BIO A 450: Biodemography. Autumn 2024

Instructor: Darryl J. Holman

Email: djholman@uw.edu
Voice: 206-543-7586

Office: Department of Anthropology, Denny M237

Course Information, Autumn 2024

Scope

Biodemography is the application of biological and evolutionary theory to an understanding of human population processes like aging, mortality, fertility, maturation and growth. This course is an introduction to the methods, theory, literature and applications of biodemography. The course draws from ideas in demography, anthropology, evolutionary biology, population biology, and reproductive ecology.

What will this course do for you? (1) Provide a solid foundation for understanding the evolution of human patterns of senescence, mortality and fertility. (2) Introduce new tools, concepts, and ways of thinking about quantitative problems in biological anthropology, demography, and evolutionary biology. (3) Provide sufficient historical, intellectual, and mathematical backgrounds to help you evaluate contemporary research in biodemography.

Classes

MWF: 2:30pm-3:20pm Savery (SAV) 121

Office Hours

I will be available after class most days. I will hold Zoom office hours Tuesdays 6:00pm-6:50pm. Contact me to set up an appointment outside these times.

Textbook and Readings

There is no textbook for this course. There are many readings, however. Please complete readings prior to the corresponding lecture. Readings in italics are optional.

Grading

There will be 4 problem sets (18% each) that will, in aggregate, make up 72% of your final grade. A final team project will make up 28% of your grade.

Problem sets

Problem sets will be assigned every two weeks (or so). Each problem set is worth 18% of your final grade. The problems will be based on lecture material and paper readings. Problem sets will be made up of both analytical problems and short written answers. I encourage you to work in groups on the problem sets. If so, use the opportunity to ensure you completely understand the problems. You may use any references (other books, readings, web pages) to work on the problems. Typically, problem sets will be oriented toward solving numerical problems and interpreting results.

In part, the problem sets test your ability to do the work under time constraints. Therefore, the grade of a late problem set will depreciate by 10% per day, including any fraction of a day late. For example, if you would have gotten a 95% on the problem set, it would depreciate to 95x0.9=85.5% for being one day late, 95x0.9²=77% for 2 days late, 95x0.9³=69% for day 3 and so on.

Exams

A final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, 10 December, from 2:30pm to 4:20pm. But it will not really be a final exam. Rather we will have a presentation session in which groups share their projects and give a "lightening talk." Attendance and participation is required. This will be done over Zoom rather than in the classroom.

Projects

Teams of 2 or 3 students will develop a project and make a brief presentation during the final exam period. More information about the projects and the format will be given out mid-term.

There are three types of projects possible that make use of the concepts from this course: (1) Review of a subject, (2) Original data analysis, (3) A research proposal.

A review project should (a) summarize the recent biodemographic literature on a topic, (b) provide a brief synthesis of the material, (c) provide visual material (tables and graphs) to help the reader understand the topic. Original data analysis projects will test some biodemographic hypothesis using data. These projects will provide the traditional (a) introduction, (b) subjects, materials and methods, (c) results, and (d) discussion. Finally, a research proposal will describe (a) the motivations for a project, (b) review the literature, (c) describe the data and analytical methods that will be used for the research.

Course Policies

Academic misconduct

The University's policy on plagiarism and academic misconduct is a part of the Student Conduct Code, which cites the definition of academic misconduct in the WAC 478-121. According to this section of the WAC, academic misconduct includes: "Cheating"-such as "unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes", "Falsification" "which is the intentional use or submission of falsified data, records, or other information including, but not limited to, records of internship or practicum experiences or attendance at any required event(s), or scholarly research"; and "Plagiarism" which includes "[t]he use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment."

The UW Libraries have a useful guide for students here.

Accommodation

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. The website for the DRO provides other resources for students and faculty for making accommodations.

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW's policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Inclusion

Among the core values of the university are inclusivity and diversity, regardless of race, gender, income, ability, beliefs, and other ways that people distinguish themselves and others. If any assignments and activities are not accessible to you, please contact me so we can make arrangements to include you by making an alternative assignment available.

Learning often involves the exchange of ideas. To include everyone in the learning process, we expect you will demonstrate respect, politeness, reasonableness, and willingness to listen to others at all times-even when passions run high. Behaviors must support learning, understanding, and scholarship.

Preventing violence is a shared responsibility in which everyone at the UW plays apart. If you experience harassment during your studies, please report it to the SafeCampus website (anonymous reports are possible). SafeCampus provides information on counseling and safety resources, University policies, and violence reporting requirements help us maintain a safe personal, work and learning environment.

Safety

If you are ill, please do not come to class (or the campus, for that matter). For more information about covid-19 safety, see https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/.

Topics and Schedule