SYLLABUS:  ANTHROPOLOGY 111

Course Title: Contemporary Humans: The Perspective of Physical Anthropology (9/2000)

Professor: J. Kenneth Smail - Office: 207 Olof Palme House

Phone: PBX: 5812

Hours: as posted on office door and by appointment

Course Description:

An investigation of "ongoing human evolution", focusing on human variability, diversity, adaptation and change in the cultural and biological present (bioanthropology).  Topics to be considered include: 1) the mechanisms governing human variability (descriptive human heredity); 2) the range of human biological diversity and its relevance to the concept of "race"; 3) adaptive responses to (and interactions between) a selected group of biological and cultural variables; 4) mechanisms that facilitate short term evolutionary change in the human species (microevolution); 5) human population expansion and its 20th/21st century consequences; and 6) the practice of medicine from an evolutionary perspective. Several illustrative laboratory exercises may be incorporated within the class.

Required Texts:

Molnar, S. - Human Variation (4e)

Lewis, R. - Human Genetics (3e)

Dettwyler, K. A. - Dancing Skeletons

Nesse, R. & G. Williams -  Why We Get Sick

"Population Book" - Choose one (of four alternatives)

Course Structure:

The course Anthropology 111 is divided into two principal parts:

Part I:

A. Introduction: Anthropology and Physical Anthropology B. Descriptive Human Heredity: Basic Concepts and Mechanisms C. Biocultural Adaptation: Anthropological Approaches and Examples D. Population Trends, Demography and the Human Future

Part II:

A. Descriptive Human Heredity and Biocultural Adaptation: More Complex Traits B. Darwinian Medicine: Health and Illness in Evolutionary Perspective C. Human Diversity: Species, Subspecies, Races and "Race" D. Microevolution in Human Populations: Models and Mechanisms

Each of these parts is approximately seven weeks in length. A "midterm" will follow Part I and a "final" will focus on Part II. These examinations will be approximately 1½ to 2 hours in length and will cover the material presented in that portion of the course only. Specific dates and times for all exams will be announced at least one week in advance (see page 4); a review session will also be scheduled to help prepare for each exam.

Laboratory and Films:

There may be one or two classroom sessions devoted to "laboratory" exercises designed to clarify or amplify certain concepts introduced in lecture.  There will also be at least two films scheduled for showing at various times during the semester.  The lab exercises might require a modest extension of class time; the films/videos may be scheduled in the evening.

Paper(s):

A variety of paper topics are available under the following general headings:

1.  Physical Anthropology: Its Nature and Scope

2.  Contemporary Human Diversity and Moral/Ethical Alternatives

3.  Human Racial Variation and Origins: Diverse Views

4. "Creationism" and the Scientific Study of Human Evolution (NOTE: by permission only)

5. The Population Issue

One paper, of short to intermediate length (6-10 pages), will be required.  Specific topic ideas, paper format, suggested sources, and specific due dates will be circulated and briefly discussed in class early in the semester.  At least 8 weeks will be provided to complete the paper.  An opportunity to do a second "optional" (extra credit) paper is also provided.

A Note on Grading:

In these days of so-called grade inflation, it occasionally becomes necessary to define one's standards and expectations for the various letter grades.  Mine are as follows: 

A = Excellent work, clearly superior

B = Good work, above average

C = Adequate work, average

D = Poor work, below average

F = Clearly inadequate collegiate level work

In my assessment of the quality of students' work, I not only recognize the selective aspects of Kenyon admissions but also rely on my 30-plus years of collegiate (and secondary school) teaching experience.  The overall average of grades earned in my introductory courses over the past 27 years (1973 to present) has come quite close, I believe, to the collegiate average for underclassmen.

A Note on the Reading Assignments:

The required readings both complement and supplement material covered in the lecture; the student should of course focus on these.  Although I do not set daily reading assignments, I will give general guidelines in class on numerous occasions.  Don't hesitate to ask for advice.  The recommended readings (if any) either amplify data and concepts presented in lecture or go beyond these concepts (new ideas, etc.); the interested student may choose to read these in some detail though all students should at least "skim."

