ANTH160D2

035835

Our story begins around seven million years ago as the human lineage began to diverge from the great apes. Our story is one of curiosity, innovation, exploration, expansion, and diversity. Early humans, including our direct ancestors, accumulated a vast spectrum of complex cognitive, physical, behavioral, and cultural traits as they spread across the face of the Earth and adapted to environments in every corner of the planet. Understanding the bewildering phenotypic and cultural variability observed in humans today requires a Bio-Cultural perspective, integrating theories, methods and data from the natural and social sciences. While variability in appearance and practice sometimes divides us and highlights our differences, humans today share ~99.9% of our DNA, and we are united by common concerns such as the search for food, love, need for companionship, and the necessity to support the next generation of the human species. This course takes a chronological approach as we explore the hominin family tree through the study of fossil species, critical cultural developments including the origins of technology and changes in diet, economy and social relationships. Within this framework we will cover the basics of Darwinian evolution, highlighting the interaction of biological and cultural forces in shaping what we are today. Throughout this course, we will also examine how societal values, inequality, racism, and colonialism have impacted our understanding of what it means to be human. The signature assignment for this course will involve a deep look at how our evolutionary past, and how different conceptualizations of it resonate in the contemporary world.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

GE - T1-TRAD (Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures), GEED - EPNAT (Gen Ed: EP Natural Scientist)

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