GENRAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE

ACADEMIC SENATEGENRAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE GE-018-089 GE Area B-2 Designation for ANT 101, Introduction to Biological Anthropology Executive Committee FIRST

ACADEMIC SENATE

GENRAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

REPORT TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE

GE-018-089

GE Area B-2 Designation for ANT 101, Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Executive Committee

FIRST READING

Referral

The Geography and Anthropology Department is proposing to add ANT 101, an existing course, to GE Area B-2

Background

The Anthropology faculty proposes moving ANT 101, Introduction to Biological

Anthropology, from the general course offerings to area B2 of General Education According to the Department, Introduction to Biological Anthropology is

recognized throughout the country, and in the California Community College

system as fulfilling requirements for category B2 of General Education It meets

the criteria for Area B courses outlined in Executive Order [1065], it is routinely

credited to category B2 when students transfer into Cal Poly, and it is articulated with Cal Poly’s ANT 101 in the Lower Division Transfer Program through the

CSU Chancellor’s Office

Resources Consulted

Mandayam A Srinivas, former Dean, College of Science

Associate Dean of Science, Dr Tina Hartney

AVP for Research, Dr Frank Ewers (former chair of Biology)

Dr David Lord, Professor Emeritus, Anthropology, and Course co-creator

Sepehr Eskandari, current chair of Biological Sciences (GE Committee Member)

Dr Lin Wu, current chair of Geography/Anthropology (GE Committee Member)

Dr Dorothy Wills, Geography and Anthropology Department (former chair)

Craig W LaMunyon

Dr Chris D Gelorge

Gary C Carlton

Department Chairs

Associate Deans

Discussion

The General Education Committee was split on this referral, a referral that has languished in committee for several years, even before the moratorium on new

GE approvals

After reviewing the Extended Course Outline and discussing the various issues and input from numerous sources, the Committee felt that many of the necessary attributes of a GE class were in place Still, the main point of contention is whether this class fulfills the attributes of AREA B-2, Biology

The gist of the argument against the class as a Biology GE is that there is not enough biology in the class Dr Sepehr Eskandari, GE Committee member and current chair of the Biology Department, argues in his report (presented here in

the appendix, and later to be presented in a “Minority Report”) that ANT 101 does not fulfill all of the prescribed knowledge areas of AREA B-2 as outlined in Executive Order 1065, which mandates GE and describes individual areas in general terms Dr Eskandari, and others before him in Biology, have also suggested that Anthropology faculty do not have proper training to teach biology

Dr Lin Wu, current chair of Geography and Anthropology, offered arguments in favor of the GE designation for ANT 101, suggesting that it fulfills all of the EO

1065 requirements for an AREA B-2 course, and also noting that Anthropology

as a discipline has become more biologically oriented over the last 20 years and that it is impossible to cover evolution without also teaching biology

Regarding this as a precedent: it is not Many CSUs have a class that are similar

in content to the proposed Cal Poly Pomona ANT 101 and many are designated

as AREA B-2 classes; but there are just as many campuses that do not (see appendices for detail) Furthermore, many university campuses across the country have classes like ANT 101 that fulfill breadth requirements in biological sciences Also, it is a class that is taught on a regular basis by tenure track faculty who, according to Dr Wu, have training in biological/physical anthropology Furthermore, according to Dr Wu, the Geology and Anthropology Department is seeking a full-time, tenure track position that is a dedicated bio-anthropologist

Additionally, there are a myriad of constituencies who have weighed in on this referral over the years Like Dr Eskandari, those who believe the class should not receive GE designation generally suggest that the class does not have

enough biology in it to be designated a B-2 class The historical proponents, including Dr Wu, have argued that it is impossible to learn about human

evolution without understanding biology, and all of the prescribed biological principles are covered in the class (Please see appendices for all pertinent documents for and against.)

One final note: when asked why a biologist and anthropologist couldn’t co-teach the class, all parties agreed that this would be a splendid idea That is, however, not the referral before us

Recommendation

It was the Committee’s feeling that further discussion in committee would not lead to a consensus and not be fruitful, and that the entire Senate should weigh

in on a final decision The GE Committee voted 5-3 to approve ANT 101 for AREA B-2 designation

###

GE-018-089 GE area B-2 designation for ANT 101, Introduction to Biological

Anthropology

Report from Anthropology and Geography

Prepared by Lin Wu, Ph.D in consultation with anthropology faculty

Based on the guideline for a GE course proposal, a GE B2 (Biological Sciences) course should cover the following:

“Courses in this area will provide students with fundamental knowledge of living systems and their relationships with the world about them, including attention to diverse life forms, ecology, and evolution Scientific contributions, where

applicable, from various cultures of the world will be included.”

