ANSC 430: Bioarchaeology (WI)
Prerequisites: ANSC 201 and ANSC 302 or permission of instructor
Credit Hours: (3)
This course is an introduction to the discipline of Bioarchaeology, the application
of biological anthropology techniques to questions of an archaeological nature. Classes
will be a combination of lecture, laboratory, seminar discussion, and student presentations.
Note(s): Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning designated course.
Detailed Description of Course
Method and theory in Bioarchaeology
Reconstructing demography in ancient populations:
Age, sex, stature
Effects of stress on the skeleton:
Anemia, malnutrition and disease
Infectious disease
Reconstructing diet from the dentition
Dental caries, calculus, abscesses, dental wear
Using bone chemistry to reconstruct diet and migration patterns in the past
Nitrogen, carbon, strontium, etc.
Examination of trauma on skeletons
Reconstruction of genetic relationships in past populations
Ethics in Bioarchaeology
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The course material is presented in the form of lectures to initially introduce the
information, laboratory exercises to give the students the practical knowledge of
the given method and finally critical review and discussion of original research articles.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
This course is designated as R (Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning) Area for the
REAL Curriculum and fulfills the learning goal: To apply scientific and quantitative
reasoning to questions about the natural world, mathematics, or related areas. Students
will fulfill the learning outcomes in this area: apply scientific and quantitative
information to test problems and draw conclusions and evaluate the quality of data,
methods, or inferences used to generate scientific and quantitative knowledge.
This course may be applied to the REAL Studies Minor in Scientific/Quantitative Reasoning.
Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to discuss and
employ many of the fundamental skeletal biology methods and techniques that are used
in biological anthropology. The student will be able to read and evaluate the primary
literature on these topics and understand how these methods have been employed in
previous investigations. This course will enable the student to competently use these
methods in their own research both during their formal education at Radford, but also
upon graduation and entering the workforce or graduate school.
Assessment Measures
Students will be assessed using several strategies:
鈥� In-class exams will assess students' mastery of lecture and reading materials.
鈥� Each student will prepare at least one research paper on a topic chosen and developed
in consultation with the instructor.
鈥� Because class meetings will include laboratory demonstrations and seminar style
discussion, attendance and participation are mandatory (with reasonable exceptions)
and will be included in student assessment.
鈥� Weekly participation in seminar discussions may include preparing short writing
assignments summarizing and/or critiquing the reading materials, in-class presentations
on selected topics, and leading class discussions on specific topics. These weekly
discussion and writing assignments are designed to help students develop the skills
necessary to read, evaluate, and summarize the professional literature.
鈥� Assessment may also include short weekly quizzes and demonstrations of laboratory
applications when appropriate.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
December, 2009
August, 2021