Class Notes: Human Osteology

Tuesday: November 1, 2011

Week 6: Hands and Feet

Tuesday:

Since we had already covered this week’s topic, we moved ahead to receive our assigned skeleton. We discussed the procedure for inventory and the different paperwork that is used by the lab. As I had mentioned, I requested a juvenile to push my limits and the baby was very tiny. I was able to correct classification the archeologists had made, and find one of the tiniest human bones: an ear ossicle (the malleus to be precise).

Thursday:

I do not recall exactly, but due to my lack of notes for this day I imagine we had lab time during class to work on our skeletal inventories.

Friday:

My cohort and I worked on our BARFAA presentation during class time with Dr. S while the undergrads had lab with Laura. We put the final touches on a keynote presentation and walked through it a few times before practicing in front of the class. I had this annoying habit of saying “Upper” Woodland (instead of “Late” Woodland) because my undergrad focus was mostly human evolution and therefore “Upper” Paleolithic and such. This might seem a small detail, but I assure you it is not a mistake I would want to make in front of an anthropologically educated audience!

This was a rough week for me, having BARFAA coming up and the other graduate duties and classwork. I won’t lie, I was pretty stressed and have basically been behind in coursework since. I think the experience was great so no regrets there, but trying to balance it with school work and a weekend husband was not the easiest thing at the beginning of my first semester after a 2.5 year break. Lucky for me, my grades do not reflect the hardship. I hope that stays true for the rest of the semester!

See other entries with similar topics:
BARFAA • class-notes • human-osteology