Anthropology/Biology B200/B400/L302 Bioanthropology (& Forensics)

WINTER 2002 Dr Bob Mucci, instructor Office: Lindenwood 231

Office Tel 980-6607 (voice mail also). Office hours: Tues & Thurs 1:30 to 5:00 -- other times and days by appointment, or just call or drop by -- I am on campus most days, and I can usually see you for at least a few minutes any time you can catch me. If you can't find me, or need to leave a message or a paper, go to the Sociology/Anthropology Main Office: Lindenwood 214 (tel 980-6789); the secretary there can tell you if, say, I've gone over to the Anthropology Resource Center in Marram 319 (campus extension 3010). You may call me at home: (773) 929-0456. E mail: RMucci@iun.edu (read at IUN) or Rmucci@uic.edu (read at home)

Required Books: Weiss & Mann, Human Biology & Behavior, 5^th edition, 1990 (or 1996 reprint)

France, Diane, Lab Manual & Workbook for Physical Anthro, 4^th edition 2001

Zihlman, Human Evolution Coloring Book, 2^nd edition, 2000

Reprint for A105: Evolution by Ernst Mayr (costs 50 cents at IUN bookstore).

And there will be handouts

B400/L302 Book (optional for B200): Burns, Forensic Anthropology Training Manual, 1999

Reference book, in IUN library reference section: Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution,1992

Course Objectives: to provide a basic, hands-on, introduction to physical anthropology ("bioanthropology"), the scientific study of human evolutionary biology.

Study Requirements: I expect that you will attend all of the Tuesday lectures and Thursday labs, read and otherwise study the assigned readings, and relate the two via your class notes. The average student should spend SIX hours per week just studying for this course (not including time spent on the lab assignments). (I highly recommend Getting Straight A's by Gordon Green as a study aid; it's available in the IUN Bookstore and at commercial stores.) Because of the great wealth of material that we will cover, and the necessity of understanding each topic before proceeding to the next, there will be a QUIZ every Tuesday. Some quizzes may be take-home. There will be 12 quizzes, I'll drop the lowest two and count each student's 10 best. There are NO make-up quizzes; if you miss one, then that one is one of the two of yours that I drop. Each quiz will emphasize (but is not limited to) the material covered in the previous week's lectures, lab, and readings (NOT the readings for the day of the quiz). Note that the quizzes are 25% of your grade. The quizzes and the midterms and final exam will include a variety of types of questions (multiple choice, short answers, essays, etc.) and will cover a wide range of material, some difficult. In general, we mention nearly every topic and controversy of interest to physical anthropologists, so be sure to get an overview of how the topics relate to each other as well as detailed knowledge of each. Since participation in the lectures, discussions, and labs is a part of what you are being given credit for, multiple unexcused absences will result in a lower score and hence a lower grade. I take attendance by keeping track of who takes each quiz on Tuesday and who picks theirs up at the beginning of lab on Thursday, so if you come in late and miss the quiz or don't get to pick up your old quiz, be sure to check in with me after class to be sure that I don't mark you absent. In these small classes I will notice if you cut out early - that's an absence even if you took the quiz. If you have a life crisis during the semester, call me right away so I can work with you regarding the course. There will be additional reading assignments, handouts, and occasional writing assignments, reports, and homework problems, but no term paper. You are responsible for obtaining any handouts or assignments given out on days you were absent. Homework will generally be due on Thursdays in the lab; also be sure to study the reading assignment before each lab (don't fill in the workbooks until told).

Lecture Course Grade Breakdown (3 credit hours): Best Ten Quizzes 25%, first mid term exam 20%, second MT 25%, Final Exam 30%; note that the lab material included in the exams and quizzes. The total scores are averaged by percentage and not by letter grades; the grades will be quite fair, but ultimately your grade is determined by how much you learn this semester, and the harder you work, the more you will learn. In general the break between A's and B's is at about 88% of the total, the break between B's and C's at about 74%; you must get 50% of the total to pass. B400 students must do 2% better for the same grades, and will have forensics assignments, too.

Lab Course Grade Breakdown (1 credit hour): Lab reports and homework, 40%; lab practical exam, 40%, attendance, conduct, and interaction with other students, 20%. You must pass the lab to receive credit for the lecture course. Most labs will last two hours; two of the labs are advanced forensics and are required for B400 and L302 students but optional for B200. A couple of the labs last an hour and a half; after that there will be a half hour lab on forensics in greater detail; this last half hour is optional for the B200 students.

READING AND LECTURE SCHEDULE Revision 1.0