Take me to the Fall Time Schedule
161. Introduction to
Biological Anthropology. (4). (NS). (BS).
The course explores the evolutionary basis for human variability.
For this purpose, the course will deal with a review of principles
of human evolution, fossil evidence, relationship among human
and non-human primates in behavioral and morphological characteristics, human inter-population differences, and environmental factors that account for these differences. The course includes three
midterm exams, lab and review session, and final exam. (Frisancho)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
168. First Year Seminar
in Primate Field Studies. (3). (NS). (BS).
A seminar designed for first-year students. Students will be introduced
to science as a mode of inquiry by applying Darwin's theory of
natural selection to the behavior of non-human primates. Emphasis
will be given to long-term field studies of primates in the wild.
One three-hour discussion/lecture. Class participation, weekly
writing assignments, and a term paper required. (Mitani)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
368/Psych. 437. Primate
Social Behavior I. (4). (NS). (BS).
An introductory course that will familiarize students with the
primate order. The major focus of the course will be the behavior
of prosimians, monkeys, and apes in the wild. Special attention
will be given to primate ecology and long-term field studies.
Social organization, kinship systems, sexual behavior, vocal communication, competition, and other topics will be described and analyzed from the perspective of modern evolutionary theory. This course can
be taken on its own, and serves as an introduction to Anthropology
369 (Primate Social Relationships) and 568 (Primate Behavioral
Ecology). Three lecture hours, and one discussion weekly. Two
midterms, a term paper, and a final exam. WL:1
(Mitani)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
398. Honors in Biological
Anthropology. Senior standing and permission of instructor.
(3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit twice.
Seniors who choose to enter the Honors program undertake a senior
project under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Most
often this takes the form of an original paper of greater scope than is possible in an ordinary term paper, and it gives the student
experience in conducting and writing up his or her own research.
Students who are interested in joining the senior Honors program
should consult with the departmental Honors advisor for biological
anthropology. Previous participation in the college Honors program
is not a prerequisite for joining the senior Honors program.
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
452. Population Genetics
and Anthropology. One course in anthropology or biology.
No credit granted to those who have completed Biology 490. (4).
(Excl).
This course covers the basics of population genetics, with special
reference to evolutionary questions and questions relating to
anthropology. Core concepts of population genetics will be emphasized, including: selection, drift, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, neutrality, heterogeneity, genetic distance, gene flow, founder effects, and bottlenecks. Regular homework assignments will require students
to calculate these various measures from real and simulated data.
Final projects will involve population genetic analyses of data
to test hypotheses using real and simulated data. There will be
midterm and final exams involving quantitative and qualitative
questions about population genetics and evolution. (Merriwether)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
467. Human Behavioral
Ecology. Two of: Anthro. 161, 368, Biol. 152, 154, 404, 494. (3). (Excl). (BS).
This course considers the anthropological significance of recent
advances in natural selection theory. Particular topics include:
cooperation, reciprocity, inclusive fitness, sexual selection, mating systems, and parental investment. Students will read the
primary scientific literature to learn how anthropologists test
evolutionary hypotheses in varied geographic and cultural contexts
(for example, Ache hunter-gatherers of Paraguay, Dogon agriculturalists
of Mali, Kipsigi pastoralists of Kenya, 19th-century Europeans, and contemporary North Americans). Natural selection theory will
also be used to probe the field of human reproductive ecology, with emphasis on the demographic transition, historical demography, the evolution of menstruation, and female fecundity. In addition
to exams, students will write a term paper in which they hone their ability to discriminate among alternative view points using
both qualitative and quantitative data. A strong background in the natural sciences is assumed, including any two of the
following courses: Anthropology 161, 368; Biology 152, 154, 404, 494. (Strassmann)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
471. Undergraduate Reading
and Research in Anthropology. Permission of instructor.
(1-3). (Excl). A maximum of three credits of independent reading
may be included in a concentration plan in anthropology. (INDEPENDENT).
May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Laboratory training and work in the techniques used in various
aspects of research in biological anthropology.
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
562. Human Nature. Biol.
Anthro. 467 and permission of instructor. (2). (Excl).
This is an advanced seminar in evolutionary psychology. Topics
include: human social relationships, morality, religion, and the
emotions. Students will read provocative books, such as Robert
Wright's The Moral Animal (or other books of current
interest), as well as original scientific articles. Students will
be encouraged to discuss the subject matter in relation to their
own experiences. This is a fast paced course intended for students
who have already read any two of the following texts: The
Selfish Gene (R. Dawkins), The Biology of Moral Systems
(R.D. Alexander), Introduction to Behavioral Ecology
(J.R. Krebs and N.B. Davies), or Sex, Evolution, and Behavior
(M. Daly and M. Wilson). Related books may be substituted for the above. Grading will be based on class participation and an
in-depth research paper. (Strassmann)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
563. Mechanisms of Human
Adaptation. Senior standing. (3). (Excl). (BS).
The course is addressed at evaluating the physiological response
and adaptations that enable humans to survive environmental extremes
such as those found under stressful conditions of heat, cold, solar radiation, high altitude, undernutrition, overnutrition, and Westernization of dietary habits. Because this course is addressed
to students of several disciplines and to facilitate understanding
of the mechanisms of human adaptation to the environmental stress, the discussion of the major topics is preceded by sections outlining
initial responses observed in laboratory animals. Emphasis is
given to the short adaptive mechanisms that enable an organism
to acclimate itself to a given environmental stress. Subsequently, the long-term adaptive mechanisms that enable humans to acclimatize themselves to natural, stressful environmental conditions are
discussed. Throughout the course, emphasis is given to the effects
of environmental stresses and the adaptive responses that an organism
makes during its growth and development and their implications
for understanding the origins of population differences in biological
traits. The method of instruction is lecture and some discussion.
The course also involves practice with field laboratory techniques.
(Frisancho)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
565. Evolution of Genus
Homo. Anthro. 365 or 466. Primarily for students
concentrating in biological anthropology or vertebrate evolution.
(4). (Excl). (BS).
Evolution of Homo sapiens from its Australopithecine
ancestor, and the appearance of modern humans and their races
are the focus of this course. Topics include the hunter/gather
adaptation and the late Pliocene origin of Homo sapiens,
habitation of the world and the origin of races; the "Eve" theory of modern human origins; the fate of the European Neanderthals.
Three hours of lecture, two hours of scheduled laboratory, and a third unscheduled hour required weekly. There is a midterm, final, and term paper. Cost:2
WL:4 (Wolpoff)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
Courses are arranged by groups:
Introductory Courses,
Ethnology-Regional Courses,
Ethnology-Theory/Method,
Ethnology-Topical Courses,
Linguistic Anthropology,
Archaeology, and
Museum and Reading and Research Courses.
University of Michigan | College of LS&A | Student Academic Affairs | LS&A Bulletin Index
This page maintained by LS&A Academic Information and Publications, 1228 Angell Hall
Copyright © 1998 The Regents
of the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA +1 734 764-1817
Trademarks of the University of Michigan may not be electronically or otherwise altered or separated from this document or used for any non-University purpose.