Anthropology is the study of humanity, in all its biological and cultural aspects, past and present. It is a four-field discipline comprised of biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology. The focus of this book is biological anthropology, which explores who we are from biological, evolutionary, and adaptive perspectives.
Material Type: Textbook
Modified-accessible documents to accompany the text Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology by Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, and Kelsie AguileraFiles include:accessible versions of the lab assignments in HTML format, with student worksheets as a separate documentoriginal PDF copies of the textbook, with the addition of accessible HTML versions of the preface and appendicesaccessible PowerPoint slides
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture, Textbook
How this course is intended to be used: This course is set up to be used as either fully online, face-to-face (f2f), or hybrid. Note that the course outcomes and some assessments have variations available for each type of course (e.g., Public Awareness Campaign, Dancing Skeletons Essay & Discussion) Resources for this course: OER resources: The majority of materials used in this course are OER and can be found via this page (under Course Modules). Paid resources: Only one small textbook is suggested for the course, the ethnography Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katharine Dettwyler (ISBN-10: 088133748X). It's approximately $13.00 new and can be found for approximately $5.00 used. It's used for the Unit 3 assessment, Dancing Skeletons Essay & Discussion. We think that it's an integral part of the course, due to its focus on human biology and biocultural/environmental interactions. It also provides an excellent portrayal of an anthropologist's experience in the field. If you require additional or alternate textbooks, we have put together a list of texts available for around $30. Explanation of approach: As you peruse the reading material in the course module pages you might find that they contain less detail than what you would see in a "normal" textbook. This is intentional. One thing we find incredible about higher education is that the student often reads the textbook only to go into class and have the professor lecture for two hours on the exact same material. Because of this repetition of the material, students often become exasperated and either stop reading the material or stop paying attention in class. We've also found that students in the introductory anthropology courses frequently struggle with picking out the basic concepts from among the myriad of material from the textbook. We think that students in introductory anthropology courses such as this one, most of whom are not going to be anthropology majors, should read the basic information outside of class. This allows the instructor to focus on providing more explanatory details and help students work through critical thinking about the material in class. Therefore, the readings in the course modules have the basic information. Through in-class activities, discussions, and homework assignments, the job of the instructor is to help students move deeper into and synthesize the material.
Material Type: Full Course
Introduction to Biological Anthropology OER Text and Reading List ATH 101. Introduction to Biological Anthropology. Introduces biological anthropology and the study of evolution in the context of modern genetics and primate behavior studies. Examines human fossil record, diversity, and commonality of present and past populations of humankind.
Material Type: Student Guide, Teaching/Learning Strategy
No, we really really did not evolve from monkeys. John and Hank Green explain this and lots of other things related to human evolution. . Created by Big History Project.
Material Type: Lesson
In this unit, we describe the theory of evolution by natural selection as proposed by Charles Darwin in his book, first published in 1859, On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. We will look at natural selection as Darwin did, taking inheritance for granted, but ignoring the mechanisms underlying it.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Reading, Syllabus
An introduction to genetic mutations.
Material Type: Lesson
This Google Folder leads to an online module that is designed for students to learn concepts of evolution, descent with modification, natural selection, and more. There is both a student guide and a teacher's guide to help navigate through the module. Google forms are also available to support learning throughout the module. Interactive activities and simulations are also included for students to enjoy and learn from.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Module
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different types of variation in a populationExplain why only heritable variation can be acted upon by natural selectionDescribe genetic drift and the bottleneck effectExplain how each evolutionary force can influence the allele frequencies of a population
Material Type: Module
The goal of the Genetic Origins Program is to allow students to use their own DNA variations (polymorphisms) as a means to explore our shared genetic heritage and its implications for human health and society. Genetic Origins focuses on two types of DNA variations: an Alu insertion polymorphism on chromosome 16 (PV92) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the control region of the mitochondrial (mt) chromosome. With two alleles and three genotypes, PV92 is a simple genetic system that illustrates Mendelian inheritance on a molecular level. PV92 data is readily analyzed using population statistics. The mt control region is one of the simplest regions of human DNA to sequence. With a high mutation rate, the mt control region is the "classical" system for studying human and primate evolution. The Genetic Origins site and linked Bioservers site have all the information needed for students to perform the Alu and mt DNA experiments and analyze the results - including online protocols, reagents, animations and videos explaining key concepts, and database tools.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Simulation
The first peer-reviewed open access textbook for cultural anthropology courses. Produced by the Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges and available free of charge for use in any setting.
