology, physiology and social behaviour of nonhuman primates. Part Four explores the origins of our hominid ancestors, with particular reference to reconstructions of physiology, ecology and behaviour. The course concludes with an overview of contemporary human evolution, including Neanderthals, anatomically modern humans, and modern features of human variation and adaptation.

Outline

The course consists of the following fifteen units.

• Unit 1: Introduction to Physical Anthropology

Part 1: Heredity and Evolution

• Unit 2: The Development of Evolutionary Theory
• Unit 3: The Biological Basis of Life
• Unit 4: Heredity and Evolution

Part 2: Primates

• Unit 5: An Overview of the Primates
• Unit 6: Fundamentals of Primate Behaviour
• Unit 7: Models for Human Evolution

Part 3: Hominid Evolution

• Unit 8: Processes of Macroevolution: Mammalian/Primate Evolutionary History
• Unit 9: Paleoanthropology: Reconstructing Early Hominid Behaviour and Ecology
• Unit 10: Hominid Origins
• Unit 11: Homo erectus and Contemporaries
• Unit 12: Neanderthals and Other Archaic Homo sapiens
• Unit 13: Homo sapiens sapiens

Part 4: Contemporary Human Evolution

• Unit 14: Microevolution in Modern Human Populations
• Unit 15: Human Variation and Adaptation

Evaluation

To receive credit for ANTH 278, you must achieve a minimum grade of “D” (50 percent) on both the mid-term and final examinations, and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. The weightings for the course activities are as follows:

The midterm and final examinations for this course must be taken online with an AU-approved exam invigilator at an approved invigilation centre. It is your responsibility to ensure your chosen invigilation centre can accommodate online exams. For a list of invigilators who can accommodate online exams, visit the Exam Invigilation Network.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.