Anthropology 358 & 359

Spring 2013

Introduction to Human Osteology with Laboratory

Instructor: Dr. Jason E. Lewis Email: jason.lewis@rutgers.edu Phone: 650-796-8445 Office Hours (held in lab): to be announced Teaching Assistant: Darcy Shapiro E-mail: shapidar@gmail.com Office: Bio Sciences Rm 203A Office Hours (held in lab): to be announced COURSE DESCRIPTION: The study of human skeletal remains is a crucial part of biological anthropology, and has applications in archaeology, anatomy, paleontology, and forensics. Introduction to Human Osteology and accompanying laboratory (6 credits) is an intensive in-depth study of the human skeleton. Our primary focus is on the identification of isolated and fragmentary skeletal remains. The ability to accurately and precisely identify such remains is the fundamental skill in human osteology, as it is a prerequisite to all subsequent analysis. To acquire this skill, students will need to spend a significant amount of time in the laboratory (in addition to the scheduled lectures and lab) working independently with the teaching collection. Beyond identification, students will be introduced to the various analytical methods used in human osteology, including paleopathology, taphonomy, forensics, paleodemography, bone biology, growth and development, gross skeletal and soft tissue anatomy, and paleopathology as well as indicators of age and sex. Six hours of lecture and laboratory instruction are required per week in addition to independent laboratory study time. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will become proficient in identifying complete and fragmentary bones and teeth of the human skeleton as well as distinguishing human from non-human remains. Students will be exposed to the process of developing inferences about individuals and populations based on skeletal samples through a series of laboratory exercises. These exercises will include making relevant observations and/or measurements, summarizing data with descriptive statistics and simple graphical representations, analyzing and interpreting osteological data, and the use of comparative methodology. Students will become familiar with means of determining demographic data on sex, age, and health based on skeletal and dental indicators. Finally, students will be exposed to topics in bone biology, growth and development, functional morphology, and soft tissue anatomy that enrich their understanding of osteological samples in the paleoanthropological, archaeological, and forensic contexts. LEARNING GOALS: Identify complete and fragmentary human bones and teeth Distinguish human and nonhuman skeletal remains Classroom: Bio Sciences Rm 201A Class Hours: Tues/Thurs, 12:35-3:35 pm Course Web Site: On Rutgers Sakai

 Master human bony anatomy Understand major muscle origins and insertions Develop inferences about individuals and populations from skeletal remains Analyze osteological data PREREQUISITE: 070:102 Introduction to Human Evolution or equivalent. REQUIREMENTS FULFILLED: 070:358 & 070:359 fulfills the skeletal biology/human paleontology distribution requirement for the Evolutionary Anthropology major. CREDIT BREAKDOWN: 3 credits are awarded for 070:358 (Lecture) and 3 credits are awarded 070:359 (Lab). Concurrent enrollment in both is required. REQUIRED TEXT: White, Tim. 2012. Human Osteology, 3rd edition. Academic Press. ISBN- 0123741343, ~$75.00 (Amazon) RECOMMENDED TEXTS: Color Atlas of Anatomy or equivalent GRADED WORK: Eleven practical, cumulative quizzes will be given at the beginning of class for which you will be expected to identify bone fragments and features (e.g., soft tissue attachments), estimate age and sex, and recognize pathological conditions (the lowest quiz grade will be dropped). The three exams will consist of practical and written portions and the lowest grad will be dropped. We will conduct five laboratory exercises, applying your osteological skills to research problems. Note: Scheduling conflicts with quizzes and exams must be resolved prior to enrolling in the course; make-up quizzes will only be given under extenuating circumstances. Grades will be assigned in 070:358 and 070:359 based on all graded work. GRADING: 11 Quizzes (equal weight, drop lowest) 3 Written Exams (cumulative, equal weight, drop lowest) 3 Practical Exams (cumulative, equal weight, drop lowest) 5 Laboratory Exercises (equal weight) TOTAL Percent of Final Grade 40% 20% 20% 20% 100%

COURSE POLICES: Classroom etiquette: IMPORTANT- There is to be no eating or drinking in the Osteology Lab, as it is unsanitary for you and for the human remains. While students are in class, they are expected to give their full attention to the lecture. Reading, talking, eating, texting or browsing on cell phones, leaving or packing up to leave before the professor has dismissed the class are inappropriate classroom behaviors and disruptive to other students. If for some reason you know that you will need to leave lecture early, let me know before class begins, sit near a door, and leave quietly and unobtrusively. If you come to class late, be sure to enter quietly and take care not to disturb the class in progress. Also, please make sure that your watch alarms and cell phones do not go off during class.

