Faculty of Arts & Sciences

Special study of selected topics in human evolutionary biology, given on an individual basis and directly supervised by a member of the Human Evolutionary Biology Faculty.

Research and writing of the Senior Thesis.

Introduces students to experimental techniques used to investigate the structure and physiology of humans and other animals. Each instructor offers research projects that are undertaken in their laboratory (limit 5 students per instructor). Students meet to introduce their project, discuss their work and progress, and to present their final results. An extensive commitment of time in the laboratory is required. Grades are based on the work completed, the oral presentation, and a short research paper.

An introduction to the interaction between hormones and behavior, emphasizing research in humans. General principles of endocrine physiology are presented. The course then focuses on how hormones affect the brain and body in early development and later in adulthood, and the relationship of hormones to sex and gender. We will explore human reproduction, energy metabolism, mating and sexuality, parental behavior, stress, and dominance interactions.

An examination of stress from a scientific perspective with a focus on stress research in mammals, especially primate and humans. A writing and speaking intensive seminar that will explore the basics of the stress response, physiological effects of the stress and factors that affect stress responsiveness, such as perinatal and early life effects, social support, outlets for frustration and coping skills. The relationship between stress and disease will also be explored. Scientific studies of the effectiveness of modalities of stress reduction will also be discussed. Students will present primary scientific literature that highlights current research on a variety of topics in the field.

A review of the behavioral interactions in natural primate populations, drawing on experimental, observational, and theoretical studies. Discussion of ecological, physiological, and developmental bases of primate social behavior, with special attention to the evolution of patterns of behavioral interactions among individuals of different age, sex, relatedness, and status. Topics include sexual conflict, sexual selection, and mating systems; care of offspring and other aid-giving; manipulative and cooperative aspects of communication; competition, dominance, and territoriality; and the evolution of social relationships.

A course on the physiological ecology and evolutionary biology of human and primate reproduction. Topics covered include gamete production, gestation, birth, lactation, reproductive maturation, mature reproductive function, aging and senescence.

This course is an exploration of female behavioral biology from an evolutionary and biosocial perspective. We will focus on physiological, ecological, and social aspects of women's development from puberty, through reproductive processes such as pregnancy, birth and lactation, to menopause and aging. We will also explore female life-history strategies in a variety of cultural settings. Topics include cognitive and behavioral differences between men and women and male and female reproductive strategies. Examples are drawn primarily from traditional and modern human societies; data from studies of nonhuman primates are also considered.

Recent research has illuminated the neural mechanisms underpinning sociality and social behavior in humans and other animals. In this seminar we will discuss publications that address modifications to neural structure and function as a result of behavioral specializations among taxa in relation to their social complexity or among individuals within species as a function of their social condition. This course will emphasize the value of approaching neurobiology from an evolutionary perspective and understanding the selective pressures that have shaped our mind, brain, and behavior.

An introduction to laboratory methods in Human Evolutionary Biology. We will use state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to explore how humans metabolize caffeine, starch, and alcohol. Topics include quantitative pcr and genetic analysis, immunological methods, enzyme kinetics, chromatography, and measurement of isotope ratios in tissues.

Teeth are one of the best preserved and most commonly-recovered elements in fossil assemblages. This seminar will focus on ways in which dental remains may inform studies of primate growth and development, ecology, and health. Students will read and discuss current scientific literature, engage in histological studies in the Dental Hard Tissue Laboratory, and conduct pilot research projects.

In this class, we will collaboratively design a data collection protocol to answer questions of interest to both students and zookeepers regarding the Franklin Park Zoo gorillas, collect behavioral data at the Franklin Park Zoo (students will need to be able to commit to 5-6 hours of data collection during those weeks), analyze our behavioral data, write up study results in the format of a publishable scientific paper, and create a scientific meetings-style poster presentation of study results to be shared with the staff of the Franklin Park Zoo.

Recent advances in genetics, genomics, and developmental biology are improving our understanding of human and non-human primate biological traits. These disciplines, when incorporated into a multi-faceted context, can reveal the mechanistic basis of evolutionary adaptations. This seminar is designed to investigate and critically evaluate foundational and novel research in primates (and other organisms) that employs the tools of these trades. In doing so, students are exposed to an integrative perspective upon which to explore classic and modern questions in functional biology.

Humans and our primate relatives display marked variation in biological traits. This variation results from natural selection operating on pre- and post-natal developmental mechanisms. While these mechanisms remain mostly unknown, recent advances in genetics, genomics, and developmental biology now allow us to begin to understand how evolutionary processes influence and are influenced by underlying developmental and genetic organization. This course explores these inter-relationships in the context of the primate paleontological record. We focus on the evolution of the cranium, dentition, axial skeleton, and limbs, and present studies that cast light on the mechanisms that underlie major transitions in human evolution.

How and why does the human head look the way it does? How does the head develop, and what is the interplay between this development and how the head evolves? Why are human brains so anomalously large, while our faces are quite small? In this seminar, we will explore the evolution and natural history of the head, using the comparative anatomy of our primate and hominin relatives as a guide.

A lecture, discussion, and research course using cast and comparative collections, focusing on important issues in hominid paleobiology: ape ancestors, human ancestors, and early hominin radiations; earliest Homo; neandertals and modern humans; the role of environmental change. Can be taken as a research seminar.

How do we know where and how people migrated? How old is this ruin? Did ancient humans eat a lot of meat? This course will explore the known, the unknown, and the unknowable in the study of ancient biomolecules and critically evaluate the current literature and the accompanying press reports. The course couples topics about the past in which ancient biomolecules are used with an examination of the methods employed. The format of the course will be lecture and case study.

This course will introduce students to the use and interpretation of the major forms of mathematical models used in contemporary evolutionary biology, including dynamical population models, game theoretic models, and agent-based models. Sophisticated mathematical training and ability are not required, but some familiarity with first year calculus is assumed. The course will include an introduction to relevant software packages for mathematical analysis and simulation. Application of mathematical models to contemporary topics and debates such as the evolution of cooperation and life history evolution will be explored. Students will develop a model of their own as a class project.

A discussion course for graduate students in Human Evolutionary Biology. Topics will include origins of hominids, radiation of hominins, origins of the genus Homo, and origins of Homo sapiens.

Special reading in selected topics under the direction of members of the department.

Proseminar for Human Evolutionary Biology graduate students. Discussion of adaptations and the process of adaptation using examples from various areas of human evolutionary biology.

Independent laboratory study in the biochemical analysis of plant and animal foods, and of human and animal digestive physiology and feeding behavior.

Weekly seminars in human evolutionary biology.