ANTH 220 - Topics in Biological Anthropology

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course covers topics within the broad field of biological (or physical) anthropology ranging from evolutionary theory to the human fossil record to the identification of human skeletal remains from crime scenes and accidents. Bioanthropology conceptualizes cultural behavior as an integral part of our behavior as a species. Topics covered in this course may include human evolution, primate behavior, population genetics, human demography and variation, or forensic anthropology.

Topic for 2021/22a: Diet and Disease in the Human Past. Diet and disease are key forces that have shaped what it means to be human. This course uses anthropological research to examine human subsistence and illness from a biocultural perspective, drawing upon case studies that highlight how scientific methods can answer anthropological questions about life in the past. We investigate how multiple lines of evidence—including plant and animal remains, chemical analyses, and studies of teeth—illuminate past human diets, incorporating case studies that range from the Paleolithic diets of prehistory circa 300,000 years ago to the “Paleo Diet” of the 21^st century. We also explore how skeletal, pathological, and genetic evidence are being used in concert to understand how humans confront challenges posed by diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis. Overall, this course introduces students to anthropological approaches to biocultural adaptation at both evolutionary and historical time scales. Aviva Cormier.

May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS