What's posted here?
Schedule of readings, notes, slides, tests, and due dates: Shows what you should read before the class on each date. Some readings are in the assigned books. Others are links to online material. The schedule also shows dates of tests, assignment due dates, and so on. Lecture notes for each class are usually posted in advance, while the Powerpoint slides are usually posted after it. Some people print the the lecture notes and bring them to class to take notes on, rather than trying to write everything down. The notes are useful for studying and preparing assignments, but they do not necessarily make sense on their own, and they do not cover everything in the readings. They are no substitute for reading the assigned material and attending class.
The schedule will be adjusted during the semester, so check it frequently for current readings and deadlines.Handouts: The syllabus, assignment details, study guides, and so on.
Links: Links to other web pages about subjects we cover. These are completely optional, but may help you study or pursue questions raised by the course. Many have good photos or maps that add a visual element to the readings. All are recommended, and many are fun.
Email: Click the "email" button to ask me a question or make a comment, or to turn in the computer version of an assignment. If you are not using your own computer, be sure to include your email address in the message so I can reply.
Everything on this site has been scanned for viruses and is safe to the best of my knowledge.
So why come to lectures?
First, hearing me explain the notes and slides will be far clearer than trying to figure them out without help. Second, numerous studies show that you understand and remember things better if you get the information in various different ways, like reading, hearing, and seeing. Third, you can ask questions, and listen as others ask questions that you might not have thought of. Finally, I fill in details, explain arguments, and highlight the important points, which should make it easier to see the big picture rather than getting lost in the details.
Schedule of readings, notes, slides, tests, and due dates
This schedule will change, so don't rely on a printed copy. Read the assignments before the class session. Scroll down for more. Most items are PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files and should open in a new window to view, save, or print. Move it aside or close it to see this one again. If the PDF files do not open, install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or a less standard but faster alternative, the free PDF-XChange Viewer.
The slides are the Powerpoint presentations you see in class. They do not include all the information in the notes or readings. They should open in a new window. Navigate with PageUp/Down, Arrow Left/Right, Space/Backspace, Mouse clicks and scroll wheel, and Home/End to jump to the start or end of the presentation. Esc or close the window to quit. If your browser downloads the file, just double-click the file to open it. If your computer does not have Powerpoint, install the free Powerpoint viewer for Windows or Impress, part of the free OpenOffice for Macintosh.
User ID and Password: Due to copyright restrictions, many items require the class user ID and password. These are different from your Peoplesoft ID and password. If you can't recall them, email me.
Be patient: Some files are large and may take a while to load.
Introduction to the course
Part 1: Evolution
- Monday, Aug. 30: What evolution is and how Darwin became convinced of it
- Notes (99 Kb)Slides (981 Kb)
- Boyd & Silk: Prologue pg. xxi-xxv (5 pgs)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 1, pg. 2-5 (4 pgs)
- Notes (99 Kb)
- Wednesday, Sept. 1: Why evolution happens
- Monday, Sept. 6: No class: Labor Day holiday
- Wednesday, Sept. 8: Kinds of variation, cumulative change, local optima, and rates of evolution
- Monday, Sept. 13: Quiz, evolving elephants, and epistemology
- Notes (19 Kb)Slides (310 Kb)
- Review the readings, notes, and slides so far!
- In-class quiz: Evolution
- Notes (19 Kb)
- Wednesday, Sept. 15: What are species and how do they arise?
- Monday, Sept. 20: Darwin's big problem and Mendelian genetics
- Notes (169 Kb)Slides (all) (1.3 Mb)Slides (only those used on Monday, Sept. 20) (696 Kb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 1, pg 21-22 (2 pgs)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 2, pg. 24-36 (13 pgs)
- Notes (169 Kb)
- Wednesday, Sept. 22: Scheduled: Beyond Mendel: molecular genetics, cell division, and sex | Actual: Class mostly covered Mendelian genetics
- Notes (43 Kb)Slides (all) (3.9 MbSlides (only those used on Wednesday, Sept. 22) (650 Kb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 2, pg 37-50 (14 pgs)
- Optional: Videos about proteins, DNA, cell division, molecular machinery. Instructive and amazing.
- Notes (43 Kb)
- Monday, Sept. 27: Scheduled: Population genetics and the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory | Actual: Class will cover molecular genetics and cell division
- Wednesday, Sept. 29: Scheduled: Phylogenies, or evolutionary family trees | Actual: Class will cover population genetics and modern synthesis
- Monday, Oct. 4: Catch up: Class will cover phylogeny reading assigned for Sept. 29
- Wednesday, Oct. 6: Test 1: Evolution
Part 2: Living primates
- Monday, Oct. 11: What is a primate, and why do we study them?
