Physical Anthropology

Physical Anthropology (PHAN) was a CTY science course that focuses on the process of evolution and other studies in the related field. This course was only offered at Clinton.

Course Description

From the CTY Course Catalog (1999):

Physical anthropologists study human beings within the context of our place in the natural world. By combining the study of living primates (e.g., humans, monkeys, apes, and prosimians) with evidence from the fossil record, physical anthropology explores just what kind of animal we are and how we came to be this way. This course covers material ordinarily included in a one- semester college course. Topics to be discussed include evolutionary theory, molecular biology, human variation, forensic anthropology, as well as primate anatomy, behavior, and biomechanics. During the course, students explore important issues in our understanding of the evolution of humans and other primates.

During some laboratory sessions, students become familiar with early human ancestors through hands-on interaction with reproductions of actual fossil material. The course also includes a field trip to the Burnet Park Zoo (Syracuse, NY) so that students can make first-hand observations of living non-human primates. The underlying assumption of the course is that by understanding the processes and factors that shaped human life in the past, students can better understand the present world and glean insights about the future course of human existence on this planet.