Intro to Physical Anthropology Week 1 1 Summary -introduce: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Intro to Physical Anthropology

Week 1

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Summary

• introduce: course website, me, key terms
• exercise
• class overview (syllabus redtape)
• overview of anthropology and physical anthropology

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Course website

https://creason.co/ CANVAS also updated

Very important for this class

• Syllabus
• Assignment instructions
• Sample essays, tests, and questions
• Study guides

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Course website and personal

Prof Creason Transferred from LBCC BA in anthropology from UCLA MA in anthropology from CSUN Focus: paleoanthropology Interests: paleopathology and archaeology of war

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Evolution: change in the genetic structure of a population over time Adaptation: response of an organism or a population to the environment.

• the result of evolutionary change

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Important terms to learn anthropology

Hominins: taxonomic group that includes Homo sapiens and their extinct bipedal relatives.

Anthropology: the study of hominins

Obviously much more...

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Important terms to learn anthropology

Question: what makes humans unique? Adaptation: evolutionary responses to the environment. Answer: Humans use culture as an adaptive strategy.

• highly social
• flexible, learned
• non-genetically transmitted

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First day exercise

Physical anthropologists: study human biology and behavior in an evolutionary context. Culture: complex set of behaviors

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Syllabus redtape

Required Text: Jurmain R, Kilgore L, & W Trevathan. 2016. Essentials of Physical Anthropology. (10th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. First chapter is available on Google Books.

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Anthropology: the field of inquiry that studies human culture and the evolutionary aspects of human biology.

Anthropology in the US has four main subfields: cultural anthropology linguistic anthropology archaeology physical anthropology

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Cultural anthropology

Cultural anthropologists study patterns of belief and behavior found in modern and historic societies Ethnographies: descriptive studies of human societies Culture: learned behaviors transmitted over generations non-genetically

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Linguistic anthropology

Linguistic anthropologists: study the interactions between speech, language, and culture (e.g., role of symbols in society).

• compare/contrast modern languages to trace their historical ties
• language is uniquely human

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Archaeology

Archaeologists: study the material remains of past societies

• analyze artifacts: objects made or modified for use by hominins
• excavate in order to gain info about human behavior

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Physical anthropology

Physical anthropologists: study human biology and behavior in an evolutionary context

• explain variation in human adaptations

AKA biological anthropology

• 'biological' reflects modern shift towards using genetics, evolutionary biology, etc.

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Subfields of physical anthropology

Primatologists: study nonhuman primate biology and behavior

• use the comparative approach

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Subfields of physical anthropology

Paleoanthropologists: study hominin anatomical and behavioral evolution in the fossil record.

• reconstruct our ancestors' adaptations and behaviors

Osteology: the study of skeleton structure and function

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Subfields of physical anthropology

Paleopathology: studies incidence of trauma, disease, nutritional deficiency, and other traces of pathology evident on human remains in the fossil record.

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Subfields of physical anthropology

Forensic anthropologists: apply archaeological and osteological techniques to legal matters

• identify and analyze skeletal remains that have legal significance

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Applied anthropology: practical application of anthropological and archaeological theories and techniques

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Physical anthropology

Biocultural evolution: mutual, interactive evolution of human biology and culture

• behavioral aspects of human adaptation

E.g., technology, traditions, language, marriage patterns, social roles, etc.

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