Attendance and preparation of assignments: Students are expected to attend all classes; if you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email will be automatically sent to me. Unexcused absences will lower your grade. Computer glitches (such as computers that die, hard disks that crash, flash drives that are lost, etc) will not be accepted as excuses for failure to do assignments on time, to study for exams, etc. Policy Regarding Missed Exams: Generally, makeup examinations are not given (and the score for the missed exam is entered as zero 0). If you would like to be considered for a makeup examination, the following three conditions must be met: 1. You should have a legitimate excuse for having missed the original exam, e.g., Illness, family emergency. 2. You must inform me within 48 hrs before or after the scheduled exam date that you cannot take the exam. 3. Within a week of the missed examination, you must provide me with a Dean's Letter of Absence (from the Dean of your school) confirming that you had a legitimate reason to miss the examination. If all three of the above conditions apply, then you will be allowed to do a makeup exam. Course Schedule and assigned readings Week 1 22 Jan Quiz? Topic Course Overview; Anatomical & Directional terms; Skull I: Osteometric Points Bone biology; Skull II: Morphology Quiz 1 Skull III: Development and Evolution LABORATORY 1 (Paleoanthropology: Cranial morphometrics (Archaics vs Moderns) Quiz 2 Dentition: Identification, morphology, and function LABORATORY 2 (Bioarchaeology: Dental morphometrics) Quiz 3
Dentition: Identification, growth and development, and pathology Axial skeleton: hyoid, vertebrae, ribs, sternum Quiz 4 Shoulder Girdle: Clavicle and Scapula Arm: Humerus, Radius, Ulna Quiz 5 Open study and exam review Readings Ch. 1, 2, 4

24 Jan 2 29 Jan 31 Jan

Ch. 1-4 Ch. 4 Ch. 4

5 Feb 7 Feb

Ch. 5 Ch. 5

12 Feb

Ch. 5, 19: 454-456

14 Feb 5 19 Feb 21 Feb 6 26 Feb

Ch. 6-7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9

28 Feb 7 5 Mar 7 Mar 8 12 Mar 14 Mar 9 19 Mar 21 Mar 26 Mar 28 Mar 11 2 Apr Quiz 9 Quiz 8 Quiz 7 Quiz 6

Exam I Os Coxae Sacrum, Femur, and Patella Tibia and Fibula LABORATORY 3 (Levers and Osteology) NO CLASS Spring Break!! NO CLASS Spring Break!! Hand: Carpals, Metacarpals, Phalanges Foot: Tarsals, Metatarsals, and Phalanges Determination of Sex, Estimation of Age, & Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) Analysis LABORATORY 4 (Forensic Anthropology: Age, Sex Determination, & MNI) Review and Practice Exam Exam II Estimation of Stature; Paleodemography; Indicators of Health and Activity; Osteological and Dental Pathology LABORATORY 5 (Bioarchaeology: Stature, Paleodemography, Health and Activity, Evolution and Spread of Diseases) Quiz 10 Inferences about Ancestry Recovering Skeletal Remains / Ethics and Laws in Human Osteology Quiz 11 Bone Surface Modification Ch. 18 Ch. 10 Ch. 13 Ch. 17 Ch. 11 Ch. 11-12 Ch.12

10

4 Apr

Ch. 18

12

9 Apr 11 Apr

13

16 Apr

18 Apr

Ch. 18

14

23 Apr 25 Apr

Ch. 18, 21 Ch. 15-17

15

30 Apr

Ch. 20

2 May Final Exam, TBD

Careers in Human Osteology and Related Fields