Human Biological Variation

Catalog description

Prerequisite: ANT 101 Human Biocultural Evolution or equivalent. This course explores contemporary human biological variation and adaptability within a scientific evolutionary and biocultural framework. Special emphasis is placed on human adaptation to the environment, and general themes in the course include the evolutionary/genetic, developmental/physiological, and cultural/behavioral forces that contribute to contemporary human biobehavioral variation. Accordingly, this course surveys key areas within the study of human biological variation, including human classification, general trends in human evolution, human population genetics, demography and epidemiology, growth and development, and human adaptation to ecological stressors, including climate, diet, stress, and infectious disease.