Bioarchaeology, the study of human bones, offers unique insight into the health, culture, and daily lives of past peoples. Borrowing from natural science, social science, and the humanities, bioarchaeology exists at the intersection of several disciplines, allowing us to study many facets of the human experience. Using biology and chemistry, we can examine human remains at the micro-level to better understand the diets and diseases that persisted in ancient societies. Meanwhile, from a historical perspective, we can use bones and their associated artifacts to learn more about the norms, values, and inequalities at work in a given culture. Week by week, this course will dig into major topics in the field of bioarchaeology, ranging from hominin evolution in the distant past, to burials in the Mongol Empire, to evidence of ancient epidemics.  Questions to be explored include:
How can we use bioarchaeology to study human history?
What can human remains tell us about the health and diets of past peoples?
What moral and ethical issues surround the study of human remains? How can human remains be used ethically, if at all, to gain information?

Course Requirements:

Credit will be granted based on thoughtful participation, short weekly reflections, and a final project.

Intended Audience:

LSA Honors students in their first year at the University of Michigan

Class Format:

Class meets in the Honors Lounge located in the Honors Program office, 1330 Mason Hall.