Teaching

Anthropology 6: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

The origin of our species has long been a topic of deep curiosity for humans. In this course, we will look at the scientific evidence for the origin and evolution of Homo sapiens. This course will use data from evolutionary theory, primatology, comparative anatomy, genetics, and paleontology to understand the latest hypotheses regarding human evolution and modern human behavioral biology.

NEXT OFFERED: Fall 2022

Anthropology 25: Primate Biomechanics

This course is an introduction to the physical principles and musculoskeletal anatomies that underlie primate behavior, including especially primate locomotion and diet. We will study basic mechanics, bone biology, soft tissue and skeletal anatomy, primate behavioral diversity, and the primate fossil record in order to address why bones are shaped the way they are, and how scientists reconstruct behavior from fossils.  Emphasis will be on primate locomotion, including the origins and evolution of human bipedalism.

NEXT OFFERED: Spring 2022

Anthropology 41: Human Evolution

The fossil record demonstrates that humans evolved from an extinct ape that lived in Africa more than 5 million years ago. Paleoanthropology is the branch of biological anthropology that seeks to document and explain the evolution of our lineage using paleontological and archaeological data. This course provides a survey of human evolution in light of current scientific debates in paleoanthropology. Emphasis will be placed on the use of bones and teeth to infer the biology and behavior of prehistoric species. Prerequisite: Anthropology 6 or permission of the instructor.

NEXT OFFERED: Spring 2022

Anthropology 42: Medical Gross Anatomy: The Scars of Human Evolution

Human anatomy is important for medical professionals, artists, and anthropologists. This dissection-based course will explore the human body and its many imperfections. The deficiencies of our bodies —clumsy compromises in our teeth, feet, backs, bottoms, and birthings— are chronic clinical concerns that reflect our evolutionary history. Taking a cue from Wilton Krogman’s 1951 classic, Scars of Human Evolution, this course will demonstrate how and how far the human body fails by the standards of intelligent design.

Anthropology 50.xx: Darwin and Human Evolution

150 years ago, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man. In this course, we read Descent and engage with a century and a half of new discoveries to reveal what Darwin got right and what he got wrong about human origins, evolution, and biological diversity.

NEXT OFFERED: Winter 2022

Anthropology 70: Experiencing Human Origins and Evolution (South Africa)

This course will examine current evidence for human origins and evolution, with a particular emphasis on South Africa. Students will learn and experience firsthand how fossils, archaeological sites, and living model systems are used collectively to reconstruct and interpret the path and circumstances by which we became human. A course extension in South Africa will be offered to enable direct experience with the sites, organisms, and challenges discussed in class.

Anthropology 76: Evolution of Upright Walking

This is an advanced course designed to explore in-depth both the historical and current understandings of human bipedalism. This course is reading-intensive, with an average of 5 primary journal papers assigned per meeting. We will investigate hypotheses for why bipedalism evolved, the form of locomotion bipedalism evolved from, and the fossil evidence for bipedality in the earliest hominins.

NEXT OFFERED: Spring 2021