The Essentials

• This is a hybrid course, meaning that  it's a blend of face-to-face classroom time and online learning (eLearning). 

• This class meets face-to-face on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 10:30 – 11:20 am.

• Our class meets in room 225 of sn-w'ey'-mn (Building 24). 

• When we are not meeting face-to-face, you will interact with the course online through Canvas, which is the web-based learning management system that you will use to access the class (see "How to Get into the Course" below). 

• The course begins on Wednesday, September 18th, 2024 and ends on Wednesday, December 11th, 2024.

• This course is organized into thirteen weekly modules, which will always open on Canvas by Monday morning. 

How to Be Successful in This Course

• Maintain an open line of communication with me. If you are struggling, unable to participate in class, or need to take a health/mental health day, let me know so that I can support you, work with you to ensure that you can still succeed in the course, and guide you to any resources that could help. 

• The Weekly Schedule page of this syllabus is where you will find details about the weekly schedule and assignment due dates. It is likely that this schedule will change slightly in order to accommodate the evolving needs of the class (e.g., when I need to push back the due date for an assignment because we fell behind the schedule or because students need more time to complete it). While I encourage you to use the Weekly Schedule page as a reference, the most up-to-date schedule for this class can be found under the Modules page on Canvas. Modules is where all of your course materials will be made available and where the current, up-to-date schedule and assignment due dates can be found. 

• Modules are organized by weeks (Week 1 through Week 13) on Canvas. Weekly modules are sectioned into days of the week. On face-to-face meeting days, there will be an activities page on Canvas that describes the tasks, activities, and reminders for that day. On online days, you will have suggested activities that involve reading or reviewing materials that will be covered in class the next day or working on an online assignment. Activities are only suggested on online days because online work is asynchronous and self-directed, so you can work on readings and assignments at any time. Check weekly modules regularly to ensure that you know what's happening in the class from day-to-day. 

• If you have a smart phone, download the Canvas Student app and customize your notification settings so that you receive notifications for important course information, including messages, announcements, due dates, and grade comments.  See How do I manage my Canvas notification settings as a student? for notification tips on the Canvas app. If you don't have the app, I suggest that you check the Canvas website daily to ensure that you're staying up-to-date with the course. 

• Many students rely on the Canvas calendar and to-do list to stay informed on upcoming assignments and due dates. These are very useful features and I encourage you to use them, but you shouldn't rely exclusively on these features to stay on top of upcoming assignments, important dates, activities, and to-do items, because important information may not always appear on your calendar or to-do list. it is important that you also check the "Weekly Schedule" page of this syllabus and the weekly modules on Canvas to ensure that you're not missing anything. 

• My goal is to provide you with many opportunities for authentic learning and engagement. I will encourage you to actively engage in the process of learning rather than just focus on the final product. I will support you along your journey of personal and intellectual growth and will encourage you to think deeply about how the material from this class relates to your own life and the human condition. I'm not concerned with you meeting a standard of perfection that I have arbitrarily set for you. Everyone comes to the class with a different background and a unique set of knowledge and skills, which is why I will evaluate you on your individual growth throughout the class. I encourage you to take intellectual risks and to practice a growth mindset as part of this process. Mistakes will happen and are opportunities for meaningful development and growth. 

• Your assessments will focus on "big picture thinking"—thinking deeply about major takeaway messages and key concepts, ideas, theories, and principles—and are designed to encourage you to connect the material to your own observations and experiences while considering the relevance of the material to your own life. I don't focus on the minutia (small, trivial information) and I don't assign "gotcha questions" that are designed to trick or confuse you. Keep this in mind when you are completing assessments. 

• I'll give you more tips on the first day of class! 

In addition to the Learning Pact above, which communicates how we will be partners in learning, there are also Community Agreements for this class, which are a set of expectations for discussion and behavior that help to cultivate a sense of collaboration, belonging, and shared ownership over your learning. I aim to create accessible and inclusive learning spaces for everyone in our community and ask for your help in maintaining a classroom environment that is welcoming and encourages open, respectful, and engaging dialogue. In order to build a foundation of inclusion, trust, and mutual understanding in our class, everyone (including myself) is asked to adhere to the following: 

1. Treat everyone with dignity and respect.

2. Cultivate a culture of inclusivity and belonging. 

3. Stay engaged.  

4. Personal stories shared with the class stay in the classroom; knowledge leaves. 

5. Keep an open mind and embrace learning about—and being challenged by—ideas and ways of knowing that might be different than your own. 

Biological anthropology exposes you to the scientific understanding of human origins and human relationships with the natural world. It emphasizes topics including evolution and the biological relationship of humans to other primates, which may or may not align with your religious, ideological, or philosophical belief systems. I respect all religions and faith-based origin stories and will never ask you to change your beliefs for this class. This class focuses on what science tells us about how humans came to be and why we are the way that we are. You do not need to believe in evolution in order to understand evolution as a scientific way of knowing, and only the latter will be expected of you. 

As an member of the SFCC community, I am are honored to acknowledge that the Community Colleges of Spokane, and our main campuses for Spokane Falls and Spokane Community College, are located on the traditional and sacred homelands of the Spokane Tribe. We also provide services in a region that includes the traditional and sacred homelands of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Kalispel Tribe and Nez Perce Tribe.

We pay our respect to tribal elders both past and present as well as to all indigenous people today. This land holds their cultural DNA and we are honored and grateful to be here on their traditional lands. We give thanks to the legacy of the original people and their descendants and pledge to honor their stewardship and values.

To learn more about what a land acknowledgement is, the Community Colleges of Spokane's position on land acknowledgements, and resources for learning more about the traditional and sacred homelands on which the Community Colleges of Spokane's facilities and service areas are located, please visit SFCC's Land Acknowledgement page. Please visit Native Land Digital for an interactive map that you can use to explore the lands you inhabit, including territories, languages, and treaties.