ANTH 2401 - Physical Anthropology

4 Credits (3 hrs. lec., 3 hrs. lab.) The study of human origins and bio-cultural adaptations. Topics may include primatology, genetics, human variation, forensics, health, and ethics in the discipline. (4503015125) Prerequisite: College Level Readiness in Reading AND Writing
Course Outcomes
1. Describe key concepts and theories of physical anthropology.
2. Explain the principles and processes of human evolution.
3. Describe how the scientific method is used in physical anthropology.
4. Apply the scientific method to empirical data and evaluate hypotheses.
5. Evaluate contrasting scientific viewpoints regarding the process of evolution.
6. Explain the basic terms and processes of Mendelian genetics.
7. Describe the structure of DNA and the process of mutation.
8. Identify and define the forces of evolution.
9. Describe at least one human biological variation that represents an adaptation to environmental factors.
10. Distinguish between the major categories of the living primates.
11. Describe variation in primate social behaviors and the reasons for that variation.
12. Identify major trends in early primate evolution.
13. Compare and contrast various Australopithecine and early Homo fossils and sites.
14. Describe the skeletal characteristics and culture of Homo erectus.
15. Compare early Homo sapiens, skeletally and culturally, to both Homo erectus and later
Homo sapiens.
16. Evaluate different theories, based on both skeletal and genetic evidence, regarding the
origins of anatomically modern humans.