Exploring Physical Anthropology: A Lab Manual and Workbook, 3e

Exploring Physical Anthropology is a comprehensive, full-color lab manual intended for an introductory laboratory course in physical anthropology. It can also serve as a supplementary workbook for a lecture class, particularly in the absence of a laboratory offering.

This laboratory manual enables a hands-on approach to learning about the evolutionary processes that resulted in humans through the use of numerous examples and exercises. It offers a solid grounding in the main areas of an introductory physical anthropology lab course: genetics, evolutionary forces, human osteology, forensic anthropology, comparative/functional skeletal anatomy, primate behavior, paleoanthropology, and modern human biological variation.

Features: BACKGROUND INFORMATION provides context for the material covered in the chapter and helps students apply what they learn; OBJECTIVES clearly state what students are expected to know by the end of the chapter; HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED represent the types of questions that nonspecialists typically ask about each topic (answers are provided during the course of the chapter); extensive use of FULL-COLOR ART and PHOTOGRAPHY provides students with excellent visual references as they work through the exercises (of particular benefit when access to a complete set of specimens is not available); CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING questions are provided for students to complete prior to beginning the lab exercises to help ensure they understand the lab material; the HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES are designed to illustrate the concepts presented in the readings (exercises allow students to experience physical anthropology through use of the same methods used by researchers, with an emphasis on the scientific method while, apart from skeletal and fossil specimens, few laboratory supplies are needed);
MATERIALS LISTS are provided to ensure students have what they need prior to beginning the lab; clearly-written, numbered PROCEDURES help students successfully complete each exercise; and
adequate space is provided in the DATA SHEETS for students to sketch and record their answers to questions.