Book excerpt: A New Approach to Teaching and Learning Anatomy: Objectives and Learning Activities presents sets of general instructional and specific behavioral objectives to define the framework of a course in human anatomy. The objectives are preceded by explanatory notes which deal with the principles and the techniques involved in their formulation so that their expansion or modification may be facilitated. Methods of using the objectives as guides to study are also suggested. This book is comprised of 13 chapters and begins with an introduction to the goals to be adopted for the course framework and the general objectives that will indicate course content as well as the sequence of learning. The discussion then turns to specific behavioral objectives and student-centered learning activities, followed by an outline of the anatomy course. The course is broken down into regions and systems and covers the anatomy of bones, joints, and muscles, along with peripheral nerves and vessels. The anatomy of the upper limb, head and neck, walls of thorax and abdomen, and the lower limb are considered. The viscera are ""fitted in"" to the musculo-skeletal framework on a systematic basis, and the course outline concludes with a section on neurological anatomy, that is, the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, genito-urinary system, and neuroendocrine system. This monograph should be useful to those who are engaged in teaching-learning programs in anatomy whether as medical educators or as students.