Bi8352 Methods of anthropology II

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/3/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Martin Čuta, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Mikoláš Jurda, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. RNDr. Petra Urbanová, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: Mgr. Martin Čuta, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites (in Czech)
Bi7351 Methods of anthropology I
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main objective of the course is to introduce to students the complex use of basic anthropological methods and with advanced methods of anthropological research.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course the students should be able use the methods of evaluation of body type (somatotype), nutritional status and body composition in living human, eventually offer means of adjustment toward a healthier status and should be able to evaluate human motion, using a specialized software. The students will also get acquainted with the problems of conducting a longitudinal population-wide research. The students should also be able to work with software and and with the use of advance program application analyze demographic traits in an anthropological find. At the end of the course the student should be able to assess in the anthropological find - sex; age at death estimation; body height; population affinity; should be able to use for these purposes specialized software and programs; take advantage of advanced methods; in living human determine nutritional status; body type (somatotype); body composition.
Syllabus
  • 1+2) Basic statistical analysis in physical anthropology
  • 3) Methods of assessing sex on the human skull and the osseous pelvis - morphoscopic, morphometric methods, combined methods, discrimination models
  • 4) Methods of determining sex in the human skeleton
  • 5) Methods of estimating age at death on the human skeleton
  • 6) Typology and interpopulation variability in the living human
  • 7) Methods of estimating biological age in the living man
  • 8) Methods of estimating body height and proportions of man from the skeletal find - regression models; utilizing long bone measurements for sex assessment
  • 9) Methods of estimating body height and proportions of the living man. Dynamic Phenotype method. Organizing a population-wide research; cross-sectional, longitudinal, combined approach
  • 10) Somatotype assessment
  • 11) Methods for evaluating human body composition
  • 12) Kinanthropology (human body motion analysis)
Literature
  • Virtuální učebnice morfologie kostry člověka. Volně dostupné na: http://anthrop.sci.muni.cz/page.yhtml?id=592
  • Hupková Adela, Králík Miroslav (2015): Mikrostruktura tvrdých zubních tkání. Výukový atlas a metodická příručka pro antropology. MU, LaMorFA, Brno.
  • WHITE, T. D. and Pieter A. FOLKENS. The human bone manual. Boston: Elsevier Academic, 2005, xx, 464. ISBN 0120884674. URL info
  • TANNER, J. M. Assessment of skeletal maturity and prediction of adult height :(TW3 Method). 3rd ed. London: Saunders, 2001, vi, 110 s. ISBN 0-7020-2511-9. info
  • Antropologie :příručka pro studium kostry. Edited by Milan Stloukal. 1. vyd. Praha: Národní muzeum, 1999, 510 s. ISBN 80-7036-101-8. info
  • BOOKSTEIN, Fred L. Morphometric tools for landmark data : geometry and biology. 1st pbk. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, xvii, 435. ISBN 0521383854. info
  • KNUSSMANN, Rainer. Vergleichenden Biologie des Menschen : Lehrbuch der Anthropologie und Humangenetik. 2. bearb. Aufl. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1996, xii, 524. ISBN 382740763X. info
  • SOKAL, Robert R. and James F. ROHLF. Biometry :the principles and practice of statistics in biological research. 3rd ed. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1995, xix, 887 s. ISBN 0-7167-2411-1. info
  • CARTER, J. E. L. and Barbara Honeyman HEATH. Somatotyping - development and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 1990, xiv, 503. ISBN 0521351170. info
  • FETTER, Vojtěch. Antropologie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 1967, 704 s. info
Teaching methods
The tuition is practical. Each segment starts with a short theoretical introduction. If the epidemiological situation requires, practical classes can be transformed into an online form. Continued preparation is necessary and will be tested via 9 quizzes administered in the beginning of selected classes and will determine the level of knowledge acquired in the preceding practical class.
Assessment methods
During the semester 9 partial tests will be adiministered at the beginnig of 9 selected practical classes. Each test will focus on determining the level of knowledge acquired in the preceding practical class, in the respective field, both methodical and applied, to analyze human body variability. Each test will contain five multiple choice questions, with 1-4 correct answers.

At the end of the semester a summarizing, 55-question test will be administered, determining the level of knowledge in the field of applying means of primary acquisition of anthropological data within complex and advanced methods which serve to analyze human body variability, acquired during the semester. This summarizing test will include multiple-choice questions with 1-4 correct answers for each question, and, also free answer, open ended questions will be included.

In multiple choice questions, the selected correct answers are evaluated by their relative score (thus 0.25; 0.34; 0.5 and 1 point per answer, according to the number of correct answers in the given question). For each chosen wrong answer 0.33 point is subtracted. This means that one point for one multiple choice question is awarded only for selecting all the correct answers and only them.

Open-ended questions are scored with one (1) point for a complete answer, half point (0.5) for an incomplete answer, and no point (0) for a missing or an incorrect answer.

To obtain the credit, a gathering of a total of 66 points for the whole semester is necessary (the sum of points for all continuous tests and the summarizing test).

If epidemiological conditions allow in-person classes, one unexcused absence is permitted. However, to obtain credit students must turn in finalized protocols from each class. It is therefore necessary to make-up classes where the particular student was absent. Eventual partial tests from missed classes will be made up in distance or in-person form. Class and test make-ups are arranged upon agreement with the lecturer/teacher responsible-supervising the syllabus topic. Make-ups will generally take part after the semester ends.

Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2007 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Spring 2011 - only for the accreditation, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, spring 2012 - acreditation, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
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