This course will explore human variation from an anthropological perspective. It will provide a survey of human biological diversity, considering the origin and distribution of human anatomical traits, and the practical implications of human variation.

Human Biological Diversity, 2nd edition by Daniel E. Brown (2020), ISBN: 9781138037526

Coursework

Reading Reflections.

You should complete the reading associated with each class period before class that day. Once a week (typically Thursday), you will need to submit a one to two paragraph (5 sentence minimum) reflection on what you read. Some questions to consider as you write your reflection are below:

• Was there anything in your reading that surprised you?
• What questions do you have after completing this reading?
• Was there anything in the reading that you disagreed with, or that challenged the way that you look at the world?
• Can you make connections between the content you read for this week and content that you read for another week? Can you connect content you read for this week with content from another class?

You are not limited to the questions above in your reading reflections. Those are just a starting point. Your reflections should be specific and demonstrate clearly that you read and understood the assigned reading. Taking notes as you read will assist you with providing a more thoughtful response, but your reflection should go beyond simple notetaking to make deeper connections and insights. A great deal of research has shown that taking notes while reading improves comprehension and retention of new information (e.g. Gourley, 2021). Weekly reading reflections are worth 15 points (x 13 weeks for a total of 195 points). You may submit reflections in class or via Canvas upload. Your reading reflections will serve as the basis for some of our class discussions, so please invest time in doing them well.

Activities.

Many class periods will have activities. For example, you might be asked to answer a discussion prompt on paper before we discuss with the class. Occasionally you will be asked to complete an activity outside of class time. The total number of points for all the activities associated with the class is 205. If you are absent when an activity is completed, see Canvas for a makeup activity. However, some activities cannot be completed outside of class because they require materials used in class (e.g. skull casts). If you miss an activity that cannot be completed outside class, you will have to complete an alternate assignment (e.g. write a paper addressing the topic covered by the activity or schedule a time to come to my office to complete the activity). Alternate activities will be posted to Canvas.

Human Variation in the News.

Two times during the semester (February 10th & April 7th), you will need to submit Human Variation in the News assignments, worth 100 points each. These should be at maximum 750 words (excluding references) and should have three components: (1) in your own words, briefly describe a recent (within the past 24 months) story from the news or a finding from the academic literature, (2) identify then briefly explain one or more concept(s) from the course, and then (3) explain/analyze the event using the concept(s) from the course. Your goal is to show that you understand the relevant concepts and how they apply to the real world.

Human Variation in the News assignments will consist of double-spaced, APA-style papers. No title page is required, but you do need to follow APA guidelines for font, formatting, and references. You need at least three references (your news story or academic article and 2 references to support your claims). One of your references may be from the course textbook. You need to be sure you’re using a reputable source for your news story or academic article. I will link to some appropriate sources in the assignment description, but you may choose your own as well. If you have any doubts about whether your source is appropriate for an academic assignment, contact me or the anthropology subject librarian (Richard Saunders, ).

You will be expected to share a short summary of your Human Variation in the News assignment with the class on the day the assignment is due. There will be points associated with sharing, which will count toward the “Activities” points for the class (see section above).

ChatGPT & Obesity.

We will discuss obesity and the causes of obesity as factors in human variation. When we cover obesity, you will need to complete an assignment using ChatGPT. You will need to have ChatGPT generate a 1500-word essay on the root causes of obesity (you may focus on broad causes or zero in on a particular factor such as genetics or socioeconomic factors), and then you will need to turn in a fact-checked critique of ChatGPT’s essay. You will need to turn in the prompts you used for ChatGPT, ChatGPT’s essay, and your critique of ChatGPT’s essay, with appropriate citations to support your claims. You may work with a partner (no more than one other person) to complete this assignment. This assignment is worth 100 points. We will start this assignment in class on March 26th, and the finished assignment will be due April 2nd.

Exams.

