Mar 29, 2024  
2019-2020 Course Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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ANTH 2061 - Anthropology of Human Nature

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture 3 Lab None
Course Description: This class introduces the broad anthropological study of behavior from a Darwinian perspective. Students explore the evidence concerning the evolution of primate behavior and the past several million years of human evolution with a strong emphasis on the behavior of our ancestors. Initial topics include a detailed introduction to natural selection and a brief survey of human evolution. This is followed by readings and lectures on the evolution of primate and human tool use, diet, food-sharing, cooperation, mate selection, sex, child-rearing, and conflict. Finally, the course explores cross-cultural patterns in modern human behavior.
MnTC Goals
5 History/Social/Behavioral Science, 10 People/Environment

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: ANTH 1021 or ANTH 1022  with a grade of C or higher.

Major Content
  1. Introduction to Anthropology
  2. Human evolution
  3. Primate behavior
  4. The evolution of human behavior
  5. The evolution of human parenting
  6. Human universals
  7. Human evolutionary psychology
  8. Human conflict
  9. Social science writing instruction
  10. The history of evolutionary thought

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:

  1. analyze the basic principles of natural selection.
  2. construct an argumentative paper built around an evolutionary thesis.
  3. evaluate claims concerning the nature/nurture debate regarding human behavior.
  4. analyze the data on universal patterns of modern human behavior.
  5. explain the evolution of human behavior.

Competency 1 (1-6)
05. 01. Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
05. 02. Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.
05. 03. Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
Competency 2 (7-10)
10. 01. Explain the basic structure and function of various natural ecosystems and of human adaptive strategies within those systems.
10. 02. Discern patterns and interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.
10. 03. Describe the basic institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, religious) that are evolving to deal with environmental and natural resource challenges.


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