Health and Human Evolution

Catalog description

Evolutionary medicine integrates evolutionary biology, anthropology and medicine to improve our understanding of human health, disease, and disease prevention. This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts of evolutionary medicine and students will practice applying these concepts to modern human health concerns like diet, physical activity, mental health, contagious disease, and genetic impacts on health. Students will participate in weekly discussions and in-class activities, reflect on the course material through writing, and complete a public outreach-oriented research project on a topic of their choice within evolutionary medicine. In-class activities will provide opportunities for students to practice applying theory from evolutionary biology to questions related to human health and wellness and to assess the efficacy and feasibility of evolutionary medicine-based practices in their own lives.