There will be 2 exams in the course, worth 150 points each. The mid-term exam will be in class on February 19th. If you miss the mid-term exam due to extenuating circumstances (e.g. serious illness, not because of your work schedule), you may contact me for an all-essay makeup exam. The makeup exam must be scheduled within one week of the missed exam and completed within two weeks of the missed exam.

The final exam will be held during the final exam period on Tuesday, April 21, from 9 to 10:50 AM. Grades are due shortly after the final exam, so makeup options are extremely limited and are reserved for extenuating circumstances. If you miss the final exam, please contact me as soon as possible.

Grading

Your grade will be based on your performance on 2 exams worth 150 points each, reading reflections worth 195 points, 2 Human Variation in the News assignments worth 100 points each, a ChatGPT & Obesity assignment worth 100 points, and various activities worth a total of 205 points. There will be a total of 1000 points in the class.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

*reading reflections due

^Human Variation in the News assignment due

Late Work and Missed Work

No work will be accepted after 10:50 AM on Tuesday, April 21st.

During the semester, late assignments are accepted for a reduction in points. Late work will be accepted up to two weeks after the deadline (but not beyond the end of the class). 2% will be deducted from the score for each day the assignment is late (e.g. for an assignment submitted 4 days late, the maximum score you can earn is 92%). The maximum late deduction is 20%. Assignments will not be accepted after 10:50 AM on Tuesday, April 21st even if they are less than two weeks late.

Note that some assignments (exams and some course activities) may require alternate assignments if they are missed. See Canvas for alternate assignments.

Use of AI

The use of AI (artificial intelligence) writing programs (ChatGPT, Bing AI, Claude) is allowed in this class, within the guidelines discussed below. While AI can be useful for some purposes, some writing assignments in this class ask you to refer to course concepts and/or readings. AI cannot do that effectively for you, and trying to get it to do your thinking for you will undermine your own learning. You may use AI for brainstorming purposes, and to assist you with articulating your ideas, but you may not use generative AI to write your assignments for you. Note that AI is prone to factual inaccuracies, invented sources, and made-up quotes from real sources, all of which are problematic in an academic context. If you use AI, it is your responsibility to ensure that everything you turn in is accurate and properly cited. Inaccuracies and made-up sources will result in substantial missed points on assignments. In addition, if you use AI on any part of an assignment, you must disclose it at the top of your assignment, and explain how you used AI. If you do not disclose use of AI on an assignment where you used AI, you will receive a 0 for that assignment. Repeated offenses will result in failure of the class.

Etiquette

We will be addressing some challenging topics in this class, including concepts of race and racism and historical beliefs about how intelligence varies across human populations. It is likely that some of your classmates or your reading material will have opinions with which you disagree. Disagreement is a healthy part of intellectual growth, but we all must observe some basic guidelines to have a respectful classroom environment:

• Keep an open mind.
• No ad hominem attacks. If you disagree with someone, discuss the reasons for your disagreement rather than attacking the character of the person with whom you disagree.
• Avoid dominating the conversation. Make sure that you allow others to talk.
• When someone is speaking, listen carefully. You might take notes to help you remember relevant points as you formulate a response. Scrolling on your phone shows you are not engaged and can prevent you from contributing meaningfully to the classroom environment.
• Avoid making assumptions about your classmates on the basis of superficial characteristics.
• Commit to learning rather than debating.

Electronics

Silence all electronics before class. You may use your laptop for note-taking purposes. Please do not browse the Internet, use social media, or use your phone during class. It is rude and distracting to me and your fellow students. If you are being distracting, you may be asked to leave class.

Face to Face Class

This is a face-to-face course. There will be no accommodations for remote learning without documentation from the Disability Resource Center.

Readings

Most readings are from the required textbook. Additional readings, videos, and podcasts will be posted on Canvas.

Canvas

I will post grades, lecture slides, links to relevant resources, and announcements on Canvas. I will show some videos during class. Whenever possible, I will post links to those videos on Canvas so that you can review the videos on your own time.

References

Gourley, P. (2021). Back to basics: How reading the text and taking notes improves learning. International Review of Economics Education, 37, 100217. doi: