Anthropology 212

Life of Primates

Course Description

PS Howler PS Mandrill PS B&W PS Vervet PS Woolly


We will pursue a question-oriented survey of the world's living primates. The objectives of the course are: (1) to acquire a broad knowledge of primate biology, i.e., anatomy, behavior, ecology, and cognition; (2) to foster appreciation of the fact that current human biology, including social behavior, cannot be understood without comparative reference to nonhuman primates; (3) to introduce many unanswered questions challenging primatologists and anthropologists.
This course is the prerequisite for upper division courses in primatology (e.g., Anthropology 348 (Primate Behavioral Ecology) ( and 350): you can be enrolled in 212 and these other courses concurrently in the same semester.

Instructor: Ryne A. Palombit

Prerequisites: None

Textbook:

Course Requirements:

Classroom etiquette
While students are in class, they are expected to give their full attention to the lecture. Reading, talking, eating, text-messaging, and leaving or packing up to leave before the professor has dismissed the class are inappropriate classroom behaviors, disruptive to other students, and will not be tolerated. If for some reason you know that you will need to leave lecture early, let me know before class begins, sit near a door, and leave quietly and unobtrusively. If you come to class late, be sure to enter quietly and take care not to disturb the class in progress. Also, please make sure that your watch alarms, pagers, and cell phones do not go off during class.

Extra Credit Assignment
Students will be allowed to do an extra credit assignment once during the semester. This assignment involves reading and briefly summarizing two scientific papers (of your choice) from primate journals (specified by the Instructor). Successful fulfillment of the extra credit assignment will allow you to raise the grade of either Exam 1 or Exam 2 by 5% (whichever is better). A handout with details about the Extra Credit Assignment will be distributed after the first exam.

Online Pre-Exam Q-A Sessions
I encourage you to ask questions in lecture, but up until an announced day and time before each exam, I will also answer questions about the material presented in lecture in the Discussion area of the Sakai website for the course.  Details will be announced in class.

Lecture Schedule

Although I will try to keep to this schedule, the dates on which particular topics will be covered in class are subject to change. The dates of the exams will not be changed.

Reading Assignments are listed below. I will assume you have read them before the lectures with which they appear. Note that I often provide a chapter or a range of page numbers for reading assignments. You should read those portions relevant to the particular topic indicated in the syllabus. Readings from other sources will be available online at the Sakai website for the course.

Outlines for each lecture will be posted at the Sakai website for the course approximate one lecture period before the date of the lecture.


Meeting


Topics


Reading Assignment

1

Introduction: Why Study Primates?

2

 Evolution & natural selection pp. 18-19, 43-44, 116-117

3

What is a primate? pp. 1-13, 27 (Neural Note 1), 39-40 (tree shrews)

Palombit, R.A.  2008.  Primates.  In: International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences vol. 6, (W.A. Darity, ed.) pp. 459-462.  Macmillan Reference, Detroit.  (in particular: first section, prior to “Dietary Habits”)

4

Introducing the Primates: Strepsirhini
 		Chapters 3 (pp. 63-79) & 4

5

Introducing the Primates: Haplorhini I:
Tarsiers & New World Monkeys		 Chapters 3 (pp 79-83), 5 & 6

6

Introducing the Primates: Haplorhini II:
Old World Monkeys & Apes
 pp. 257-264, pp. 277-289, pp. 299-310, pp. 319-326

7

David Attenborough's A Life in the Trees Handouts (online):
A Taxonomy of Living Primates
Film Guide to A Life in the Trees
8
Locomotion Design: Structure & Function
 Review relevant material from previous chapters

9

Primate Diets
 pp. 58-59, 123-124, 325 (Box 13)

Palombit, R.A.  2008.  Primates.  In: International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences.  (In particular, section “Dietary Habits”)
10
 Kin Selection in theory & in (primate) practice
 		pp. 43-44, 54-56.

Dawkins, R.D. 2001.  Kin selection and reciprocal altruism. In: Encyclopedia of Mammals, 2nd ed., (D.W. MacDonald, ed.) p. xxxi.  Oxford University Press, London.  (NOTE: today we will do kin selection; next meeting we will do reciprocal altruism)
11

TEST 1

 Covers material through "Primate Diets"

12

Reciprocity in theory & in (primate) practice Wilkinson, G.S. 1990. Food sharing in vampire bats. Scientific American, 76:76-82.

Wilkinson, G.S. 2001.  Blood bat donors.  In: Encyclopedia of Mammals, 2nd ed., (D.W. MacDonald, ed.) pp. 766-767.  Oxford University Press, London.

de Waal, F.B.M. 2005. How animals do business. American Scientist, 73-79.
13
Reproduction & Sexual Selection Theory
 pp. 43-44, 48, 50-54

Zuk, M.  2008.  Sexual selection theory.  In: International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (W.A. Darity, ed.) pp. 479-480.  Macmillan Reference, Detroit.
14
 Primate Societies I

The "Dispersed" Social System		 pp. 49-50 (primate social system), 285-289

Palombit, R.A.  2008.  Primates.  In: International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences.  In particular, section “Social Systems & Behavior”
15
 Primate Societies II

Multi-male, Multi-Female Groups

pp. 51-53, 236-7, 246-255

Smuts, B.B.. 2001.  Friendships between the sexes.  In: Encyclopedia of Mammals, 2nd ed., (D.W. MacDonald, ed.) pp. 360-361.  Oxford University Press, London.

16
 Primate Societies III

Uni-male, multi-female groups
Hierarchical fusion-fission social system

pp. 192-196, 206-207, 217-219, 308-311, 316

17
 		Primate Societies IV

Dispersed fusion-fission social system
Social Monogamy
Polyandry		 pp. 264-275

18

Infanticide: Strategy & Counter-strategy

pp. 51, 194-196.

Palombit, R.A.  2001.  Why primates kill their young.  In: Encyclopedia of Mammals, 2nd ed., (D.W. MacDonald, ed.) pp. 392-393.  Oxford University Press, London.

Hrdy, S.B. 1984. When the bough breaks. The Sciences, 24:44-50.
19
 TEST 2
Covers material from "Kin selection" through "Infanticide" lectures
20
 		Male Dominance & Hormones

Recall pp. 249-55.

Sapolsky, RM. 1990. Stress in the wild. Scientific American, January:116-123.
21
 Primate Politics?
 pp.27 (Neural Note 1), p. 57 (Neural Note 2), 289-296, 311-315, 335-338

Byrne, R.W. & Bates, L.A. 2005. Why are animals cognitive? Current Biology, 16:R445-R448.
22
 Social Minds
 pp. 57, 242, 290 (Neural Note 11)
23
 Minding minds
 pp. 336-338

Note: the reading below by Seyfarth & Cheney (1992) will also address some of today's issues in the context of vocal communication
24
Vocal communication & Language
pp. 335-337.

Seyfarth, R.M. & Cheney, D.L. 1992. Meaning and mind in monkeys. Scientific American, 267:122-128.
25
 Cultural Primatology
 pp. 243-46, 319-321, 326-328, 335-337.

 Whiten, A.W. 2005. The second inheritance system of chimpanzees and humans. Nature, 437:52-55.
26
Movie: Among the Wild Chimpanzees (National Geographic Society)
27
 Chimpanzee & Bonobo Societies
 pp. 332-333.

de Waal, F.B.M. 1995. Bonobo sex and society. Scientific American, 272:82-88.

de Waal, F.B.M. 2005. A century of getting to know the chimpanzee. Nature, 437:56-59.
28
 OPEN
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Final Exam
 Covers material from "Male dominance & hormones" through last lecture