Fall 2008 Course Suggestions

The following courses are being offered at Penn during the Spring 2008 semester. If you enjoyed Your Inner Fish and are interested in related topics, these courses are sure to be of interest.

Be sure to consult Penn InTouch, department web sites, and the Course Register and Timetable for the most up-to-date course registration information.

• Critical Writing Seminars
• Freshman Seminars
• Benjamin Franklin Seminars
• Non-Seminar Courses

CRITICAL WRITING SEMINARS

AFRICAN ARCHEOLOGY
WRIT 013 305 | MWF 10-11 | SCHURMANS
WRIT 013 306 | MWF 11-12 | SCHURMANS
Fulfills the Writing Requirement
The African continent was once considered a backwater of human history and prehistory, but the extraordinary mid-20th century discoveries of archeologists like the Leakeys altered this view dramatically. Students in this critical writing seminar will discover that prehistoric Africa was not only the birthplace of anatomically-modern humans, but also home to the earliest human cultures. Drawing on a diverse set of readings and the extensive archeological collections from the University Museum, we will explore the origins of the first toolmakers, the evidence for early modern human behavior, the emergence of the first Saharan cattle herders, and the development of a complex society in the Ethiopian highlands. Through collaborative peer review, a focus on rhetorical strategies, and extensive essay revision, students will be provided ample opportunity to improve their writing skills while exploring the richness of the African archaeological record.

ANTHROPOLOGY: PREHISTORIC HUMAN MIGRATIONS
WRIT 013 307 | MW 3:30-5 | SCHURMANS
Fulfills the Writing Requirement
In this writing seminar, we will examine the human journey, from its beginnings in sub-Saharan Africa to its population of every corner of the globe, from mountains to deserts, tropical rain forests to arctic steppes. Students will hone their writing skills in regular essays, short exploratory assignments, blog posts, and frequent revision. Our readings will draw from several fields, including archeology, physical anthropology, genetic studies, and linguistics. Throughout we will focus on four primary topics: the Out-of-Africa theory of recent modern human origins, the arrival of the first Americans, the peopling of Oceania, and the spread of the first agricultural societies in Europe. Peer review and a focus on rhetorical strategies will help develop your ability to communicate effectively in writing for a range of audiences.

CULTURAL STUDIES AND CRITICISM: STYLES OF ATHEISM
WRIT 030 301 | TR 4:30-6 | LINKER
Fulfills the Writing Requirement
In recent years, a series of best-selling books by such outspoken authors as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have taken aim at religious faith. In this course, we will place the militant unbelief of these so-called “new atheists” in historical perspective, comparing and contrasting it to the skepticism of such thinkers, writers, and artists as Socrates, Lucretius, Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Eugene O’Neill, Albert Camus, Primo Levi, and Sidney Hook. In our reading, writing, and discussion, we will raise and reflect on such questions as: How have different atheists understood the sources of morality and meaning in human life? Is the absence of God a cause for celebration or despair? Are some styles of atheism more or less compatible with liberal-democratic government? Which atheists from the past most closely resemble today’s combative unbelievers? Students will also keep a journal in which they ponder their own religious beliefs (or lack of beliefs) in light of the themes of the course.

THE GENE FACTOR
WRIT 039 331 | MW 5-6:30 | CAPLIN
Fulfills the Writing Requirement
This writing seminar will focus on the human genome, looking at how the stuff of science fiction has become reality. We'll read profiles of some of the men and women who broke new horizons of scientific discovery. We'll examine reporting that exposes some of the issues and debates surrounding genes, such as cloning, bioengineered food, DNA testing, gene therapy, transgenic animals, humankind’s genetic journey, and the ethics of genetic manipulation. Students in this seminar will have an opportunity to join the conversation in position papers, editorials, and news stories of their own.