ANT 101 covers every one of these requirements as outlined below:

1 Living systems and their relationship with the world about them - Using human evolution as the binding thread, ANT 101 introduces basic knowledge

of living systems, DNA, cell biology, reproduction, and complex organisms, and examines their evolutionary and ecological relationships to each other within larger ecosystems

2 Diverse life forms - While the class is anthropocentric, it does address a diversity of life forms and taxa, such as the evolution of flowering plants, the hypotheses about the development of binocular color vision in our order primates, the symbiotic relationships created by the malaria plasmodium, mosquitos, and people As an anthropology course, the point of departure may be humans, but it is not possible to discuss our evolutionary history and adaptive patterns without discussions of other life forms, from single celled organisms to more complex forms, such as plants and animals

3 Ecology - Ecology is covered in discussions of human biological and cultural adaptation to diverse environments and environmental change The role of humans in the creation of anthropogenic landscapes and its effects at various levels on living systems are also discussed Cultural ecology (analysis of techno-economic systems and mode of production from an ecological

perspective) is an important strand in anthropological theory

4 Evolution - The course synthesizes evolutionary theory, including Darwinian principles of natural selection, Mendelian aspects of inheritance, genetics, and population dynamics and variability, at the introductory level

5 Scientific contributions from various cultures of the world – ANT 101 covers the development of cultural knowledge, including science, drawing from different theorists and sociocultural systems It examines different approaches

to human evolution and adaptation, as well as specific cultural ecological knowledge Also emphasized is the value of understanding ethno-botanical and other knowledge bases of native peoples

Anthropology as a discipline has grown more biologically rooted over the past twenty years or so, with the increasing sophistication of and many important discoveries in evolutionary biology, genetics, and paleoanthropology Most anthropologists today refer

to the sub-field “biological anthropology” as such, rather than the traditional “physical anthropology.” This preference reflects the emphatically scientific character of the field

as a whole

By fulfilling the above requirements, ANT 101 is a good fit for a B2 course This view is echoed by the fact that our campus has articulation agreements with community colleges establishing that students can take biological anthropology at community colleges to fulfill the B2 requirement when they transfer in

A survey of other CSU campuses shows that out of 23 comparable campuses, 12

campuses have introductory biological anthropology (or an equivalent course) in the B2 (or equivalent) category For the CSU campuses that do not have the course listed as B2, some do not offer an equivalent course; thus, the majority of the CSU campuses that offer biological anthropology have listed it as a GE B2 course

Approving ANT 101 as a GE course offers students more choices in GE courses For students planning a career in health, medicine, criminal justice, and other relevant fields, biological anthropology prepares them very well for advanced courses in their majors There are many Biology majors in the biological anthropology sequence of courses at Cal Poly Pomona (101, 340 Primatology, 345 Human Evolution and Variation, 357 Health Systems, and 491 Forensic), and many Anthropology majors who wish to go into a health

or biology-related field take significant coursework in biology

CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences Expanded Course Outline

Subject Area/Catalog #: ANT 101

Course Title: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Units: 4

CS#: C4

Component: Lecture/Discussion

Grading Basis: Graded

Preparation: 11/17/2008

Prepared by: David Lord

Revised: 2/27/2014

Revised by: Claudia Garcia-Des Lauriers

Date of Last: NA

I Catalog Description

ANT 101 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (4)

Human biology and behavior The evolution of the human species as an adaptive

biological process Human ecology in evolutionary perspective Human growth,

development, and diversity The evolution and behavior of non-human primates The course includes a CDROM “virtual laboratory” component 4 hours lecture/discussion Fulfills Area B2 Prerequisite: None

II Required Background or Experience

None

III Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

1 explain the development of modern evolutionary theory

2 apply classical and modern genetic approaches to the study of taxonomy and evolution

