Primatology and Human Evolution: Anthropology 350 (070:350:01) Spring 2014 Nancy Moinde-Fockler Monday 10:55am - 1:55pm Biological Sciences Building Room 206 Office Hours: 2pm – 3pm and by Appt. Office: Room 001B( basement) Biological Sciences Bldg., Douglass Anthropology Department Phone: 732-932-9886 Contact Info: [email protected]
Course Description:
This is an upper level Evolutionary Anthropology course that examines both the anatomy and behavior of primates in an attempt to better understand human evolution. In this course we will explore the historical significance of Primatology as the foundation for developing evolutionary models of human behavior. Students will learn about the history and significance of the complex relationship between humans, our closest living relatives and our evolutionary past.
Learning Goals:
Students will gain specific knowledge on human and primate anatomy and socioecology. They will critically analyze and assess written works by primatologists concerning the utilization of primates in modeling our evolutionary past. Students will access electronic databases to compare and contrast cranial, post-cranial and dental images that they will use to produce written reports summarizing differences in anatomical form and function and the corresponding implications for diet, locomotion and behavior. Students will also complete a Précis of recent Journal articles on a topic from the course.
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all classes. If you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An e-mail will automatically be sent to me. Required Texts:
• Fleagle, John C. 1999. Primate Adaptation and Evolution (2nd Ed.). New York, NY, Academic Press.
• Ankel-Simons, F. 2000. An Introduction to Primate Anatomy (2nd Ed.). New York, NY, Academic Press. (Paperback)
• de Waal, Frans B. M. (ed.) 2001. Tree of Origin: What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us About Human Social Evolution . Caimbridge, MA. Harvard University Press.
* There will be additional articles assigned throughout the semester. These will be added to the on-line syllabus and made available via the Resource section on the Sakai site for the course.
Course Requirements:
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
Midterm 30% Final Exam 30% Précis 20% 3 Anatomy Reports (5pt.) 15% Participation 5% Exams:
The midterm and final exams will be comprised of a mixture of objective questions (multiple choice, matching), short answer and essays. Review sheets will be disseminated a week before the exam.
Participation:
Since this is an upper division course and relatively small class, discussion is encouraged and you will be expected to have read the materials and come to class prepared to participate in discussions. Your assessment for Participation will be based on your contribution to “Discussion” activities on the Sakai site as well as in the classroom. I will be posting relevant current events/videos on the Sakai site and invite you to do the same. Précis of Articles:
Browse through recent (last 5 years) issues of these journals:
• PaleoAnthropology . ( http://www.paleoanthro.org/ - click on the journal link ) • The Journal of Human Evolution * • American Journal of Physical Anthropology*
* can be accessed through the Rutgers University Iris computer catalog. Log into the Rutgers system. If not on campus, bring up the Rutgers Library Website, and remotely log into the system. Need either your library barcode and PIN number or Rutgers Web ID and password to log in remotely. Once in system, type the periodical’s name into the Iris search function.
• Identify three interesting articles (may be in different issues or journals) that • use non-human primates to address ideas in human evolution • or claim that a particular primate taxon has implications for human evolution • Read and concisely summarize each article • for each article identify • the problem explored • the methodology used in studying the problem • the conclusions that are reached • Why was the problem studied? • If the problem explored has been dealt with before • how does the author(s) justify another treatment? •What impact do the conclusions have for paleoanthropology? • Do the author(s) make a reasonable case for applying the conclusions to human evolution?
The précis should begin with detailed information about the papers that you are summarizing—i.e., full paper title, year of publication, journal title, and page numbers. When you quote material, or use additional references, they must be listed in the “References Cited” section that will appear at the end. The text of the précis (not counting citations, introductory material, or References Cited, should be around 5 pages in length , double-spaced. It is due on APRIL 28th . This paper accounts for 20% of the final grade .
ALL PRECIS TOPICS MUST BE SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BEFORE: FEBRUARY 24th How to correctly cite scientific literature in the text:
• from a Book
Galago inustus has a head plus body length of 16 to 20 cm and tail length of 20-26 cm (Ankel-Simons, 2000).
• from a chapter in an edited volume
The Pinturas Formation, preserved in the foothills of the Andes of Southern Argentina, is approximately 17.5 - 16.5 million years old (Fleagle and Kay, 1997).
• from an article in an Academic Journal
"The location of large primates on the neocortex curve where small relative changes in brain size are associated with large relative changes in isocortex size...may explain the multiple facets and rapid rate of human evolution." (Finlay and Darlington, 1995:1583).*
* Note that direct quotations must also include the page number
How to correctly list References Cited:
• from a Book
Ankel-Simons, F. 2000. An Introduction to Primate Anatomy (Second Edition) . New York, NY: Academic Press.