FRESHMAN SEMINARS

SUPERMAN! A HISTORY OF EUGENICS IN AMERICAN CULTURE, 1900-PRESENT
STSC 052.301 | M 2-5 | COGDELL
Fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the U.S. Requirement.
Did you know that “To Breed a Race of Thoroughbreds” was an early motto of Planned Parenthood, an organization formed to promote birth control explicitly for the poor? Did you know that up until 1983 it was still legal to subject people in state mental institutions to involuntary reproductive sterilization, and that over 60,000 individuals in the U.S. have undergone this process? “Eugenics” means to be “well-born,” and prior to the existence of genetics as we know it today, the eugenics movement aimed to “improve” the nation’s population by limiting the reproduction of the “unfit” and encouraging that of the “fit.” Its ideals infiltrated popular culture, literature, comics, and the arts and formed the rationale for many state and federal laws. Yet, who decides who is “fit” or “unfit”? What are the traits of a Superman or a Wonder Woman? Are eugenic ideals a thing of the past, or does today’s genetic engineering offer us the possibility of creating “designer children”? This course examines the history of attempts to direct the course of human evolution toward genetic “improvement” as manifested in American science, politics, and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries.

THE GENOME PROJECT AND HUMAN HISTORY 
BIOL 012.301 | M 2-5 | GASSER      
This course will explore the implications of the completion of the Human Genome Project with reference to what it tells us about human history. A major focus of the course will be an examination of what can be learned from mitochondrial DNA, as described by Bryan Sykes in The Seven Daughters of Eve. The course will begin with a presentation of the most relevant genetic principles, the techniques by which the human genome was sequenced, and a discussion of how these techniques have led to the identification of specific human genes. The transmission of mitochondrial DNA will be emphasized, as well as the behavior of genes in populations. We will also explore what the genetic evidence tells us about the domestication of various plants and animals. Subsequently, the sessions will consist of oral presentations by the students, with each student eventually presenting several reports on topics of interest. In addition to the Sykes book, additional reference books, journal articles, and online sources will be utilized. The overall goal of the course will be to discover what can be learned by integrating the study of genetics with the study of history. This course cannot be used for the Biology major.

STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY & GENOMICS     
CHEM 022.301 | TR 8-9 | LU
This is a two-semester seminar.
Structural biology is the scientific method of describing, predicting, and changing the properties of living organisms, including humans, based on complete genome chemical structures (sequence) and 3-dimensional structures of cellular components. It is a direct outgrowth of the intellectual and technical revolutions that occurred during the latter part of the 20th century. It is today’s approach to understanding biology and solving problems in medicine. We will discuss how macroscopic biological properties, such as reproduction, locomotion, and viral infection, are determined by the physics and chemistry of proteins and nucleic acids. Changes in biological function, in hereditary diseases like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia, result from minute changes in individual proteins. Much larger changes in genome and protein structure are often tolerated without consequence. Understanding and exploiting these phenomena at the molecular level is the basis of new technology in the agricultural, energy, and drug industries. The broad range of medical, social, and political problems associated with the advances will be considered. We will attempt to distinguish real progress from fads and fashion. The weekly reading assignment will be Science and the Tuesday New York Times. This is a two-semester seminar, fall 2008 and spring 2009, with 0.5 credit unit each semester.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SEMINARS

BEAST CULTURE: ANIMALS, IDENTITY, & WESTERN CULTURE
ENG 341.301 | TR 10:30-12 | YANG
Fulfills Sector 4: Literature of the long 18th-century (ca. 1640-1832) of the English Standard Major
Fulfills Sector 5: 19th Century Literature of the English Standard Major
Fulfills Pre-1900 Seminar Requirement of the English Standard Major
In this course, we will explore the European fascination with animals in early modern print culture. How do understandings of animal difference inform what it means to be human previous to the 21st century?  How did practices like pet-keeping, horse racing, hunting, and zoos become such a central part of our modern day culture?  Readings will include: philosophy of Descartes and Rousseau; classic novels like Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels; 18th century scientific texts on species and race classification; radical vegetarian manifestos; cases of “wild children” raised by wolves; and publicized cultural hoaxes such as Mary Toft, an English woman who claimed to give birth to rabbits. Assignments will include several short essays and one final research paper on an animal of your choosing.

NON-SEMINAR COURSES

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN EVOLUTION
ANTH 003-001 | MW 10:30-12 | MANGE
Registration required for lecture and recitation. See Course Timetable for recitation times.
An introduction to the conceptual framework and orientation of physical anthropology regarding problems of human variation, past and present.