Material Type: Textbook
A free online textbook for Cultural Anthropology.
Material Type: Textbook
In this unit, you will explore globalization and development and its effects on indigenous peoples. Modern economic and political development is driven by the assumption that the results will be benefical for all people; however, cultural differences are not taken into consideration, leading often to the destruction of indigenous cultures. Understanding the context of modern development students become versant in the current debate about globalization. By the end of the unit, you should be able to answer the following questions: What is globalization? How did the modern era of globalization develop? What is the relationship between culture and globalization?
Material Type: Full Course
An introductory cultural anthropology textbook covering all major topics and produced by Lumen Learning.
Material Type: Full Course, Module, Textbook
The following pages describe anthropology's relationship with colonialism. The reading emphasizes why colonial history is relevant to students' lives and emphasizes practical ways to practice cultural relativism.
Material Type: Assessment
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course calendar using the open textbook Perspectives: http://sacc.americananthro.org/publication/open-source-textbook/ Course Description Considers contemporary human cultures from an anthropological perspective. Covers fieldwork, language, race, gender, sex and marriage, kinship, politics, world view, religion, economics, and globalization from a cross-cultural perspective. This course compares cultures found around the globe, focusing closely upon at least two specific cultures, with extended discussion of additional cultures and societies as appropriate. Greater understanding of particular cultures will be achieved through an application of the comparative method. Upon completion of the course students should be able to: Describe basic concepts, methods, and theories associated with cultural anthropology. Use an understanding of anthropology to identify and compare values, beliefs, norms, economic systems, and social organization or institutions in a variety of societies in different world regions. Examine systems of power and social justice issues related to U.S. society and other cultures from an anthropological perspective. Explore fieldwork methods and ethical considerations of doing anthropological fieldwork.
Material Type: Syllabus
Examines modern human cultures. Analyzes a variety of ethnographic examples from various world societies to understand the diverse aspects of language, technology, economy, social structure, governance, religion, world views and expressive aspects of life.
Material Type: Syllabus
An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology: Perspectives on Humanity Reading List and Schedule ANTH 213 Introduces a comparative study of human culture. Covers kinship systems, politics, economics, language, ritual, cultural change, ecological adaptations, and ethnographic methodology. Explores cultural similarities and differences and the linkages among cultural, social, political, and economic institutions.
Material Type: Reading, Student Guide, Teaching/Learning Strategy
This textbook aims to provide an introduction to the field of cultural anthropology. The initial chapters introduce the concept of culture and review the historical, theoretical, and methodological influences on the field. Chapters four through twelve discuss the major domains of the study of culture; symbolism, communication, ritual, production, healing, rights, reproduction, kinship, conflict, and globalization. These chapters provide ethnographic examples (both etic and emic perspectives) and case studies to support the central concepts in each chapter. Additional case studies are available via the Anthrobase website and others can be developed in wikibook format and integrated through links in this book.
Material Type: Reading, Textbook
Native Peoples of North America is intended to be an introductory text about the Native peoples of North America (primarily the United States and Canada) presented from an anthropological perspective. As such, the text is organized around anthropological concepts such as language, kinship, marriage and family life, political and economic organization, food getting, spiritual and religious practices, and the arts. Prehistoric, historic and contemporary information is presented. Each chapter begins with an example from the oral tradition that reflects the theme of the chapter. The text includes suggested readings, videos, and classroom activities.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Textbook
