Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Independent Study (Online)

ANTH 4700-30I

Course: ANTH 4700-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: HSOC
CRN: 21107

Course Description

Occasionally, anthropology faculty will offer courses on a special area of interest or a particularly timely topic under this course number. The class schedule and handouts in the department will provide further information on each Special Topic course.

This class will focus on the history of Anthropological Research Facilities (a.k.a. “Body Farms”) and the practical knowledge gained from trainings at such facilities.

Required Texts

No required textbook for this course.

Learning Outcomes

1) Understand the history of Anthropological Research Facilities.
2) Gain practical experience with hands-on forensic anthropology methods.
3) Summarize your experience at the Anthropological Research Facility.

Course Requirements

Course Evaluation

Grading. Your grade will be based on your successful completion of a short course at the Anthropological Research Facility at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville as well as a paper detailing the experience and some background information about Anthropological Research Facilities. The paper draft is worth 40% of your grade and the final paper is worth 60% of your grade.

Final Paper. The final paper length is dependent upon the number of credits for which the student is registered, as follows (1 credit: 1000 words; 2 credits: 1500 words; 3 credits: 2000 words). The final paper should include the following: 1) background on the Anthropological Research Facility at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, such as when it was established, by whom, and why. This section should be supported by a minimum number of references (1 credit: 3 references; 2 credits: 5 references; 3 credits: 7 references); and 2) a description of the training undertaken during your short course, summarizing what you learned using specific and appropriate terminology. This section may or may not be supported by additional references. References should be in APA style.

You will turn in a draft of your final paper, on which you will receive instructor feedback before drafting the final version of your paper. The paper draft is due Monday, June 15th by 11:59 PM and the final paper is due Wednesday, July 15th by 11:59 PM. The paper draft is worth 200 points (40% of the grade) and the final draft is worth 300 points (60% of the grade). Use of the SUU Writing Center to strengthen your paper is recommended but not required.

AssignmentGradingDeadline
Paper Draft200 points; 40% of gradeJune 15th
Final Paper300 points; 60% of gradeJuly 15th

Course Outline

 | Assignment | Grading | Deadline
| Paper Draft | 200 points; 40% of grade | June 15th
| Final Paper | 300 points; 60% of grade | July 15th

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Work. If you are having trouble meeting the deadlines for the paper draft or final paper, please email the instructor to make alternate arrangements. All work for the course must be submitted by 11:59 PM on August 16th in order to be graded. The paper draft must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on August 2nd in order to be graded. These are not the deadlines, but the absolute cutoffs for late work.

Attendance Policy

This class is online asynchronous.

Course Fees

Courses in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences are assigned a program fee of $4.00 per credit hour.

Use of AI

The assignments for this class require you to reflect on your personal experience and what you learned at the Anthropological Research Facility. As such, the use of generative AI is inappropriate and is therefore prohibited for this course. Using generative AI for your paper will result in failure of this course. The use of AI-enabled grammar and spelling checks (e.g. Grammarly) is appropriate and encouraged to help you articulate your ideas clearly.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.