ANT 312-00P: Human Skeletal Biology (Spring 2010)

Skeletal remains are a silent witness to the past. The analysis of skeletal populations has been used to determine the impact of the transition of agriculture on health (it resulted in an increase in infectious and nutritional diseases) and to measures the biological cost of slavery that has been obscured from historical records. In this class, you will receive thorough instruction in the practical and theoretical foundation of human skeletal biology. You will learn basic human skeletal anatomy, the forensic techniques for identifying fragmentary remains, methods for determine the sex and age-at-death of a skeleton, the diseases such as arthritis, trauma, neoplasms, nutritional deficiency and osteoporosis that affect the skeleton (paleopathology).  Methods for determining population structure (paleodemography), histological and chemical techniques, morphology and human activity will also be studied. Student's projects will involve the analysis of some aspect of the biology of a skeletal population.

There will be weekly practical quizzes for the first nine weeks.  A short term paper in the style of a publishable article will be required. The paper must include original research on a skeletal indicator. The results will be presented to the class as a poster session or as a paper in a simulated meeting during last week of class. You will be expected to maintain a laboratory notebook. The class hours will be used for lecture, demonstration and quizzes.