ANSO 201 Human Evolution: The Intersections of Biology, Environment and Culture

To understand our present physical and social condition, we must understand our evolutionary past. This course is an introduction the fundamentals that contribute to our understanding of human evolution--evolutionary biology, genetics, primatology, paleaontology, physical anthropology, geology and archaeology. You will learn about the methods involved in reconstructing ancient human anatomy,
behavior, and use of their environments, which have situated our own evolutionary history (both biological and cultural) within the current world. Through class lectures and discussions, we will address topics such as what makes us human, the validity of the concept of race, our relations to Neanderthals and the beginning of the human manipulations of plants.