- Notes (28 Kb)Slides (1.3 Mb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 116-122 (7 pgs)
- Primate taxonomy chart: Strepsirrhine primates (19 Kb)
- Primate taxonomy chart: Haplorrhine primates (20 Kb)
- Optional: Primate taxonomy chart: All primates OK on screen, but very small type if printed (20 Kb)
- Notes (28 Kb)
- Wednesday, Oct. 13: An introduction to our relatives
- Notes (97 Kb)Slides & videos (5.5 Mb) (After each video clip, click on Powerpoint at the bottom of the screen to continue)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 122-126 (5 pgs)
- Notes (97 Kb)
- Monday, Oct. 18: Mating: Primate females and males
- Wednesday, Oct. 20: Primate ecology: Food and range
- Notes (90 Kb)Slides & videos (2.1 Mb)
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 5 pg. 127-138 (12 pgs)
- Notes (90 Kb)
- Monday, Oct. 25: Primate sociality: Predators and living in groups
- Wednesday, Oct. 27: Catch up: Actually cover primate sociality
- No additional reading. Review primate readings so far for the quiz.
- Read the Zoo Project assignment details, posted under Handouts
- Monday, Nov. 1: Mating and sexual selection
- Wednesday, Nov. 3: Evolution of cooperation: Altruism and kin selection
- Monday, Nov. 8: Evolution of primate intelligence
- Wednesday, Nov. 10: Test 2: Living primates
Part 3: Evolution of humans
- Monday, Nov. 15: Paleontology and the first primates
- Wednesday, Nov. 17: No class, due to American Anthropological Association meeting.
- Please read Boyd & Silk: Chapter 13, Human genetic variation, pg. 386-415 (30 pgs)
- We will not discuss this material in class, but it is important, and it will be on Test 3.
- Monday, Nov. 22: Apes and early hominins
- Wednesday, Nov. 24: No class: Thanksgiving break
- Monday, Nov. 29: A world full of Plio-pleistocene hominins
- Wednesday, Dec. 1: Lifestyles of the toolmaking Oldowan hominins
- Monday, Dec. 6: Genus Homo, but not quite us
- Wednesday, Dec. 8: Modern Homo sapiens
- This material was not discussed in class. The final exam may include questions about some major points, but it will not emphasize this material.
- Boyd & Silk: Chapter 13, pg. 342-383 (42 pgs)
- Saturday, Dec. 11: Zoo assignment due at midnight (Saturday night), by email
- Remember to bring a printout of your paper, your filled-in primate observation forms, and your original ticket and receipt, to the exam! Remember to turn them in!
Final exam week:
- Monday, Dec 13: Test 3: Evolution of humans
- 5:00-6:50, Ives 24
- Remember to bring and turn in your paper and filled-in primate observation forms, with tickets and receipts attached!
Handouts
Scroll down if you don't see what you need. Click on the Handout that you want. If you have been here before, press your browser's "reload" button to see the latest additions.
- Syllabus Introduction to Biological Anthropology, Anthropology 201.3, Fall 2010 (28 Kb)
- Map Location of North Light Books & Cafe relative to SSU (95 Kb)
- What plagiarism is and how to avoid it (6 Kb)
- Primate taxonomy chart: Strepsirrhine primates Mostly called "prosimians" until a few years ago (19 Kb)
- Primate taxonomy chart: Haplorrhine primates Mostly called "anthropoids" until a few years ago (20 Kb)
- Primate taxonomy chart: All primates OK on screen, but very small type if printed (20 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #1: Evolution (blank) Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (9 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #1: Evolution (with answers) (14 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #2: Speciation and Mendelian genetics (blank) Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (48 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #2: Speciation and Mendelian genetics (with answers) (76 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #3: Molecular and population genetics (blank) Optional, ungraded study questions, not to be turned in (7 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #3: Molecular and population genetics (with answers) (13 Kb)
- Study Guide for Test 1 (Evolution) (10 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #4: Primates (blank) (45 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #4: Primates (with answers) (48 Kb)
- Zoo Project: Instructions Full instructions, zoo information, and the grading rubric to remind you of what to cover (76 Kb)
- Zoo Project: Nonhuman primate observation form Print two of these and take them with you to the zoo to fill out while observing the primates. (64 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #5: Food, range, and groups (blank) (64 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #5: Food, range, and groups (with answers) (90 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #6: Sexual selection and kin selection (blank) (44 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #6: Sexual selection and kin selection (with answers) (74 Kb)
- Study Guide for Test 2 (Primates) (9 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #7: Early primates, apes, and early hominins (blank) (50 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #7: Early primates, apes, and early hominins (with answers) (81 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #8: Plio-pleistocene toolmakers (blank) (44 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #8: Plio-pleistocene toolmakers (with answers) (72 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #9: Homo but not quite us (blank) (13 Kb)
- Self-Study Problems #9: Homo but not quite us (with answers) (44 Kb)
- Study Guide for Test 3 (Evolution of Humans) (71 Kb)
- Printable chart of hominin chronology (110 Kb)
Links to sites about evolution, primates, the fossil record, and more
Interesting, often illustrated, from easy to challenging... check these out. Many of these make excellent study aids for preparing for tests. Some may help with the Zoo Project. All are optional. If you have been here before, press your browser's "reload" button to see the latest additions.
