Syllabus: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Anthropology 5
Fall Quarter 2017

Course Personnel:
Instructor: Prof. Steven Gaulin

Office hours and contact information for all course personnel (instructor, teaching
assistants, and undergraduate mentors) will be in a separate Course Personnel
file on the class web site no later than Thursday, October 5, 2017. Office hours are
important to the success of many students and, because we are here to support that
success, the instructor, TAs, and undergraduate mentors will be holding more than
30 office hours each week. Please make use of them!

Course Goals:
Anthropology 5, Introduction to Biological Anthropology, is a natural science
course designed to expose students to scientific ways of answering questions about
human origins, human biology, and human nature. It is explicitly evolutionary in
its approach because evolution provides the central organizing principle of all the
life sciences. Our goal is to demystify ourselves by viewing humans in a broad
biological framework.

This courseand the associated textbook, video lectures, quizzes, and problem
sets addresses the following questions: What processes shape humans (and other
creatures) over evolutionary time? What are genes; why do we have the ones we
do; and how do they interact with our experiences in shaping us? What can we
learn about ourselves and our evolution from studies of the fossil record, and from
studies of contemporary human variation? How much is known about our
ancestry and what does that tell us about human nature? In what ways are humans
similar to and different from other mammals, and why? To what extent has
evolution built different biologies in women and men? What are the implications of
the evolutionary perspective for understanding contemporary human behavior?

Lectures:
All lectures will be posted as video files, with embedded PowerPoint slides, on the
course web site. You are expected to view the assigned lecture(s) before coming
to class. The lectures numerically match the textbook chapters. For the sequence
and timing of lectures/chapters, see the separate Course Schedule file posted on
the course web site (address below). Important: Every video lecture has an
associated on-line quiz (see below), and collectively those quizzes add up to nearly
35% of your course grade.

Required Reading:
The only textbook for Anth 5 is Human Evolution: Processes and Adaptations
(Fourth Edition). It is published by University Readers/Cognella and is available
 online at: https://students.universityreaders.com/store/ I wrote this book with
clear goals about the evolutionary toolkit I want each of you to master, and
drawing on my experience in helping tens of thousands of students acquire it (yep,
its true). Engaging the content of this user-friendly textbook will help you succeed
in this class. I do not recommend using an older edition of the book because it will
be missing several chapters, others will be out-of-date, and it will not connect well
with the content or organization of the current course.

Youre in charge:
This course is open to all undergraduate students and has no prerequisites since we
will build our evolutionary understanding from basic scientific principles and
observations. Because the lectures are on-line, you can attend lecture whenever
(and as often) as you like. You can watch the lectures with classmates, pause them
to discuss issues, rewatch just the parts you need to review, make YouTube
parodies of them (please!)whatever helps you learn.

Your classmates will be diverse in their educational backgrounds. Take advantage

of their experience by getting to know them and discussing the material with them.
Introduce yourself to your neighbors in class and exchange information. If you
must miss class, you can ask one of these people about what you missed and
perhaps you can borrow his/her notes. Form study/discussion groups.

The professor, each of the TAs and the undergraduate mentors will have scheduled
office hours every week of the quarter. Come to office hours; it can greatly
enhance your educational experience. It is one way you can earn extra credit (see
below). We also seek and reward your participation in the classroom sessions. Of
course you may raise your hand and ask a question anytime you want. But we will
incorporate at least five pre-submitted questions in each classroom presentation,
and if your question is used you will receive one point of extra credit (see below).
Questions could be based on the textbook, the video lectures, something you heard
on the news, etc., and should be submitted through links on the class website.

Class web site:

The class web site can be found at: https://gauchospace.ucsb.edu/
We will use it to post course-related materials, including video
lectures, quizzes, PowerPoint files from each of our classroom
sessions, announcements, problem sets (see below) and other
course-related materials and links. If you are properly enrolled in
this course, Anth 5 will show on your course roster when you log
on to GauchoSpace. Click on Anth 5 to go to course content.
Grading:
There are two grading schemes for this course. For each of you, individually, we
use the scheme that produces the higher grade; you dont need to choose. Your
grade will be based on either scheme A or scheme B. The difference between the
two schemes is that scheme A includes i-clicker points. In scheme B the points that
would have been awarded for i-clicker answers are distributed to the two exams.
All other grade components are the same in the two schemes.

We add up all of your regular and extra-credit points (see below), and then we
assign letter grades according to the following scheme.

180.0 and above A

160.0 179.99 B
140.0 159.99 C
120.0 139.99 D
119.99 and below F

The top 5.0 in each range receive plus grades and the bottom 5.0 receive
minus grades (e.g., 155.0 159.99 is a C+). We do not round, even if you are
oh-so-close to the next grade (e.g., 179.99 is a B+). Why not round? you might
ask. The answer is simple: If we bump you up, we have to bump up all similarly
placed students. That would effectively change the grade boundaries, putting a
whole new group of people just as close to the new boundary as you were to the
old one. Get it? Its an infinite regress; that way lies madness, and we want to
remain sane.

Quizzes. There is a 3-point quiz linked to each of the 23 lectures (a total of 69

points). The questions are multiple-choice and the answers are based on the
attached lecture. For each question, you earn 1 point if your first selection is
correct, 2/3 of a point if you get the right answer on your second try, and 1/3 of a
point if you are correct on your third try. If you answer any question incorrectly,
review the relevant part of the lecture and try to refine your understanding. If you
are making a lot of errors on your quizzes, we suggest giving fuller attention to the
lectures, and coming to office hours to discuss the questions you missed.

Exams. Both the midterm and the final consist of multiple choice and essay
portions. As in any natural science course, the final is cumulative. The TAs grade
all the exams and are the court of first appeal if you feel your grade is inaccurate.
The instructor is the final arbiter if you and the grading TA cannot agree.

