Introduction for ANTH 203: Culture and Biology
Salinda Hess
As you may have noticed, the textbook for this course is an Open Educational Resource (OER). This means you have free and unrestricted access to all the material, with no need to purchase a costly textbook. As students in the Culture and Biology course, you will be assigned to critically analyze sections of the textbook. You will also be encouraged to bring your own research into the discussion, enriching the learning experience for yourself and others. Your active engagement with the textbook is not just for your benefit; it could lead to content that may be included in future editions of the textbook. This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with your peers and contribute to an academic project that will be more relevant to students in Quebec, Canada, and beyond.
As you read through each chapter, you’ll notice highlighted sections. These highlights represent a colour-coded system of recommended edits from the previous semester. These edits are designed to improve the textbook’s clarity, relevance, and educational value. Our focus was on five key factors:
Condense/re-phrase : Recommended by the professor, this factor addresses the issue of redundancy and overly lengthy text. We aimed to simplify the chapters by condensing and rephrasing content.
Eliminate : Suggested to remove irrelevant or unnecessary information, this factor helps to focus the chapters on essential content.
Refer to other chapters: Due to frequent repetition across chapters, we decided that referring to other chapters that had already covered certain information would reduce length and redundancy.
Replace with information from Canada/Quebec: One of the project’s main objectives was to include content more relevant to students in Quebec and Canada. We identified sections where information could be replaced with content specific to these regions.
Assumptions: This factor was suggested to address the presentation of theories as established facts by the authors of the chapters. As students, it is crucial for us to understand that theories are a set of ideas used to explain facts, but they are not the final explanations and should not be presented with absolute certainty. In biological anthropology, theories are ideas that have yet to be disproven! Presenting theories as facts can hinder our comprehensive understanding of the past, which requires considering multiple perspectives.
These edits were made during the initial stages of the project, marking the first steps in what will become a series of outstanding contributions by students. The colour-coding system you see is not a permanent structure; it serves as a draft to guide and inspire further enhancements and revisions. This is an evolving project, and your input is essential in shaping it into a resource that truly reflects the needs and perspectives of its readers. We strongly encourage you to engage deeply with the textbook, offering your valuable analysis and ideas. Your contributions have the potential to enrich the content, making it more relevant and effective for current and future students.
You may notice some sections where only the paragraph title is highlighted. This indicates that the following content would be highlighted in the same colour, but we opted not to, in order to avoid overwhelming the textbook with too many colours. You may also come across sentences that are both in parentheses and underlined (example). These are personal suggestions open to interpretation. Like the colour-coded edits, these sentences are not final; they are included to encourage further engagement with the textbook. We invite you to reflect on these suggestions and consider how they might be expanded, revised, or even re-imagined.
This textbook is a living document, continually shaped by those who engage with it. Your insights and analyses are crucial in making it more relevant and significant. By challenging assumptions and sharing your unique perspectives, you enhance not only your own learning but also the future of this textbook. Embrace this opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and leave a lasting mark on a resource that will benefit students for years to come.
