Section outline

  • About

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    Becoming Human: Introduction to Biological Anthropology and Anthropological Archaeology (Anthro 101)


    Professors:
    Dr. Casey Barrier, he/him, cbarrier@brynmawr.edu
    Prof. Barrier's student drop-in hours (Dalton 306): Fridays 12:00-1:00, or email for Zoom appt.

    Dr. Maja Šešelj, she/her, mseselj@brynmawr.edu
    Prof. Šešelj's student drop-in hours (Dalton 310): 

    TAs: Carolyn Vaughn (she/her); Emma Slaby (they/them); Annabelle Sinatra (she/her)

    If we ever need to move classes online for health & safety reasons, please use the following links at your scheduled class time to join us on Zoom note, these are not standing links but only in case the professors are sick):

    Classes taught by Prof. Barrier (marked as C.B. on the syllabus) click here

    Classes taught by Prof. Šešelj (marked as M.Š. on the syllabus) click here

    • Announcements Forum
    • Biological anthropology and archaeology in the news! Forum
    • Awesome bioanthros and archaeologists, groups, podcasts, and resources to follow Forum

      Feel free to post the info for folks/groups/organizations you may be following on social media, cool podcasts with relevant topics that you enjoy listening to, or any other resource you may find thought-provoking, inspiring, and/or cool! To do with biological anthropology and archaeology, of course.

    • Questions from class Forum

      Have a question relating to the material we covered in class? You're welcome to post it here, and you can choose whether to make it anonymous. It's a big class, so chances are someone else has that same question, and this is a good way to address any sticking points as they arise! We will post answers in a timely fashion, as well as any additional resources for questions that might come up in class that would be of interest to everyone, or that we would like to follow up on in more detail. You also have an option of writing down your question(s) on a piece of paper or an index card and dropping it off in the drop boxes next to our offices (Dalton 306 for Prof. Barrier, and Dalton 310 for Prof. Šešelj), so you can choose your preferred medium!

  • General

  • Week 1: no labs!

    Labs start next week!

  • Week 2

    Labs start this week! Please make sure you bring a copy of the lab worksheet with you to your scheduled lab time.

  • Week 3

    Department of Anthropology guest lecture

    Professor Kalpana Karunakaran 
    "Claiming Resources, Asserting Rights: Women's Collective Politics at the Grassroots"
    Tuesday, September 15, from 4:15-5:45 in Dalton 119 
     
    Prof. Karunakaran is Associate Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, IIT Madras, in Chennai, India. Her research and writings are in the intersecting fields of gender, poverty, microcredit, women’s work in the informal sector, women’s trade unions and collective action in solidarity-based movements. Kalpana participates actively in campaigns and workshops for gender equality, labour rights and human rights in Tamil Nadu, South India. She has worked extensively as an activist-organiser with People's Science Movements, Right to Health campaigns and women's Self-Help Group federations.
     

  • Week 4

    NO IN PERSON LABS THIS WEEK! 

    You will do the lab at home, on your own time.

      • Lab 3: Human variation (asynchronous)

        • Lab 3 Human Variation File PDF
          174.8 KB · Uploaded 08/30/26, 22:06
        • Check-up 3: Human variation Quiz
          Opens: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 1:00 PM
          Closes: Monday, September 28, 2026, 8:00 PM

          Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed as a single attempt. However, there are unlimited attempts, so you can re-take it until you're confident you've mastered the material.

    • OPTIONAL: DuBois (2021) File PDF
      2.5 MB · Uploaded 08/30/26, 22:06
    • OPTIONAL: Martin (1991) File PDF
      393.5 KB · Uploaded 08/30/26, 22:06
    • Fuentes (2022) myths about sex File PDF
      782.7 KB · Uploaded 08/31/26, 20:44

  • WEEK 5

  • WEEK 6

    • Lab 5 Bipedalism File
      Students must
      Mark as done

      Make sure you print a copy of this worksheet and bring it with you to lab!

    • Check-up 5 Bipedalism & early hominins Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 4:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, October 19, 2026, 8:00 PM

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday after Fall Break. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed as a single attempt. However, there are unlimited attempts, so you can re-take it until you're confident you've mastered the material.

       

       

    • OPTIONAL: Write-up of the 2016 study of the Piltdown hoax URL

  • WEEK 7 (Fall Break, no classes)

  • WEEK 8

    MIDTERM REVIEW SESSIONS WITH THE TAs (Q&A style): Come as your schedule allows and bring your questions!
     