I-clickers. If you respond to a majority of i-clicker questions on any given day

(regardless of whether your answers are right or wrong) you will receive 1 point of
i-clicker credit for that day. I-clicker point counting begins Tuesday, October 3: the
second class meeting.

Problem Sets. Sections meet each week that a problem set is due (see the separate
Course Schedule document on the web site). Problem sets must be submitted in
person at the beginning of each section and you must stay for the section meeting
to get credit. Download the problem set file from the web site and type your
answers below each question. Then print two (2) copies of the document and bring
both to class: one for you TA and one for you to take notes on. Thoughtful,
complete answers that demonstrate you have prepared (done the reading, listened
to the lectures) will be given full credit. Problem sets will be the main topic of
sections and are designed to give you practice with the analytical methods of
modern evolutionists and to familiarize you with the concepts and theories used to
make sense of human biology. Research shows we are better at spotting other
peoples errors than our own, so critiquing our peers work is a helpful way of
clarifying our own thinking; be prepared to participate in lots of discussion.
Because we build new knowledge on top of old knowledge in this class, it is
imperative that you do not let yourself get behind. To give you a little cushion (to
address unforeseen problems) we drop your personal lowest problem set score and
substitute your highest.

Extra Credit. There are two ways to earn extra credit:

-- Having your web-submitted question used in class (1 point).
-- Coming to office hours and asking at least one question (1 point).
Across these two options (in any combination) you can accumulate up to 10
points of extra credit.

Research credit. Knowledge doesnt grow on trees; researchers create it. To help
you engage natural science first hand, we want you to participate in the process of
knowledge formation. There are two ways to fulfill the research requirement. No
matter what you choose, this requirement must be completed before the final
exam.

A. The primary way is to participate in one hour of CEP-certified research studies.

Sign-up is via the CEP SONA system at this web site:
http://cep.sona-systems.com
In the second or third week of the course you will receive an e-mail giving you the
necessary login information. Contact the course webmaster, Elizabeth Agey, if you
 have problems. Caution: If you are currently enrolled in a Psychology class you
may also be completing experiments via ucsb.sona-systems. Those experiments
DO NOT satisfy the research credit requirement for Anth 5.

B. The alternative way to satisfy the Anth 5 research requirement is to produce a

critical evaluation of a primary research article. First, select a research article (at
least 5 journal pages long) from a current issue (no earlier than 2013) of either
American Journal of Physical Anthropology or Evolution and Human Behavior
(NO SUBSTITUTIONS). Produce a typed evaluation of the article including the
following:
1. The full citation of the article you read (the title, authors, year, journal, volume,
pages).
2. A summary of the research question(s)
3. A summary of the methods
4. A summary of the findings
5. A summary of the conclusions drawn from the findings
6. An evaluation of whether the methods and findings justify the conclusions.
Please number as above so we can follow you. These six steps should take two to
three pages depending on the complexity of the article you choose.
If you satisfy the research credit in this way, your assignment is due at the final
exam.

Late Work, Make-Ups, and Other Policies:

Problem Sets:
Late problem sets will be eligible for half credit. Late means 5 minutes after the
start of the section. Problem sets submitted more than a week late or submitted
electronically are ineligible for credit.

I-clickers:
You must be present in lecture to earn i-clicker points. If you do not attend,
having another student respond for you is cheating and subject to all relevant
University policies (http://judicialaffairs.sa.ucsb.edu/AcademicIntegrity.aspx),
because the points are not the result of your own effort. Because of the nature of
the work (not a required component of the course grade) and the very low
individual point value, there is no make-up provision for missed i-clicker points,
regardless of the reason.

Exam dates:
Due to the large number of students enrolled in this class, exam dates (see the
course schedule) are very inflexible. Please plan ahead. Make-up exams are all-
essay, only by prior permission or with documented illness, and administered at
the instructors convenience. Please do not book airline tickets (or other travel
commitments) in ways that conflict with an exam. There will be no early final; for
fairness, everyone will take the same exam on the same day.

Other Grading Issues:

 UC (not just UCSB, but UC) policy is clear. In determining grades, instructional
faculty (including TAs) are expressly prohibited from considering anything but
performances where the entire class was evaluated by identical criteria. Personal
circumstances, no matter how dire, are not to be factored into grades in any way.
The reason is clear: Everybody has some personal circumstance, and how might
they be weighed by a common metric?

Deans (who are administrators, not faculty) may take such personal issues into
account in deciding whether to permit late or retroactive withdrawals, or change of
grading options. These are different matters from grade assignment, and a different
jurisdiction. Deans may not change grades and instructors may not grant
withdrawals. The bottom line: Instructors are charged to grade on points earned;
no more and no less. This is an important policy (and rationale) to absorb, in
practice and in principle.

UCs Official Grade-Change Policy:

All grades except I and IP are final when submitted to the registrar by the
instructor, subject to the provisions noted in Contested Grades. Thereafter, an
instructor may report a grade correction only in the case of clerical or procedural
error. An instructor also may change a grade in the quarter following that in which
the original grade was received if the basis for the change is found in work
previously accomplished in the course as a part of the students regular
participation in class activity. However, such changes must not create inequities
to others whose grades remain unaltered. No final grade (except I) may be revised
by reexamination or additional coursework. Further, no letter grade may be
changed to P/NP, and no P or NP may be changed to a letter grade unless the
change is approved by the dean of the students college. All grades changed to
Incomplete must be accompanied by the necessary Incomplete Grade Petition
endorsed by the dean of the students college.
This is a direct quote (with underlining added for emphasis) from:
http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/Current/AcademicPoliciesProcedures/GradeChanges.aspx