ANTH 116A: Human OsteologyInstructor: Javier Urcid Prerequisites: None Course Description: Human Osteology reviews in detail human skeletal anatomy for the proper identification of the bones in the body, their biomechanical articulations, and their relationship with the muscular system. Focus is then directed to studying forensic methods and techniques for the estimation of age at the time of death, determination of sex, assessment of type of bone remodeling, identification of cultural modifications to bone, and of the impact of environmental processes on bony tissue. Hands-on laboratory sessions involve team analysis of human remains from the comparative collection in the Archaeology Laboratory at Brandeis. The course combines lectures, class discussions, trans-media materials, and a hands-on project where students-- organized in groups--use the human skeletal comparative collection to collect data and write a research paper that mimics a forensic report on a set of commingled and highly fragmented remains. For this project, students are challenged to determine the minimum number of individuals represented in the sample, the estimation of their age at the time of death, the determination of the chromosomal sex, the presence or absence of bone remodeling that may have been caused by disease or trauma, and presence or absence of cultural modifications to the remains. The lectures make use of PowerPoint presentations that deploy images, sparse text, and links to documentary clips, TED talks, and an online dictionary (to clarify the etymology of Greek and Roman anatomical terms). Session: Session II Day: T, W, Th Time: 1:50pm - 4:20pm Credit Hours: 4 Credits Course Format: On-Campus Course for Summer 2023 Brandeis Graduation Requirement Fulfilled: SN, SS Enrollment Limit: Course Classification: Undergraduate Level Course Course Tuition: $3,490 Course Fees: None Open to High School Students: No |