    Time & location: TBD

     

    • Lab 6 australopiths and early Homo File
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Lab 6 slides File PDF
      3.2 MB · Uploaded 08/30/26, 22:06
    • Check-up 6: Australopiths and early Homo Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 3:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, October 26, 2026, 7:00 PM

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed as a single attempt. However, there are unlimited attempts, so you can re-take it until you're confident you've mastered the material.

       

       

  • WEEK 9 (no labs this week, midterm on Tuesday)

  • WEEK 10

     
    • Lab 7 early and middle Pleistocene Homo File
    • Check-up 7: Early and middle Pleistocene Homo Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 4:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, November 9, 2026, 8:58 PM

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed as a single attempt. However, there are unlimited attempts, so you can re-take it until you're confident you've mastered the material.

       

       

    • OPTIONAL: Mungo Man Finally Goes Home URL

  • WEEK 11

    • Lab 8 middle and late Pleistocene Homo File
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Check-up 8: Late Pleistocene Homo Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 4:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, November 16, 2026, 8:00 PM

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed as a single attempt. 

       

       

  • WEEK 12

    • Making stone tools (VIDEO) Page
      Watch this video before doing the check-up.
    • Lab 09 Stone tools and symbolic behavior File
    • Check-up 9: Stone tools Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 4:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, November 23, 2026, 8:00 PM

       

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed as a single attempt. 

       

  • WEEK 13 (no labs, no class on Thursday for Thanksgiving)

    Media literacy assignment due by the end of day on Wednesday, November 25th
    • Media literacy assignment Quiz
      Opens: Sunday, November 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
      Closes: Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 11:59 PM

      Please read the attached guide for this activity (posted directly below on Moodle) before doing the activity!

      You will be asked to choose an article that came up on your social media feed, that someone sent to you, or that you personally came across. It can be things recommended to you or that your friends and other social connections recommended. It must be about science, broadly construed. You don’t have to either agree or disagree with the article. Complete the steps outlined in the attached guide.

      In this check-up, you will be asked to answer two questions on what you have found and learned through this exercise. Please complete this activity no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 25th.

  • WEEK 14


    • Check-up 10: Domestication Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 5:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, December 7, 2026, 8:00 PM

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed in one sitting. 

       

       

    • Lab 10 Food production and plant domestication File
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Interactive digital rendition of Tenochtitlan & modern day Mexico City URL

  • WEEK 15 (Archaeology Essay Due)

    FINAL EXAM REVIEW SESSIONS WITH THE TAs (Q&A style): Come as your schedule allows and bring your questions!
     
    Time & location: TBD
     
    • Lab 11 Ceramic analysis, form, function, and style File
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Check-up 11: Ceramics Quiz
      Opens: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 4:00 PM
      Closes: Monday, December 14, 2026, 8:00 PM

       

      Students may refer to their class materials etc. while taking this quiz, but should complete the quiz working on their own (i.e., not sitting down together with classmates to do the quiz). This quiz is available from 4:00 pm Wednesday to 8:00 pm Monday. There is no time limit for completing the quiz once it is started, but it must be completed in one sitting. 

       

       

    • Map of Indigenous Mound Sites in Eastern US URL

      Crowdsourced by Dr. Megan Kassabaum (Anthropology, UPenn)

    • OPTIONAL "We're still here: Preserving the Cherokee Heritage Site Kituwah" video URL

      In 1996 the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians purchased Kituwah, the site of an ancient earthwork and—in Cherokee oral history—the Cherokee people's mother town. In this video, citizens and leaders of the Eastern Band describe the special meanings Kituwah has for them and the importance of helping to preserve it. The video was produced in 2004 by the National Museum of the American Indian and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation for "We're Still Here," a tribally curated section of the museum's opening exhibition "Our Peoples: Giving Voice to Our Histories."

    • Week 15 Thursday reading URL

      No comments option today. Instead, explore this clickable webpage.

    • Our World In Data technological change article & chart URL

  • WEEK 16 (Self-scheduled final; no class)

    • BMC self-scheduled exam explainer URL

      A helpful guide to self-scheduled exams from the BMC Registrar's Office. Make sure to scroll past the links for scheduled/self-scheduled exams, down to Final Exam Explainer, and use the + to learn more about self-scheduled exams. The link for Self-Scheduled Exams will take you to a list of spaces and time blocks designated for such finals.