Biological Anthropology Minor
Biological Anthropology Minor - Overview
Offered By: |
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences |
Areas of Interest: |
Biological anthropology is the branch of anthropology that focuses on the evolutionary and biological aspects of humankind: Homo sapiens as an evolved species - human populations as varied and dynamically changing sets of biological individuals, adaptable but also vulnerable to ever-changing circumstances. It is also concerned with the non-human primates, and with current debates on the biological bases of human social behaviour. The subject thus encompasses what used to be called physical anthropology, as well as primatology, palaeoanthropology and human population biology, including human genetics and the study of human health, nutrition, growth, demography and ecological adaptation, viewed comparatively and synthetically.
Learning Outcomes
Students who complete this minor will have the skills and knowledge to:
- define the scope of biological anthropology as a discipline and situate it in a wider anthropological context
- apply the discipline’s theoretical approaches and research methodologies in the investigation of primate evolutionary and population biology
- critically discuss contemporary and historical research in at least two of the following subfields: fossil evidence for human evolution; evolutionary primatology; behavioural primatology; human skeletal morphology; bioarchaeology; anthropological genetics; human population health, nutrition and environmental adaptability; human population dynamics
- recognise and reflect on local and international perspectives on research in biological anthropology
Requirements
This minor requires the completion of 24 units, which must include:
A minimum of 12 units from the completion of core courses from the following list:
BIAN2013 – Human Evolution (6 units)
BIAN2115 – ‘Race’ & Human Genetic Variation (6 units)
BIAN2119 – Nutrition, Disease & the Human Environment (6 units)
BIAN2120 – Culture, Biology and Population Dynamics (6 units)
BIAN2124 – Human Society as Animal Society: Sex, Conflict, Co-operation & Human Uniqueness (6 units)
BIAN2125 – Ancient Health & Disease (6 units)
BIAN2126 – Primate Evolutionary Biology (6 units)
BIAN2127 – Primate Ecology & Behaviour (6 units)
BIAN2128 – Forensic Anthropology & Archaeology (6 units)
BIAN2129 – Supervised Research in Biological Anthropology (6 units)
BIAN2130 – Ancient Medicine (6 units)
BIAN3010 – Scientific Dating and Isotope Analysis for Archaeology & Palaeoanthropology (6 units)
BIAN3012 – Topics in Primatology (3 units)
BIAN3013 – Topics in Human Evolution (3 units)
BIAN3014 – Research Design & Analysis in Biological Anthropology (6 units)
BIAN3015 – Human Skeletal Analysis (6 units)
BIAN3016 – Analysis of Mammalian Remains (3 units)
BIAN3017 – Research Design in Biological Anthropology (3 units)
BIAN3115 – Regional Topics in Human Genetic Variation (3 units)
BIAN3119 – Regional Topics in Nutrition, Disease & the Human Environment (3 units)
BIAN3120 – Regional and Thematic Topics in Demographic Anthropology (3 units)
BIOL2191 – Ecology of Health & Disease (6 units)
BIOL3204 - Human Genetics
The information published on the Study at ANU 2011 website applies to the 2011 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2010 website.