BECOMING HUMAN
ANTH 122-601 | W 6-9 | OLSZEWSKI
Natural Sciences and Math Sector (new curriculum only)
Human evolutionary studies is a composite product of the fieldwork of both Paleolithic archaeology and human paleontology (or what we refer to as "stones and bones").  This marriage of two subdisciplines of anthropology produces a unique set of data that is intellectually managed and driven by theories within anthropology as a whole and even beyond -- to fields such as biology, psychology, and primate ethnology, as we try to understand the origins of language, culture, and our unique physical characteristics.  In this course, two archaeologists and one physical anthropologist will jointly discuss and debate the actual evidence of human evolution, describing what the actual evidence is and exploring how far we can take these interpretations.

ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD PROJECT
ANTH 219-601 | F 8am-5pm | SCHUYLER
ANTH 219-601 | S 8am-5pm | SCHUYLER
Humanities and Social Sciences Sector (new curriculum only)
First-hand participation in research project in historical archaeology in Southern New Jersey. Transportation provided by the University. Students will assist in excavations and archival research on local archaeological sites. Class is open to all undergraduates; no previous archaeological experience is required. Attendance will involve Fridays or Saturdays, all day from 8:00 to 5:00 including travel time to the excavations and back to the University Museum. Students enroll for only one day (F or S). Enrollment is limited so specific permission of the instructor is required (Robert L. Schuyler: schuyler@sas.upenn.edu; (215)898-6965; U Museum Room 412). Course may be repeated for credit and a follow-up laboratory course (Anth 220 in the spring semester) will also be available during which the artifacts and documentary sources collected in the fall will be analyzed at the University Museum. Course may be repeated for credit.

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY (CGS Online Course)
ANTH 230-601 | W 6-8 | MANGE
This course will investigate and discuss the various techniques of analysis that biological anthropologists can apply to forensic cases.  Topics include human osteology, the recovery of bodies, the analysis of life history, the reconstruction of causes of death, and various case studies where anthropologists have contributed significantly to solving forensic cases. Discussions will include the limitations of forensic anthropology and the application of DNA recovery to skeletal/mummified materials.

ANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION
ANTH 547-401 | T 4:30-6:30 | HALL
An introduction to the intent, approach, and contribution of anthropology to the study of socialization and schooling in cross-cultural perspective. Education is examined in traditional, colonial, and complex industrial societies.

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY: THE MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF LIFE
BIOL 121 | MWF 11-12 | LAMPSON/REA
Prerequisites: Solid high school biology and strong high school chemistry or CHEM 001 or 101 taken concurrently. Registraton required for lecture and lab. See Course Timetable for lab times.
An intensive introductory lecture and laboratory course covering the cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics of animals, bacteria, and viruses.  This course is comparable to Biology 101, but places greater emphasis on molecular mechanisms and experimental approaches.  Particular attention is given to the ways in which modern cell biological and molecular genetic methods contribute to our understanding of evolutionary processes, the mechanistic basis of human disease, and recent biotechnological innovations.

LITERARY REPRESENTATIONS OF NATURE & SOCIETY
ENG 275-301 | MW 5-6:30 | RIEBLING
Fulfills Sector 3: Early Literature to 1660 of the English Standard Major
Fulfills Pre-1700 or Pre-1900 Seminar Requirement of the English Standard Major
In order to construct successful environmental policies, understanding our culture's attitudes about the natural world is as important as mastering basic science. In fact it is fair to say that environmental policy is formed at the intersection of culture and science. This course will use literary works as windows into the way western culture has viewed nature and its relation to society. We will analyze a wide variety of texts, from ancient to modern, and although we will follow a kind of chronological order, we will not be tracing a cultural evolution in understanding the environment. Instead we will uncover ideas about the natural world that are at once diverse, contradictory, and persistent. Throughout the western tradition while some works make claims for mankind's mastery of nature, for rights of dominion and rational control, others paint a far less sanguine picture. Naturally, central to our study will be stories of creation and paradise, ideal visions viewed from the perspective of loss. However, not every author sees this loss in the same light. Finally, we will conclude the course by briefly examining two non-western texts, Native American and ancient Chinese, to provide additional perspective on our own cultural assumptions. As a research seminar, the course will require students to present reports and write a research paper.