Walking into Anthropology 111, you are greeted with numerous charts showcasing genes. Those aren’t just any genes, but human genes.
“We’re learning how human bodies have changed over time,” senior Behishta Safi said. “It’s kind of a review for me from biology class of genetics. It’s about how genetics are passed by previous generations to me. It compares humans to their environment, to their nutrition, to their genetics.”
In accordance with Pierce College’s dual enrollment program, Anthropology 111 is offered to Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) students. It is taught by Pierce College Professor Dr. Katherine Placher, who majored in Anthropology as well. They meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in room 13.
Anthropology takes a more scientific approach to the study of humanity. Specifically, it is not centered around a sociological or historical perspective that one may expect of an Anthropology class.
“We focus on the human and primate variation in evolution,” Placher said. “We’re looking at all aspects of humans, from genetics to fossil hominins to the human skeleton.”
The class is structured in a three-part cycle. On the first day, they are lectured on a subject involving genealogy or primatology. On the second and third day, students then have a hands-on lab. Currently, they are focusing solely on genetics.
“The most interesting thing is the labs we do,” senior Behista Safi said. “We write our hypothesis and we write step-by-step what we’re gonna do if we do the experiment. Like how people’s skin color changes depending on its environment.”
