ANTH 2200 - Becoming Human: The Evolutionary History of Our Species

(3) Credit Hours

This course traces the evolutionary history of humans over the last 6 million years from our earliest primate ancestors to our modern-day form. Through an evolutionary lens, this course delves deeper into the various branches of our human lineage to gain a holistic understanding of human evolution. Basic principles of paleontology, phylogenetic analysis, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, functional morphology, and genetics will be introduced and applied to understanding and interpreting the fossil record. Students will be introduced to key debates in paleoanthropology in light of new and cutting-edge information gleaned from the fragmented remains of our ape ancestors in a quest to answer the question: what makes us human? Prerequisites: ANTH 1100 or Department Head approval. Effective Spring 2024.