Syllabus - Anthropology 261L

Computer Lab in Human Evolutionary Ecology

Johnson Center Computer Pod, Room 1114 Spring Semester 1999 Thursdays 2:00-3:50 PM

Instructor:	Sharon T. Pochron
Office:	Johnson 1114
Office hours:	By appointment
e-mail:	spochron@unm.edu
www:	http://www.unm.edu/~spochron/

Lab Goals:

This laboratory in Evolutionary Anthropology aims to achieve three primary goals:

Develop some of the basic skills required to understand and perform research in Evolutionary Anthropology. These skills include computer simulation, mathematical modeling, and elementary statistics.
Develop familiarity with computers and skill in data manipulation, data management, and quantitative data analysis.
Develop an understanding of the processes underlying research design, data acquisition, and data analysis.

Grading:

Grades are based upon attendance and assignments. Attendance includes preparation and participation. Each student is permitted ONE unexcused absence. Each additional unexcused absence results in a reduction of one letter grade from the final class grade. Assignments include work given out occasionally during the course and a final project. Most assignments, including the final project, can be completed during class time. Little or no homework is required. Fifty percent of your final grade comes from your homework. The other fifty percent comes from your final project.

Final Project:

The paper is due by 4:00pm on Thursday, May 13. I will be in the classroom from 2:00 until 4:00. You can ask last minute questions and hand it in to me then. Unless you are on your deathbed and both your priest (or your mother) and your doctor can vouch for you, I will not give you an incomplete or extension for this class. Each group needs to hand in one paper. I do not want a paper from each student in the class. Click here for your instructions for your final paper in this class.

Texts:

There are two recommended texts for this class:
1) "Scientific Papers and Presentations" by Martha Davis, 1996. It should cost $19.95.
2) "The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition" 1993. It should cost $40.00.
Neither of these are required, but if any of you plan to continue a career in any of the sciences, these books will help you write properly.

Send me your questions or comments by clicking on my e-mail address spochron@unm.edu

Course Outline

Date	Topics	Assignments/Exercises
Week 1
1/21	Introductions: the scientific method, Macintosh, Excel.	A1. Developing Familiarity with Excel.
Week 2
1/28	What is a model? The human life-course, life-tables, trade-offs.	A2a. The Life Table. A2b. Graphing in MS Excel.
Week 3
2/4	Population-level consequences of alternate life-histories.	A3. Alternate life-histories.
Week 4
2/11	Scientific method, dependent & independent variables, populations & samples.	A4. Questions & Answers.
Week 5
2/18	Variable types, latent & manifest variables, survey question construction.	none
Week 6
2/25	Survey question construction.	none
Week 7
3/4	Survey methods.	A5. Survey fieldwork.
Week 8
3/11	Survey methods, sampling and inference , bias.	A5. Survey fieldwork. A6. Sampling & Inference.
Week 9
3/8	SPRING BREAK	SPRING BREAK
Week 10
3/25	Data entry, variable coding.	none
Week 11
4/1	Data entry, data cleaning.	none
Week 12
4/8	Data cleaning, intro to JMP	A7. JMP tutorial.
Week 13
4/8	Data characterization, exporting/importing data.	none
Week 14
4/22	Data analysis.	A8. Example analysis.
Week 15
4/29	FINAL PROJECT	A9. FINAL PROJECT
Week 16
5/6	FINAL PROJECT	A9. FINAL PROJECT
Week 17
5/13	FINAL PROJECT due at 4:00pm	A9. FINAL PROJECT