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ANTH 278 is a three-credit course introducing Human Evolution and Diversity. The course is “designed to introduce students to the varied subjects and avenues of study that comprise the field of biological anthropology. In so doing, students will gain an appreciation of what biological anthropology is and how it contributes to our understanding of what biological anthropology is and how it contributes to our understanding of who humans are as a species, when we emerged onto the global landscape, and what our bones, bodies, and historical artifacts can tell us about how we came to be here.” There are no pre-requisites for this course and is not available for challenge.
Who Should Take This Course and Why
For this course, we had the opportunity to interview Susan, who is currently a first-year anthropology student at AU.
When we asked Susan the reason, she took this course she stated, “this course is a requirement for my program, however, it was also an area I’m interested in learning more about. I took this course because it not only fulfilled my program but also gave me the chance to learn more about human evolution.” When we asked Susan who she would recommend this course to she stated, “those interested in anthropology and how human evolution and diversity works. This course explores the mechanism, primates, and various evolutions.” Susan also elaborated, “this course helps students understand who humans are and how we emerge into the global landscape and what our bodies tell us about how we came here.”
Course, Assignments, Midterm and Final Exam Details
The course consists of fifteen units divided into four parts. As this course is an introductory course, the material is presented to help students understand the history and story along with inspiring students to further study the various topics and sub-fields in the field. Unit one is an introduction to physical anthropology. Part one of the course explores the mechanism of evolution including the science and development of the evolutionary theory, the biological basis of human variation, and variants to species. Part two explores the primates and what it means to be a primate, behavior ecology, and primate evolution. Part three is hominin evolution and the final part of the course explores contemporary human evolution.
This course consists of a quiz worth 5% and three assignments including lab and workbook that are worth 22%, 18%, and 20% respectively. There is an online midterm and final exam worth 15% and 20%.
How to Be Successful in the Course
Student’s Advice for the Course
When we asked Susan for her advice for the course she stated, “I recommend staying on track by following the study schedule. If not possible, make sure to adjust according to your own schedule. As this course contains lots of information, connecting the information to the bigger picture helps understanding and memorizing content.” Susan also added, “If you are interested in knowing more about human evolution or simply anthropology, this course is worth trying as it gives you the chance to learn more and see if you would like to take more courses in anthropology in the future.”
Questions?
If you have any further questions regarding the course, please do not hesitate to contact the Course Coordinator at hughn@athabascau.ca. Happy learning!