Required Course Material

(1)  Boyd, R., Silk, J., Langergraber, K. How Humans Evolved, 10th Edition. [HHE].

Note: Copies are available for 2 hour loans at the library.

Note: Older versions of HHE are suitable but are missing new content, and other parts are outdated

(2) Occasional readings and some media content will also be provided as links on course website.

Course Description

What is humankind and human nature? People have been asking these questions about the human animal for millennia. In this class, you’ll be introduced to one kind of answer: that we are products of evolution by natural selection. This insight has profound implications for every scholarly field that concerns itself with the human condition. You’ll learn how evolution works -- in particular, how Charles Darwin and his intellectual successors solved the problem of how complex organic design could emerge in the absence of a goal-directed process. You will be introduced to the ecology and behavior of humanity's closest living relatives, the nonhuman primates. You will survey the extensive and growing fossil record of human evolution through 6-7 million years of change from ape-like -- but upright walking -- creatures to modern Homo sapiens. Finally, you will learn how evolutionary and ecological perspectives can inform the study of modern human biology, the human mind, human health, and human behavior. Throughout this course, we will tackle present issues stemming from misunderstandings of evolutionary theory and how it’s been applied to human social behavior.

Attendance for lectures

In this course we’ll work and learn together. That means that you need to be present, in class, for the learning to happen. It will be incredibly important for you to attend lectures and discussion sessions in order to learn the material and do well in this class. You should also read the assigned portions of HHE before their associated lectures.

The course is lecture-based, and so attendance is critical for doing well in this course. Lectures are designed to complement, rather than regurgitate material from the HHE book. In lecture, we will frequently use i>clickers to check in on your understanding.

Attendance for sections

You will meet weekly in sections with your TA. Attendance is required and will be taken. You are allowed to miss one section class for “free”, no question or excuse needed. Beyond your “free pass”, you will need to let your TA know you will be missing and if sick, get a note from student health.

Grading

Note: All material covered in lecture and in HHE are fair game for exams.

Problem Sets

You will have seven homework assignments called “Problem sets” during this quarter and are worth 40% of your grade. The problem sets are due Sunday night at midnight. Late assignments will receive a 15% reduction for every day it is late. You will go over the answers to these problem sets in your sections with your TA. The lowest problem set gets dropped for the final grade.