The aim of anthropology is to use a broad approach to gain an understanding of the past, present, and future, as well as address the problems humans face in biological, social, and cultural life. This course will explore the evolution, similarity and diversity of mankind through time. It will look at how we have evolved from a biologically and culturally weak species to one that has the ability to cause catastrophic change or amazing innovation. Exciting online video journeys to different areas of the world will also be presented in this course.
Prerequisites:None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Explain what culture is and how and why anthropologists, like scientists, study it.
- Identify and analyze the role of language and language acquisition in culture.
- Describe the various early primates and the theory of evolution.
- Compare and contrast the way humans vary.
- Evaluate subsistence culture and the social purposes food serves.
- Interpret a variety of archaeological artifacts and their significance on societies.
- Describe the importance of kinship and how it varies among societies.
- Delineate among religious myths, practices, and moral codes.
Course Outline:
Unit 1: Studying Humans – What Anthropologists Do
Unit 2: Human Evolution – How We Got Here
Unit 3: Looking at Culture in Context
Unit 4: Culture and Language: Why Humans are Special
Unit 5: Environment and Culture
Midterm
Unit 6: Material Culture – How Humans Are Handy
Unit 7: Religion – What We Believe
Unit 8: Family Ties and Social Bonds – What Keeps Us Together
Unit 9: Information and Enculturation
Unit 10: Anthropology in Current Cultures
Final Exam
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None.
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: This course is designed as an exploratory learning opportunity and may not meet a school’s requirements for credit or grade. Please check with school administration prior to enrollment if a student intends to take the course for credit or grade to insure that the school will award such upon successful completion.