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Oct 23, 2026
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ANTH 2202 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology
Credits: 3
Catalog Description
This course focuses on the study of humans as biological beings subject to the forces of both evolution and culture. The physical changes documented in early human species are considered in relation to environmental adaptation and diverging primate and hominid behaviors. A concluding survey of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Periods connects human biological origins to the early stages of human prehistory.
Recommended Skills, Abilities, or Coursework: Students should be prepared to do college level reading, analysis, and writing
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) Goal Area(s) fulfilled: Goal 05B: History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Goal 10: People and the Environment
Additional fee to student: No
Learner Outcomes
- Describe the field of anthropology and compare/contrast its four major subfields, including the major areas of research within physical anthropology.
- Summarize the development of evolutionary theory through ideas from key theorists such as Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Charles Lyell, Gregor Mendel, Charles Darwin, and Alfred Russel Wallace.
- Illustrate the processes of cell division: mitosis and meiosis, the structure and function of DNA and RNA, and genes and chromosomes.
- Demonstrate the basic principles of Mendelian inheritance and Mendelian characteristics in humans through lab activities.
- Identify current dating techniques and recreate the geologic time scale in regards to vertebrate and mammalian evolution.
- Compare commonly known primates in terms of geographical locations, primate social behaviors, and physical characteristics.
- Evaluate the influence of natural selection on primate behavior, including humans.
- Evaluate the importance of the biocultural approach in physical anthropology.
- Diagram the general characteristics of Australopithecines and the Homo line along with their geographical distribution.
- Formulate an argument for the importance of genetic variations in human populations and demonstrate how natural selection works with variation, including variation in skin color.
- Illustrate the interactions between biology and culture in human evolution.
Major Areas of Course Content
- Historical development of physical anthropology
- History of evolutionary thought
- Mechanisms of evolution
- Primate behavior
- Primate anatomy
- Human evolution
- Human variation
- Genetics
Credit for Prior Learning Options
No credit for prior learning option is available for this course.
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