As a Professor in the Department of Anthropology
as well as the History and Philosophy of Science, Dr. Schwartz teaches
several courses including:
ANTH 0680 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
This is an introduction to the various disciplines that
have been brought to bear in the study of humans and other primates.
The course will have an evolutionary perspective as we review living
primates (distribution, features of behavior and morphology) and their
fossil histories. Particular attention will be paid to recent debates
and controversies surrounding human evolution, including the current
arguments on the human fossil record and the origin of modern humans.
Lectures are supplemented with slides, films, and summary hand-outs.
There will be two pre-final exams (each approximately 25% of grade) and
one final (approximately 50% of grade). The final grade will be based
on demonstration of improvement during the course and will access
individuals on the basis of exam performance, recitation performance
and attendance. Students must enroll in a recitation section which
serves as a forum for review as well as for the presentation of
information complementary to the main lectures. This material will be
included on exams.
Fall 2005 Students Click Here
ANTH 1602 Human Skeletal Analysis
A lecture and lab course applicable to students of varied
interests. Lectures cover such topics as skeletal growth and
development (from the fetus through aged adult); dental and skeletal
pathologies; criteria for determining the sex and age of individuals;
the importance of morphological variations as populational markers;
skeletal alteration; and lab techniques, such as measuring and
reconstructing skeletal remains. Students must learn the human skeleton
in detail. One text will be used. Gray's Anatomy (now in paperback) or
another anatomy text would be a helpful supplement, but none is
required. A two part midterm will consist of 1) short essays; 2)
identification of skeletal fragments. The term project, resulting in a
term paper, will be the reconstruction and analysis of one or more
individuals from excavated burials. The final exam will be an oral
examination based on the project as well as course topics. No
recitations but the student should plan on spending as much time as
possible in lab; at least 8 hours/week is recommended. (Registration in
one lab is required, but all lab sessions are available to the
student).
Fall 2007 Students
Click Here
ANTH 1603 Human Origins
The evolution of our own group and our closest
relatives--fossil and living apes--is a fascinating as well as
perplexing subject of study. In part, we can learn much about evolution
by studying our own evolutionary group. But, because the subject is so
close to us, various emotional components tend to be introduced into
the supposed science of paleontology and evolutionary biology. To
better understand our own evolutionary past, and to establish the
necessary background for undertaking this task, the first weeks of the
course will consist of: 1) an introduction to methods of reconstructing
evolutionary relationships; 2) learning necessary anatomical and dental
terminologies through study of casts of actual fossils; 3)
understanding geological and ecological changes that occurred during
the evolution of apes and humans (at least the past 35 million years);
4) and, in order to set the stage for later discussion, an overview of
primate evolution. The bulk of the course will consist of a survey of
the fossil evidence for the evolution of apes and of ourselves. Where
were the fossils found? How much material is known? How were these
finds interpreted in the past and how might we view matters today? What
biases have and/or do influence these interpretations? How might we--as
the ones who also devise evolutionary schemes--look at ourselves from
an evolutionary perspective. Lectures will be supplemented with casts
of fossils and skeletons and skulls of modern-day primates as well as
slides of all specimens discussed. Prerequisites: Undergraduates must
have taken Anthropology 0680 or received permission to enter the course
from the instructor.
ANTH 1606 Fossil and Living Primates
Undergraduate Seminar. This is an in-depth survey of non-human
primates, focusing on the major groups of fossil and living forms and
particular important representatives of these groups. The course will
begin with a lecture/lab format, in which the class will learn the
details of relevant anatomical regions across an array of mammals.
Students will also have the opportunity to describe casts of specimens
of fossil and extant primates in order to gain first-hand experience in
what such studies entail. The lectures will consist of reviewing the
various primate groups from the perspective of comparative anatomy,
phylogeny, and systematics. Students will submit a paper based on their
primate descriptions. There will be a midterm and a final.
Spring 2006 Students Click Here
ANTH 1611 Evolutionary Theory
Undergraduate Seminar. This course will deal in depth with the
historical background to, as well as the current issues and debates
surrounding, the study of evolution. The general topics that will be
covered include the role of various disciplines in the development of
evolutionary biology (comparative anatomy, embryology, paleontology,
genetics), and the competing, alternative evolutionary models and
methodologies available in the literature today. During the second half
of the course students will give presentations on topics of current
interest and controversy.
Spring
2006 Students Click Here
ANTH 1619 Special Topics in Physical Anthropology
Topic varies.
HPS 2522 Special Topics in History of
Science
Topic varies.