Anthropology 111: Course Outline and Reading Assignments (by week and by chapter)

Part I:

A. Introduction: Anthropology and Physical Anthropology B. Descriptive Human Heredity: Basic Concepts and Mechanisms C. Biocultural Adaptation: Anthropological Approaches and Examples D. Population Trends, Demography and the Human Future

Week 1: Syllabus; "Ice-Breaker" Questions; Anthropology; Prehistoric Archaeology; The Concept of Culture (Definitions and Adaptive Dimensions)

Week 2: Cultural Anthropology; Anthropological Linguistics; Physical Anthropology (A Bridge Between the Natural and the Social Sciences) and Biological Anthropology (discussion of Dettwyler text?).

Week 3: Basic Definitions and Concepts (Cells, Chromosomes and Genes); Mitosis and Meiosis (Identity and Variability); The Probability Rule

Week 4: Single Locus Traits (Dominance): Several Human Examples (Taster, Albinism, Rh, PKU, etc.); Huntington's Chorea and Bioethics

Week 5: Single Locus Traits (Co-Dominance): Sickle Cell Trait and Other Examples of Biocultural Adaptation; Multiple Allele Inheritance (ABO Blood Group; Lactase Deficiency; HLA; Duffy)

Week 6: Sex Determination and Sex Ratio; Sex Linked, Sex Limited and Sex Influenced Inheritance The Lyon Hypothesis (X-inactivation)

Week 7: Population, Demographics and the Human Future; "Population Book" and Smail essay (discussion); Midterm Exam

Required Readings: 

Lewis	Preface	10 (177-182)	Molnar:	2 (34-73)
	1	11 (197-205)		3
	2	13 (242-247)		4
	3	15		8
	4 (65-78)	16
	5 (85-90)	20
	6	21
	8	(skim 9; 17)

Dettwyler:

all (1-->14)

"Population Book":

Read one of the four alternatives:

World Population (Bouvier & Bertrand) Maybe One (McKibben) Beyond Malthus (Brown et al) Our Ecological Footprint (Wackernagel & Rees)

Handouts:

Creationism and Evolution (various authors) - week #1 Beyond Population Stabilization: The Case for Dramatically Reducing Global Human Numbers (Smail) - week #6

Part II:

A. Descriptive Human Heredity and Biocultural Adaptation: More Complex Traits B. Darwinian Medicine: Health and Illness in Evolutionary Perspective C. Human Diversity: Species, Subspecies, Races and "Race" D. Microevolution in Human Populations: Models and Mechanisms

Week 8: Dihybrid and Polyhybrid Inheritance; Gene Interaction (Variations on a Theme); Polygenic Inheritance and Continuous Variation; Skin Color (Biological and Sociocultural Phenotypes)

Week 9: Skin Color, "Race" and Evolutionary Adaptation; Intelligence and I.Q. (Hereditary; Environmental; Developmental); How To Be Genetically Identical Yet Biologically Different

Week 10: Aneuploidy and Nondisjunction; Linkage and Crossing-Over; Mendel's Laws; Basic Rationale for Nesse & Williams' Why We Get Sick (Proximate and Ultimate Causation)

Week 11: Species, Subspecies, Races and Demes (Some Definitions); A Model for Microevolutionary Change; Mutations (Descriptive Definitions); Video (The Perfect Baby).

Week 12: Mutations (Evolutionary Implications); Relaxed Selection and the Culture Concept (Probable Mutation Effect); Selection: A Quantitative View (Basic Population Genetics)

Week 13: Selection: Quantitative (continued); Selection: A Qualitative View (Human Demographic/Mating Patterns and "Cultural Selection"); Migration (Gene Flow); Film (?)

Week 14: Non-Adaptive Evolution (Founder Effect and Genetic Drift); Illustrative Lab Exercises (Microevolutionary Mechanisms); Summing Up

Required Reading:

Molnar:	1	Lewis:	4 (78-81)	13
	2 (74-88)		5 (90-98)	14
	5		7	(skim 18; 19)
	6		10 (182-194)
	7		11 (205-216)
			12

Nesse/Williams:     all (1-->15)

Exams and Papers: Point Totals and Due Dates (approximate)

Midterm	ca. 190 points	week7
Final	ca. 185 points	final exam period
Paper #1 (required)	150 points	week 12
Paper #2 (optional)	150 points	end of semester
Total Points: ca. 525	Objective/Problem:	ca. 225 (40%)
	Essay/Paper:	ca. 300 (60%)

Anthropology/Sociology: A Brief History

Approximately 100 years after their origin(s) in the mid/late 19th century, the distinct and separate disciplines of Anthropology and Sociology became part of the Kenyon curriculum in the early 1970's. This addition was made possible by three principal factors: first, the fact that both disciplines had reached full maturity by the mid-20th century; second, the growing recognition that each discipline would enhance Kenyon's long term commitment to the liberal arts; and third, the fact that the advent of coeducation--and concurrent expansion in the size of the college--made an increase in faculty size and curricular diversity both possible and desirable.