...about evolution
- Evolution is a fact and a theory. A clear and thorough little essay.
- Observed instances of speciation. A review of numerous cases of observed evolutionary changes drastic enough to create new species. Begins with an in-depth discussion of the species concept. Most of the examples are plants or laboratory cases. The language is a bit technical.
- More observed speciation events. A collection of observed cases of evolution occurring to the point of speciation in laboratory and natural settings. Some are briefly summarized, while others are just the references. Also a few short discussions by various authors.
- Biology and Evolution Archive. Clear, concise discussions of evolutionary theory, real examples, responses to creationism, and more for anyone who wants to go beyond the textbook. Starts with an excellent "Introduction to Evolutionary Biology" in serious but readable language. Highly recommended.
- The Origin of Species. The full text of Darwin's classic.
...about genetics
- Self-correcting Punnett square quiz. A good, easy study aid to make sure you are getting it right. Links to brief explanations and examples. Uses "incomplete dominance" for what we are calling "codominance"; uses "hybrid" for what we are calling "heterozygous" (this is a historical echo of Mendel's method of hybridizing peas to make heterozygotes).
- Videos about proteins, DNA, cell division, molecular machinery. Instructive and amazing.
...about primates, and help for the zoo project
- Primate Gallery. Lots of great pictures; clicking "next" gives you more of the same or related species. Many have excellent "fact sheet" and other links below the picture. Learn to tell a langur from a lemur on sight.
- ARKive images and videos of primates. Incredible video clips with sound of many species and activities, plus stills and brief writeups. Type a name (like gorilla) or category (like primate) into the search box. "Primate" and "Primates" produce different lists. Click around to find other animals and plants, too.
- Oakland Zoo web page. Hint: In the menu bar, click "Animals", then "Mammals". The very informative animal info pages are listed by the full common name (like White-handed gibbon, rather than Gibbon), so look closely or you might miss something interesting.
- San Francisco Zoo web page. Hint: In the white area on the upper left, click on "See", then "Animals", then "Mammals", then check out the menu of animals that appears for good but brief background information.
- Sacramento Zoo web page. Hint: In the menu bar, click "Animals and Conservation", then "Zoo animals", then "Mammals", then the primate you want to know about.
- Primate Taxonomy. Find the full taxonomy of your zoo primates. Dry and technical, but complete and organized.
- Public transportation trip planner. If you don't have a car and absolutely cannot get a ride to a zoo, tell the Trip Planner when you want to leave, and it will suggest several complete itineraries of buses, streetcars, etc. with times and prices. This is only really feasible for the San Francisco zoo, and you will spend about three hours each way. An interesting experience, but not good if you are short on time.
...about fossil evidence of human evolution
- Paleoanthropology: A short journey through time. Good survey of the fossil record of human origins, concise but authoritative, based on an excellent phylogenetic chart. A little different in some details from our textbook. Lacks the latest finds.
- Summary of the hominid species. Excellent, concise, illustrated review of the fossil hominids, including very recent discoveries. Click the word "Fossils" next to the species names for well-explained features, debates, and photos.
...about current discoveries and debates
- Anthropology in the News. Links to the latest finds, discoveries, and controversies in biological anthro, cultural anthro, linguistics, and archaeology. Updated frequently.
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Introduction to Biological Anthropology by Bruce Owen |
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Please send comments on content and presentation to
bruce.owen@sonoma.edu. |
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