Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Last updated: 03-31-2026

This is a page for Introduction to Biological Anthropology (ANTH2A) with James Egan. I am one of four TAs that are here to ensure that you succeed in this course. Here you will find information and materials that are not required for the course, but will be helpful if you want a good score and develop skills that will help you through your college experience and beyond. If the information is not on Canvas, it will be here. Summaries of previous teaching sections and what to expect later will be posted here too.

My general advice for this course is that the lectures are extremely important to attend. Make a document with all the exam keyterms in it and fill in the blanks as the professor gives the lecture. This will determine 90% of your grade. The assigned readings are then secondary in importance, then the textbook. Attending teaching sections CANNOT substitute the actual lectures themselves, since so much of what is quizzed is relevant to things mentioned in lecture.

My email: ecgu [at] uci [dot] edu

Teaching sections: Wednesdays 12-1 PM and 1-2 PM, Rowland Hall (RH) 188

Office hours: Appointment by email

Teaching Section

My teaching section is Wednesdays 12-2 PM at RH 188 (Rowland Hall). We will go over materials for upcoming exams and essays using the study guide and answer other questions people may have. Teaching sections are optional for this course, but will be helpful for the otherwise difficult tests. There is NO attendance grade for teaching sections or attending lectures, but it will be crucial to getting a good grade.

Office Hours

If you would like to speak one-on-one with me, I will have office hours that by default will be held near the end of the teaching section at RH 188. If that time doesn’t work for you, then we can work something else out. In either case, please email me ahead of time (at least 3 days ahead) so I can plan accordingly.

Office hours are a space where you can ask me for any academic or professional advice: not just questions about the course, but also advice on resumes, applying to grad school, finding resources for disability assistance on campus, concerns about student or faculty conduct, and more. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Weeks

Week 2

• We will do icebreakers, go over the expectations for the course and advice on studying.

On Scantrons

The tests and essays for this course require the use of scantron forms, specifically the Scantron Form F 288 PAR L. You can buy them at the bookstore, or get one sheet for free from the SOAR office. These forms can be unintuitive to use these days, so if it is your first time taking a test with one, it’d be helpful to look up on YouTube how to fill one in and what common mistakes are. This may save a lot of potential headache for you and the test graders.