ANTHROPOLOGY 337 - SPRING 2003

Human Biological Variation

(HB) Stinson, S., B. Bogin, R. Huss-Ashmore, and D. O'Rourke. 2000. Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspective. Wiley-Liss, New York.

Human Biology is a text that was produced for the Human Biology Association and to which a number of key members of the profession of biological anthropology contributed. The most difficult chapters to comprehend are likely to be the three genetics chapters (3, 4, and 5), the epidemiology chapter (7), and the demography chapter (14). You should probably read each of these chapters twice. The materials covered in the book are timely and state of the art.

Other timely readings may be assigned throughout the semester.

The format will be lecture but with discussion encouraged. Midterm exam (30%); term poster (25%) due at end of week 13; comprehensive final exam (40%); class participation (5%).

Weeks

Since the major emphasis of the course is on human biobehavioral variation, posters must address this perspective or they are considered inappropriate for presentation. Therefore, all poster topics must be approved by the instructor before major research and planning begins, and this approval is contingent on a rough outline of the plan for the poster.

Some of the journals that are appropriate for literature searches and reviews of appropriate topics are listed here:

See your instructor for advice on other scientific literature.

The poster should be a review of a specific topic for a single population from the lists below. This involves a synthesis of existing information about a topic. You should cover a reasonable amount of literature and present a coherent picture of our present state of knowledge. Organization and a careful literature search are important considerations for this kind of paper.

Preparing the Poster

Posters are being used more frequently than presented papers at scientific meetings. They are an effective way to present information that is both attractive and interesting, and where the viewer can read the materials at her/his own pace. The scientific materials for the poster should be collected in the same way as materials for a term paper. The difference is that a poster should include more diagrams, tables, photos, and other illustrative materials and less text than a term paper.

After you have gathered your literature and materials on the topic. Prepare an outline of what you wish to present. Then design your presentation with text and figures, and make an initial sketch of your poster, allocating space for an introduction, other topical headings, and a conclusion. Try different arrangements and styles to achieve clarity and simplicity. Use color to enhance and emphasize. The title should be legible 8 feet away, whereas the rest of the poster should be legible at a distance of 5 feet. Enlargements of Xerox copies (including color Xerox copies) of illustrative materials are appropriate for the poster. All illustrations, text, etc. can be mounted to the poster with rubber cement, dry mounting tissue, or two sided adhesive tape. Initial design, measurement, and careful planning is absolutely necessary to produce a neat and well-presented poster.

Evaluation of Posters

Each student will evaluate each of the other posters. This information will be held confidential by the instructor. The instructor will also evaluate each poster, and will take into account (but not be bound by) the student evaluations.

Topics

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