After offering its first coursework in the 1972-73 academic year, the department expanded quite rapidly to five faculty positions (3 Anthropology/2 Sociology) by 1975-76. The first Anthropology majors graduated in that year, and the first majors in Sociology followed shortly thereafter (1977).

In building the program, the department has from the beginning focussed not only on subdisciplinary breadth but also on theoretical depth, in an attempt to provide students with both a balanced and a rigorous encounter with each discipline. Thanks to a strong and positive response by students, as well as an enthusiastic and productive faculty, the department grew to eight faculty positions by the mid-1980's. In Anthropology, this included two cultural anthropologists (Profs. Kipp and Suggs), two archaeologists (Profs. Schortman and Urban) and one physical anthropologist (Prof. Smail). Sociology expanded to incorporate a diversified set of interests in social thought and social theory, social organization and institutions, and social psychology (Profs. Sacks, Macionis and McCarthy, as well as a shared appointment with Legal Studies (Prof. Sheffield). The department has recently (1999) added a fourth sociology position (Prof. Kohlman).

In addition to graduating some 30 to 40 majors annually, the Anthropology/Sociology Department has also developed a strong set of relationships with a wide range of academic "concentrations" at Kenyon: Integrated Program in Humane Studies; Women's and Gender Studies; International Studies; Latin American, African, Asian and American Studies; Legal Studies; Environmental Studies; and Neuroscience. The department also led a successful faculty effort to initiate a "disciplinary minors" program, first available to students in the 1992-93 academic year. On July 1, 2000, Anthropology and Sociology formally (and amicably) divided into two administratively distinct departments.

Ken Smail: Brief Biography

J. Kenneth Smail's varied academic background, while not unusual for an anthropologist trained in the 1950's and 1960's, gives new meaning to the phrase "death by degrees". He earned his A.B. in 1960 from DePauw University, with an "area major" in Zoology, Botany, and Geology. During his three-year high school teaching career in the early 1960's, he acquired the first of his three Master's degrees, an M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh (1961: Secondary Education). By that time, he had discovered Anthropology--the "one true discipline"--and proceeded to acquire an M.A. from Indiana University in 1965, focussing primarily on physical anthropology and archaeology.

Following a three-year teaching stint (1966-69) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Prof. Smail enrolled at Yale University at the advanced age of 30, earning an M.Phil. in 1971 and--at long last--his Ph.D in 1976. Both Yale degrees were in the interdisciplinary Primate and Human Paleobiology program, an experimental combination of physical anthropology, vertebrate paleontology and evolutionary biology.

Professor Smail arrived at Kenyon in 1973, served as the department's first chair from 1973 to 1977, and played an instrumental role in the founding of Kenyon's Anthropology/Sociology program. Over the past 25 years, he has developed and taught the eight courses--two introductory and six upper-level--listed under "physical anthropology" in the Kenyon Course of Study.

In addition to his primary interests in undergraduate teaching, Prof. Smail has developed scholarly and professional interests in a number of areas: human evolution, both biological and behavioral; evolutionary theory and the emergence of complexity; current issues in secondary and higher education; the interface between science and religion; peace and conflict resolution studies; and issues related to human demography. Most of his published work over the past two decades has focussed on the latter two. He has developed and articulated his novel "peace hostage exchange" proposals in a number of papers and presentations in both the U.S. and abroad (Yugoslavia, India, Norway, Fiji, Canada, England) and has more recently published his long-held views on the need for a very significant reduction in global human numbers over the next one to two centuries (in several venues).

Prof. Smail's leisure time activities focus on music (from classical to barbershop), sports (tennis and indoor badminton), and relaxation (reading and puttering around the house). He and his wife Jane--currently an adjunct instructor of piano at Kenyon--have two twenty-something children, Steve (Wooster: 1994) and Eric (Albion: 1998).

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