AP/ANTH 2280 3.00 Human Evolution and Biological Anthropology
Some of the biggest questions in biological anthropology are about how humans came to be and what defines us as a species. This course is a broad introduction to humanity’s evolutionary history and the methods used to explore our place in the natural world. Evolution moves slowly, but research on human origins is a fast-paced field that has fascinated scholars and the public for over 150 years. For these reasons, it is important to understand the foundations of human evolution and how anthropologists study the deep past. This course will focus on the biology and behaviour of our hominin ancestors by examining the fossil record, early technologies, diet reconstruction, comparisons to nonhuman primates, and more. It will also explore the ongoing issues within human evolution research in terms of the history of science, developments in anthropology, and the influence of popular science communication.
Course Director: E. Yasui - eyasui@yorku.ca