Anth 1102 Introduction to Anthropology University of Georgia Spring 2014 The course syllabus is a general plan for the course deviations may be necessary and will be announced in class and on eLC Instructor Office Office hours Class Meetings Heather Gallivan hgalliv uga edu 321 Holmes Hunter Academic Building By appointment Tues Thurs 12 30 1 45 pm 171 Miller Learning Center MLC Teaching Assistants Email Office Jake Lulewicz lulewicz uga edu 105K Baldwin Hall April Dobbs akdobbs uga edu G34 Baldwin Hall Brandon Ritchison britch uga edu 265C Baldwin Hall Office hours M 12 00 1 00 pm W 9 00 10 00 am M 1 00pm 2 00pm W 1 00pm 2 00pm W 12 30 1 30pm Nandini Inmula ninmula uga edu Jittery Joes By appointment M 12 15 1 15pm W 12 15 1 15pm Note We check email 9 00am to 5 00pm M F We do not necessarily check email during evenings or weekends If you cannot make office hours please schedule an appointment I Course Description Anthropology is the holistic approach to human biological and cultural diversity across space and time The field includes Cultural Anthropology also called Sociocultural or Social Anthropology Biological Anthropology Linguistic Anthropology and Archaeology This course meets the university core requirements for students in environmental literacy cultural diversity world languages and culture Area IV and social sciences Area V Students will gain basic knowledge the ability to think holistically comparatively and critically about humans and their evolutionary relatives Students will learn to draw on the anthropological perspective to answer the following questions 1 What is anthropology and what does it mean to be human 2 How does culture shape the ways in which we see the world 3 What are the scientific principles that govern natural systems and how do these principles explain the emergence and biological evolution of humans 4 In what ways have human populations become culturally behaviorally and biologically different 5 What are the consequences of human activity on local regional and global ecosystems 6 How does the environment shape human behavioral and cultural variation In summary this course will cover four important themes within the field of anthropology Theme one deals with culture as a cognitive and socially constructed phenomenon much of our perception of the world around us is based on learned socially accepted categories norms and rules Theme two examines the evolutionary bases for human physical and behavioral variation People look and act differently from each other and from other animals due to processes of microevolution and macroevolution and environmental adaptation The third theme of the course deals with subsistence and social structure including how people organize themselves for cooperative goals through institutions of family law government and religion The final theme focuses on the role of anthropology in solving human environmental problems Course Skill Goals 1 Engage in complex thought analysis and reasoning 2 Assimilate analyze and present a body of information in written and oral forms 3 Develop an understanding of the ethics theory related to decision making and develop an understanding of the basis of ethical principles codes and standards of conduct Course Learning Goals 1 Articulate knowledge of the breadth of anthropology including its main subfields and its ties to other sciences and the humanities 2 Demonstrate knowledge of the range of past and present human biocultural systems including ecological relationships subsistence social organization and belief systems 1 3 Explain and appropriately apply evolutionary theory to human and nonhuman primate biological phenomena this should include ability to summarize the basic time line and processes of general primate and specific hominid biological evolution 4 Formulate a critical scientific understanding of the basis for contemporary human variation both ethnic cultural and biological including appreciation of related ethical concerns 5 Express ability to think holistically and comparatively in describing human ways of life including the use of nonethnocentric methods 6 Demonstrate anthropological skills applicable to solutions to present day concerns both in the United States and in other societies II The Grade Assignment Points 100 Information Attendance participation Date 5 Critical thinking assignments Quiz 1 30 To be assessed through clicker or other activities 3 assignments worth 10 each Quiz 2 15 Quiz 3 15 Quiz 4 15 Final Exam 20 15 Multiple choice Answer Multiple choice answer Multiple choice answer Multiple choice answer Multiple choice cumulative short short short short To receive credit for class attendance and participation you must be present the entire class period Clicker exercises will document attendance and may be used more than once during a class period Quizes You will take four in class quizzes throughout the semester If you miss a quiz you will not be allowed to take it at a later date except under extreme circumstances A missed quiz will result in a zero score for the quiz The lowest quiz score you earn zero or otherwise will be dropped from your cumulative course grade Each quiz will consist of two parts Multiple choice and short answer Multiple choice questions will be entered and graded via your clicker Results from the multiple choice section will be reviewed following the quiz Short answer questions will be graded by teaching assistants Because teaching assistants are not clickers i e computers please be patient Expect it to take some weeks to complete grading Rest assured you will receive your results before the next scheduled quiz If more than one quiz is missed due to absence under extreme circumstances permission to make up the quiz may be granted at the instructor s discretion based on credible documentation of excuses required Please contact the instructor at least 24 hours before the quiz The Final Exam The final exam is cumulative and will consist of multiple choice questions Extra credit Extra credit will be made available during the semester Note while you may hand in the extra credit assignment early this is strongly encouraged you must complete and upload it to eLC no later than the due date Late extra credit will not be accepted A Note on Attendance Your attendance and participation are expected and graded Students who attend class regularly find it considerably easier to achieve on the exams However recognizing that some absences are unavoidable