Anthropology: Biological Anthropology

Introduction to the study of the evolution and physical variation of humanity from a biocultural perspective.

Open to degree and PACE students

https://www.uvm.edu/~dblom/SAMPLE_Syllabus_Anth_1400.pdf

Overview and Learning Objectives: How do we explain the human diversity in this world? How did we get all the different sizes, colors, and textures that we see today, and are we really all that different under our skins? Why can the Aymara people I work with move around energetically at 12,000 feet above sea level in the Bolivian highlands while it takes me days there to even walk comfortably up a small hill? How does an environment in which children are raised permanently affect their biology? Biological Anthropology, one of the core courses in Anthropology, will introduce you to the subfield and provide you with the basics of evolutionary theory, genetics and inheritance, nonhuman primates (monkeys and apes), and the fossil hominid record, so that you can better understand the ways that human individuals and populations adapt to physical and cultural environments. We will explore the concept of “race” biologically and culturally and study the effects of human genetics and the many aspects of our physical bodies that are products of our environments rather than our genes. Throughout the semester, we will develop the necessary skills to fully consider humans as biocultural beings, neither solely products of our biology nor our culture, but a dynamic combination of the two. We will also explore the ways in which science is represented in the popular press, how science is a product of culture and focus on critically evaluating material presented in scholarly and popular venues. More than anything, we will heavily engage with the question: What does it mean to be human? See link above for expanded information about the class with a SAMPLE syllabus.

See link above for expanded information about the class with a SAMPLE syllabus.

See link above for expanded information about the class with a SAMPLE syllabus.