http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/eutheria/primates.html
Dr. Christina Turner, cturner@vcu.edu, http://www.people.vcu.edu/~cturner/
Busn 5136, Monday, 4-6:40
Text: Dean Falk, Private Diversity. NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
Optional Text: Ronald Nowak, Walker's Primates of the World, Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
PRIMATOLOGY is the study of the biology, behavior, social life, and evolution of prosimians, monkeys, and apes, that is, non-human primates. Some of humankind's most important adaptive traits, such as hunting and tool making, are foreshadowed in other primates, especially the apes. If we are interested in what hominid (human) behavior might have been like before culture became a significant factor, and if we wish to know what behaviors may have led hominids to become dependent on culture, we may find clues in the behavior of our closest relatives, the non-human primates.
Introduction to Primatology investigates the taxonomic relationships among primates through comparative anatomy, comparative behavior, and comparative biochemistry. We will be looking at primate evolution, demography, subsistence, reproduction, social organization, communication systems, and ecology.
The course requires reading, research, oral presentation, and student participation in developing interdisciplinary course materials (drawing from anthropology, biology, genetics, ecology, anatomy and so on). Students are required to design, research, and present their own course with the structure and skills to do so supplied by me. You will write essay questions over the material for which you are responsible, including the answer and how the points should be allocated. You will post your class notes, lecture materials (powerpoints, etc.), and essay questions to Blackboard so that all members of the class will be able to access them. I will cover the introduction and final lectures.
Schedule:
| Date | Assignments-You are expected to have the readings done by the date they are to be discussed in class. |
| 8/28 | Introduction and orientation- Turner |
| 9/11 | Introduction Section One- The Basics of Primate Evolution- Turner Section Two- Methods and Theory for Studying Living Primates-Turner |
| 9/18 | Section Three-Galagos, Lorises, and Tarsiers- |
| 9/25 | Section Four- Lemurs |
| 10/2 | Section Five- Monkeys of the New World: The Callitrichines- |
| 10/9 | Section Six- Other Neotropical Monkeys: Cebidae and Atelidae- |
| 10/16 | Section Seven- Old World Monkeys: The Leaf-Eating Colobines |
| 10/23 | Section Eight- Old World Cheek-Pouched Monkeys: The Shift to Terrestriality- |
| 10/30 | Section Nine- Macaques and Savanna Baboons: Sexual Politics and Human Evolution- |
| 11/6 | Section Ten- Gibbons: The Lesser Apes- |
| 11/13 | Section 11- Orangutans: The Shy Ape- |
| 11/20 | Section 12- Gorillas: The Largest Primates of All- |
| 11/27 | Section 13- Our Cousins: The Chimpanzees- |
| 12/4 | Section 14- The Earliest Hominids- |
| 12/11 | Final Exam date - cumulative essay exam |
| Note: Syllabus subject to change. You are responsible for keeping current. | |
BLACKBOARD ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS: You will be expected to know how to do this on your own and to check to make sure that your email address is correct so that I can contact you with class information and updates and so you can post information for your colleagues.
1. There are several avenues to finding what you need for class. - go to my personal web page: http://www.people.vcu.edu/~cturner , then click on whichever syllabus you need. Click on My Blackboard or enter the url directly: http://blackboard.vcu.edu, or from the VCU home page.
2. You will need a user ID and a password to logon to Blackboard. Your user ID is the first part of your VCU email address (before the @ symbol). Your password is your is the same as your VCU email password. If you do not know your VCU email password, call the University Computer Services (UCS) help desk (828-2227) for help. Make sure you monitor your VCU account as we will be communicating with each other through this medium.
The number of students in the class may determine how we organize our work- in groups or individually. Each group (or individual) is responsible for several class segments. You may divide the three chapters' material among yourselves in any manner you wish and present it in whatever manner you wish. Even though students will be working in groups, each student will prepare and submit for evaluation a research portfolio of his or her work including bibliographic data on the works consulted for his or her presentation. Each group will submit essay questions from its section to be used for the exams. Make sure you have a copy prepared to post on Blackboard, including the essay exams and answers and how to evaluate the number of points. I will prepare essay questions for my sections.
Each student will be evaluated on the basis of his or her participation, the quality of the research, the preparation of the presentation and the written exams. Participation includes attendance for the presentations of all of your peers. If you miss any of the presentations, your final grade will be docked one point for every absence after the first one. The majority of your grade will be judged on the basis of your research presentations. The preparation includes research, class notes, and exam questions as well as the actual presentation. I will communicate with individual students if I feel that his or her work is seriously lacking. Group members should feel free to report to me if a member of the group is slacking. The other segment of your grade will come from the final exam. Obviously you will have an edge on your own exam questions, unless I decide to change them. It behooves you to write good questions so that I use your's on the exam.
You should feel free to be creative with your course work. Let me know in advance if you need any special equipment that is not available in the classroom.
I expect that the course will be a great deal of fun for all involved and that all of you will excel. You will be using your own special expertise and personal interests to help craft this course and make it collectively your own. You may want to visit my web page for ideas, but this is not required.
Primates
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/eutheria/primates.html
http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/cyberchimp/chimp.html
http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/cyberchimp/DRJANE.html
http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/primates.html
http://phylogeny.arizona.edu/tree/phylogeny.html
VCU Honor System: "Virginia Commonwealth University recognizes that honesty, truth, and integrity are values central to its mission as an institution of higher education" (VCU Resource Guide, 1995-96, pg. 51). I also recognize this and will provide an environment that is conducive to academic integrity. Please make sure you note the sections on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty; you will be held to them.
Religious Observances: "It is the policy of VCU to accord students, on an individual basis, the opportunity to observe their traditional religious holidays" (VCU Undergraduate Bulletin, 1994-1996 pg. 52). If you need to be excused for religious reasons, please inform me in a timely manner.
How to find me: after class or office hours on Thurs. at 10
School of World Studies, 312 N. Shafer St., 827-7869 (please do not ask me to return your call, email is better-cturner@vcu.edu) - I am happy to make an appointment for any time I am available.