ANTH 15 - World of Primates

Course overview

An introduction to primates and primatology, including species diversity, ecology, primate behavior, and conservation.  Topics to be studied will include communication, hierarchies, male-female interactions, protocultural behavior, social learning, cognition, and self-awareness.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to: 

• Recognize and identify the four types of non-human primates, based on their distinguishing physical, biological, and anatomical characteristics.
• Describe key behavioral features of primates, such as social organization, mating systems, reproductive strategies, dominance hierarchies, and kinship ties.
• Describe key ecological features of primates, such as their habitats, feeding paradigms, and diet.
• Explain and evaluate the research methods of primatologists, current paradigms in the field of primatology, and behavioral data collected by the student.
• Understand and describe the biological classification of the various primate families, genera, and species.
• Recognize the current conservation status of various primate species and identify threats to their survival.