ANTH 1

Course Overview

In this course students will learn about our species, Homo sapiens.  The course covers human behavior and biology by investigating genetics, skeletal anatomy and population differences.  We will also investigate living primate behavior and anatomy, as they are our closest living relatives.  We will then analyze extinct human relatives and their adaptations.  We will conclude the course by examining variation in living human populations and how we continue to adapt.  Upon completion of the semester, students will have a strong grasp of our place in the world and our relationships to each other and other primates and organisms.

Topics Covered

1.  Evolution and diversity in human populations

a. The study of biological anthropology
b Molecular, Mendelian and population genetics
c. Principles of microevolution
d. The study of human variation
e. Human microevolution
f. Biocultural adaptations

2.  Our place in nature

a. Primates in nature
b. The biology and behavior of the living primates
c. The human species
d. Macroevolution and the fossil record
e. Primate origins and evolution

3. Human evolution

a. Human origins
b. The evolution of the genus Homo
c. The origin of modern Homo sapiens
d. The evolution of human health and disease
e. The demographic evolution of human populations
f. Current bioethical issues

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss evolutionary theory, both before and after Charles Darwin, and how it relates to human origins and behavior.
• Explain the differences between science and faith.
• Describe the four forces, or biological mechanisms, of evolutionary change including mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection.
• Explain the origin and evolution of primates.
• Distinguish between the different primate taxonomic groupings.
• Compare and contrast the behavioral patterns found in the different primate taxonomic groups.