3 analyze non-human primate and hominid behavior, social organization,

and morphology

4 integrate biological, geological, and archaeological evidence within the

framework of the scientific method, in order to formulate interpretations

of human evolution

5 integrate biological and social perspectives in the description and

explanation of human diversity

6 assess current debates in human biological evolution and diversity

IV Text and Readings

Possible Texts

Angeloni, Elvio

2011 Annual Editions: Physical Anthropology 12/13 21st Edition New York: McGraw-Hill

Campbell, Bernard, James Loy, and Kathryn Cruz-Uribe

2005 Humankind Emerging 9th Edition London: Pearson/Prentice Hall France, Diane L

2010 Lab Manual and Workbook for Physical Anthropology 7th Edition

Stamford, CT: Cenage Learning

Hens, Samantha

2007 Method and Practice in Biological Anthropology: A Workbook and

Laboratory Manual for Introductory Courses Pearson

Jurmain, Robert, Lynn Kilgore, and Wenda Trevathan

2012 Essentials of Physical Anthropology 9th Edition Stamford, CT:

Wadsworth/Cenage Learning

Kappelman, John

2004 Virtual Laboratories for Physical Anthropology CD-ROM, Version 4.0

Stamford, CT: Wadsworth/Cenage Learning

Relethford, John

2005 The Human Species: An Introduction to Biological Anthropology 6th Edition New York: McGraw-Hill

Sanford, Mary K

2008 Classic and Contemporary Readings in Physical Anthropology 1st

Edition Stamford, CT: Wadsworth/Cenage Learning

Stanford, Craig, John Allen, and Susan Anton

2006 Biological Anthropology: The Natural History of Humankind 1st Edition London: Pearson/Prentice Hall

Stein, Philip and Bruce Rowe

2013 Physical Anthropology 11th Edition New York: McGraw-Hill

Selected Films

The Human Family Tree, National Geographic

The Ghost in your Genes, NOVA

Becoming Human, Parts 1-3, PBS

Decoding Neanderthals, NOVA

What Makes us Human, NOVA

Lice and Human Evolution, NOVA

What Darwin Never Knew, NOVA

Little People of Flores, NOVA

Chimpanzee, Disneynature

Cracking the Code of Life, NOVA

Clever Monkeys, Natural World

The Genius of Darwin, BBC

Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life, BBC

The Cell, BBC

Cell Functions: A Closer Look, Cambridge Educational Production

Cells: An Introduction, Cambridge Educational Production

Selected Web Pages

Smithsonian, Physical Anthropology

http://anthropology.si.edu/cm/phys_intro.htm

American Anthropological Society, Physical Anthropology Section

http://www.aaanet.org/sections/bas/

American Association of Physical Anthropologists

http://physanth.org

Paleoanthropology Society

http://www.paleoanthro.org

American Association of Anthropological Genetics

http://www.anthgen.org

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online

http://darwin-online.org.uk

The University of Texas, Austin, E-Skeletons Project

http://www.eskeletons.org

Human Biology Association

http://www.humbio.org

The Jane Goodall Institute

http://www.janegoodall.org

National Center for Science Education

http://ncse.com

V Minimum Student Materials

Assigned textbook; access to Internet and Blackboard

VI Minimum College Facilities

Smart Classroom

VII Course Outline

1 The discipline of anthropology

a Relationship of physical anthropology to other fields of anthropology

b The biocultural approach

2 Evolutionary theory

a Definition and history of concept of evolution

b Charles Darwin and natural selection

c Microevolution and the four forces of evolution

d Macroevolution and speciation

3 Genetics and its application to understanding evolution

a Mendelian genetics

b Chromosomes and the cell

c DNA and molecular genetics

d Populations genetics

4 Human variation

a Race: social and biological concept

b Characteristics and study of modern human diversity

c Physiological adaptations and plasticity

5 The primates

a The Linnaean taxonomy and the place of primates in the classification

b Characteristics of the primate order

c Different primate taxa and their characteristics: prosimians, Old and New World monkeys, apes; morphological characteristics; social groups and behaviors of primates

d Hominids: morphological and behavioral characteristics of modern humans

6 Interpretation of evidence of hominid evolution

a Characteristics of fossils; interpretation of geological and environmental evidence

b Archaeological evidence: sites, artifacts, dating

c The molecular clock

7 Human origins

a History of the development of the study of hominid evolution

b The proto-hominids

c The Australopithecines: diversity of species, distribution

8 The genus Homo: physical and cultural developments

a Earliest Homo: Homo habilis

b Homo erectus

c Archaic Homo sapiens and Neanderthals

d Modern Homo sapiens

9 Theories and studies relating to the major hominid transitions

a Relationship among the species

b Relationship to evolutionary theory