• from a chapter in an edited volume
Fleagle, J. G. and Kay, R.F. 1997. “Platyrrhines, catarrhines, and the fossil record.” Pp. 3-23 in W.G. Kinzey (ed.), New World Primates: Ecology, Evolution and Behavior . Hawthorne, N.Y.: Aldine DeGruyter.
• from an article in an Academic Journal
Finlay, B.L. and Darlington, R.B. 1995. Linked regularities in the development and evolution of mammalian brains. Science 268:1578-1584.
Comparative Primate Anatomy Exercises
There are three comparative primate anatomy exercises worth 5% each (15% of total grade). Use textbook and online resources to draw the anatomy of two different species of living primate. Each completed exercise will consist of 2 drawings and a written report. Write a short (1-2 page) summary contrasting the anatomy and behavior of your selected species. This is not an art class; so don’t worry about the artistic quality of your drawings. However, they must be clear and detailed enough to illustrate major anatomical features. Include a scale with your drawings, so that body size can be known. Use textbooks and online resources to learn about the diet, activity-patterns, special senses, and locomotion of the species that you draw.
1) Diet and Dentition •DUE MARCH 3rd • draw teeth and describe diets • use MorphoBrowser database • maintained by the University of Helsinki Biocenter. • http://morphobrowser.biocenter.helsinki.fi •Organisms are grouped taxonomically • look for the primate section • also use eSkeletons ( http://www.eskeletons.org) (see below)
2) Craniofacial Anatomy and Senses • DUE MARCH 24th • draw the skull and describe senses and behavior •use DigiMorph database of high resolution CT scans • subsidized by the NSF • http://digimorph.org • Organisms are grouped taxonomically • look for the primate section
3) Postcranial Anatomy and Locomotion • DUE APRIL 7th • draw postcranial anatomy and describe locomotion • eSkeletons Project Website • maintained by the University of Texas, subsidized by the NSF • http://www.eskeletons.org • Humans and 11 species of non-human primates • allows for the simultaneous comparison of bones • from two species and different views of the same bone
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING SCHEDULE:
Date Topic Assigned Reading JANUARY
Monday • Introduction to the Primate Order Ankel-Simons 1 1/27 • Adaptation, Evolution & Systematics Fleagle 1, Ankel-Simons 2
FEBRUARY
Monday • Primatology & Human Evolution Ankel-Simons 3; Tree Intro 2/3 • Prosimians Fleagle 4; Ankel-Simons 4
Monday •New World Monkeys Fleagle 5; Ankel-Simons 4 2/10 •Old World Monkeys Fleagle 6; Ankel-Simons 4
Monday •Apes & Humans Fleagle 7; Ankel-Simons 4 2/17 •Apes & Humans (cont.) Fleagle 7
Monday • Primate Adaptations Fleagle 9 2/24 •Dentition & Diet Ankel-Simons 7; ***PRECIS TOPICS DUE*** Fleagle pp.12-18; 291-297
MARCH
Monday • Skull & Sense Organs Ankel-Simons 5, 9; Fleagle pp.23-27 3/3 • Postcrania & Locomotion Ankel-Simons 8; Fleagle 297-306 *** Dental Anatomy Comparison Due***
Monday • Brain & the Senses Ankel-Simons 6, Fleagle pp.19-26 3/10 • Anatomy, Sex & Social Structure Ankel-Simons 11; Fleagle 306-309
Monday SPRING BREAK 3/17
Monday MIDTERM EXAM 3/24 *** Skull & Senses Anatomy Comparison Due***
Monday • Primate Lives Fleagle 3 3/31 • Primate Communities Fleagle 8
APRIL
Monday • Social Organization and Reproduction Tree 1 - Pusey 4/7 • Bonobos as Models Tree 2 – deWaal *** Postcrania Anatomy Comparison Due***
Monday • Beyond the Apes Tree 3 - Strier 4/14 • Meat and Human Evolution Tree 4 - Stanford
Monday • Diet and Evolution Tree 5 - Wrangham 4/21 • Primate Intelligence Tree 6 - Byrne
Monday • Group Size and the Evolution of Intelligence Tree 7 - Dunbar 4/28 • Primate Communication & Human Language Tree 8 – Snowdon *** PRECIS DUE**** MAY
Monday • Nature of Culture Tree 9 - McGrew 5/5 • Review for Final Exam
FINAL EXAM MONDAY MAY 12 th 8:30 – 11:30