Students enrolled in a bachelors programme can in their third year do their minor in Biological Anthropology at ADBOU;

Besides courses in evolution and zoology students will follow three bone related courses;

  • Biological Anthropology I: Basic osteology (SU504), 15 ECTS
  • Biological Anthropology II: Student project (SU509), 20 ECTS
  • Biological Anthropology III: Advanced osteology (SU508), 5 ECTS

Students can write their bachelor projects in topics that combine a subject from the students major and a bone related topic. A list of past bachelor projects can be foundĀ here.

Course descriptions

Biological Anthropology I: Basic osteology (SU504)

Besides an introduction to the theories behind the methods used within biological anthropology the students get experience using methods of data collection within the following subjects: 

  • Sex determination
  • Age estimation
  • Dental disease
  • Joint changes
  • Trauma
  • Bone lesions related to the chronic infectious diseases leprosy, tuberculosis and treponematosis(syphilis)

Biological Anthropology II: Student project (SU509)

This is an extensive student project that allow the student to perform a small research project. The subject is chosen by the student and data is collected on their own. The subjects can span widely, see examples below:

  • Paleodemographic analysis
  • Mortality patterns
  • Trauma and signs of violence
  • Age estimation of children from tooth eruption – CT scanning of mandibula and maxilla
  • Lesion related to infectious diseases tuberculosis, leprosy and syphilis

A list of student projects can be foundĀ here.

Biological Anthropology III: Advanced osteology (SU508)

The purpose is to teach the students the theory and practical methods behind the sorting of loose found bones. Further on the basic methods of sex determination, age estimation and detecting paleopathological conditions are practised.

The student will through the course gain skills in collecting data on a larger skeletal material and will learn how to report the findings.

The student will further be introduced to some of the important research papers within the biological anthropological research field and will learn how to read such critically.