Fall, 2005 Dr. Elizabeth M.

Salter
Tues. & Thurs. 11 AM - 12:15 PM Office Address: GR 2.244
Phone: 972 - 883-2484
Room GR2.530 School of General Studies
Email:emsalter@utdallas.edu

ISGS 4305 - 001*

HUMANS: OUR PLACE IN NATURE

* This course satisfies the three-hour science General Education requirement.

We have changed dramatically over the past four million years. We are still
biological organisms adapting to environmental change. The course will begin by examining
our selves and our closest primate relatives in terms of biological and cultural similarities.
To understand the biology, we will briefly examine the modern human and ape skeleton,
and human variation.
Early human skeletal remains demonstrate that initially our bodies under went great
changes. After the Homo erectus grade, biological changes were eclipsed by cultural
changes, which allowed human expansion over the face of the earth.

Prerequisites:
None

Required Texts:
1.Evolution and Prehistory: The Human Challenge (seventh edition)
Haviland, Walrath, Prins and McBride
2. Annual Editions:Physical Anthropology 05/06
3. Hominid Fossils (CD ROM) by James Ahern

Method of Evaluation:
Primate Report 30%
Fossil Report 30%
Final Essay exam 30%
Attendance/participation* 10%
*Students who are absent for more than three classes will lose a letter grade on their final
total grade. e.g. An earned grade of B+ will be lowered to a C+.

Students requiring any special accommodations are required to contact the Office of Disability
Services before any accommodation can be given in class.

All assignments and the final exam must be submitted in written form to me and must also be
submitted to Turnitin.com – a plagiarism detection service. I do not accept on line submissions by
email. For more information on scholastic dishonesty see the following web page:
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html

Students must submit their papers by the due date unless an extension has been granted prior to
the due date. I reserve the right to refuse to accept a paper after the due date.

Effective fall 2004, students will only be allowed to correspond with UTD Faculty and Staff using
their UTD email accounts. Students may go to http://netid.utdallas.edu to establish or maintain
their official UTD computer account
 ISGS 4305 2005 Detailed Outline
HUMANS: OUR PLACE IN NATURE
Haviland Annual Reviews
Chapters
8 18 INTRODUCTION 1
8 23 MODERN PRIMATES 3 10,11,16,17,20,
8 25 EARLY PRIMATES 5
8 30 PRIMATE COMMUNITY/ECOLOGY 21
9 1 PRIMATE VIDEO - PEOPLE OF THE FOREST 12,13,14,15,
9 6 PRIMATE DIET
9 8 PRIMATE CONSERVATION PRIMATE ASSIGNME NT DUE 39
9 13 EVOLUTIONARY THEORY 2 1,2
9 15 HEREDITY AND EVOLUTION 5
9 20 MICRO/MACRO EVOLUTION
9 22 SKELETAL BIOLOGY 4
9 27 AGE AND SEX DETERMINATION
9 29 EXCAVATION TECHNIQUES 4
10 4 HOMINOIDS (APES & HUMANS) 6 18,22,23,
10 6 HOMINOID BEHAVIOR 19,24,37
10 11 AUSTRALOPITHECINES
10 13 EARLY HOMO/PRIMATE REPORT DUE 7 31
10 18 HOMO erectus 8 25,26,27
10 20 HOMO sapiens neanderthalensis 9 28,29,30,
10 25 HOMO sapiens 10
10 27 HUMAN BEHAVIOR & EVOLUTION 11
11 1 ORIGINS OF DOMESTICATION FOSSIL REPORT DUE
11 3 URBAN ORIGINS 12
11 8 NEW WORLD ORIGINS/Cahokia 32
11 10 HUMAN VARIATION 13 6,7,8,33,34,35
11 15 HUMAN GROWTH AND ADAPTATION 9,38
11 17 APPLIED BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 14 40,41
11 22 BLACK DEATH VIDEO
11 24 Thanksgiving Day – no class
11 28 FINAL EXAMINATION- due by noon FINAL EXAMINATION DUE