ANTH 311 - Human Fossil Record

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UDB
Human evolutionary history: Paleontology, comparative anatomy, and molecular systematics. The empirical evidence for human evolution.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Areas B1-B3.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better; and ANTH 110.
Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground, or Hybrid, or Online Asynchronous or Online Synchronous.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UDB - Upper Division Science Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
Course Typically Offered: Spring ONLY

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Students will become familiar with basic knowledge of the multiple sciences that are associated with paleoanthropology: geology, archeology, paleontology, biology, & anthropology;
Students will understand the origins of written ideas about where life came from, understand the slow dawn of our understanding of deep time over the last 500 years, and finally understand the last 250 years of evolutionary thinking in biology;
Students will learn the history of human origins science;
Students will become familiar with major paleoanthropological discoveries and sites;
Students will learn how utilize scholarly literature in writing;
Students will become familiar with science, evidence, empiricism, the history of science, and how science gets popularized.

UD-B. Upper-division Science Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning Learning Outcomes

demonstrate advanced and/or focused science or quantitative content knowledge in a specific scientific field, using appropriate vocabulary and referencing appropriate concepts (such as models, uncertainties, hypotheses, theories, and technologies);
apply advanced quantitative skills (such as statistics, algebraic solutions, interpretation of graphical data) to scientific problems and evaluate scientific claims;
demonstrate understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry and the experimental and empirical methodologies used in science to investigate a scientific question or issue; and
apply science content knowledge to contemporary scientific issues (e.g., global warming) and technologies (e.g., cloning), where appropriate.