Course Description
Human osteology is the study of our bones. Osteology is relevant to disciplines that depend on detailed knowledge of the human body, e.g., forensic anthropology and paleoanthropology. Students will learn to identify and describe bones and use a comparative approach to understand their function and evolution.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students explore in greater depth the evolutionary
roots of the human skeletal system through one or more of the
following: reading and discussing with the instructor sections
from the following books: • The Human Strategy: An Evolutionary
Perspective on Human Anatomy, by John Langdon • Human
Evolutionary Anatomy, by Leslie Aiello and Christopher Dean;
writing and presenting an in-depth research paper (10 pages)
focusing on a particular aspect of human osteology based on
study of natural specimens and the primary scientific
literature; guest-lecturing on their own ongoing research
interests.
Athena Title
Human Osteology
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in ANTH 4730 or ANTH 6730
Prerequisite
ANTH 1102 or ANTH 1102E or ANTH 2120H
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
In this class, students are expected to learn about each bone in the human body and how the skeletal system works as an integrated whole. Students learn how to identify, describe, and analyze osteological material using proper anatomical terminology and learn how to determine age and sex from osteological remains. Class discussions and presentations also focus on ethical issues and questions of bone biology and modification. Students are expected to gain a deep appreciation of how human osteology relates to other disciplines such as forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and paleoanthropology.
Topical Outline
1. Evolutionary perspective on human anatomy 2. Bone biology and anatomical terminology 3. The cranium: orientation, muscles, landmarks 4. The mandible 5. Dentition: morphology, function, and development 6. The vertebral column 7. Vertebrae: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar 8. Thorax: ribs and sternum 9. Shoulder girdle: clavicle, scapula 10. The arm: humerus 11. The arm: radius and ulna 12. The hand: carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges 13. The pelvis: main muscles and bipedalism 14. The pelvis: os coxae and sacrum 15. Femur 16. Tibia, fibula 17. The foot: tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges 18. Skeletal biology: age, sex, stature, and ancestry
Syllabus