2007-08 Catalog

Introduction to anthropological theory. Exploration of the diversity of human culture. Examination of the relationship between ecology, technology, and subsistence, patterns of marriage and resi-dence, gender and sexual division of labor, reproduction, kinship, and descent. Links between economic complexity, population, social stratification, political organization, law, religion, ritual, and warfare are traced. Ethnic diversity and interethnic relations are surveyed. The course is oriented toward understanding the causes of cross-cultural variation and the evolution of culture.

Introduction to human evolution, which is essential for understanding our species. Natural selection, sexual selection, genetics, systematics, behavioral ecology, and life history theory are covered. The order Primates is surveyed. Primary emphasis is on the hominid fossil and archeological record. Behavior, cognition, and culture of nonhuman primates and humans, as well as physical variation in present-day humans, is examined.