STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 1. Use terminology, facts, and methodologies, and concepts related to anthropology, evolution, classification, and ecology and recognize the role of science in society.

 2. Employ the scientific method of inquiry, including, but not limited to, examining current/classic research, case study exploration, or formulating/testing hypotheses, analyzing results, and deriving conclusions.

 3. Analyze and apply the scientific and anthropological concepts learned to interpret new situations.

 4. Apply concepts learned in the lecture to the laboratory.

 5. Identify, describe, and/or categorize the branches of anthropology, how they relate to each other, and to a basic understanding of the biological and behavioral nature of humankind and related animals.

 6. Explain the basic principles of genetics and evolution, as they relate to the biological development of the human species and modern biological variation in the human species.

 7. Identify the principles of the classification of biological organisms.

 8. Evaluate the important scientific explanations regarding the biological origins and development of the primate and human species and the fossil discoveries on which they are based.

 9. Discuss the study of ecology, its relevance to biological anthropology, and its contribution toward a better understanding of the relationship between organisms, including humans, and their environments.

 10. Apply contemporary forms of technology to solve problems or compile information.

 11. Write and speak clearly and logically in presentations and essays.

 12. Demonstrate the ability to collect and analyze data, and evaluate data in a variety of formats, such as graphs, tables, and charts.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I. The Nature of the Discipline

      A. The fields of anthropology

      B. Scientific methodology

      C. Unifying concepts of anthropology

      D. Forensic applications of biological anthropology

 II. Principles of Inheritance and Evolution

      A. Basic genetics and heredity

      B. Evolutionary theory and forces

      C. Natural selection

      D. Speciation

      E. Population genetics

 III. Classification

      A. Taxonomy and evolutionary relationships

      B. Comparative anatomy

      C. Osteology

 IV. The Fossil Record

      A. Basic geological principles

      B. Primate and hominin origins

      C. Early hominins

      D. Recent hominins

      E. Homo sapiens

 V. Human Variation

      A. Classification systems

      B. Polymorphisms

      C. Biological adaptations

 VI. Ecology

      A. Primate and human behavior

      B. Natural environments

      C. Social environments

      D. Human response mechanisms

      E. Demography