Biological Anthropology
What is Biological Anthropology?
Biological Anthropology (also known as Physical Anthropology) is the study of the past and present evolution of the human species and is especially concerned with understanding the causes of present human diversity. Biological anthropology encompasses many different fields such as human paleontology, evolutionary biology, human genetics, comparative anatomy and physiology, primate behavior, human behavioral ecology, and human biology. What makes biological anthropology unique is that it brings all of these areas together to better our understanding of the origins of modern humans and of modern human diversity; the relationship between climate and human evolution; and the evolution of language and cognition.
See CCSF Course Schedule for Available Options.
Required Text
Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, and Kelsie Aguilera (2019)
Open Access Text:
Suggested Texts
Jonathan Marks
ISBN-13: 978-0190490997
ISBN-10: 0190490993
Eva Jablonka et. al
ISBN-10: 0262525844
ISBN-13: 978-0262525848
Spring 2024 Syllabus
In-Person Section
n/a - see other course options in the schedule
This course is an introduction to the biological nature of humanity. It examines the evolutionary foundations of human variability.
This theme is approached broadly from the perspectives of anatomy, paleontology, genetics, primatology, and ecology. For this purpose, the course will address the principles of human evolution, fossil evidence, behavior, and morphological characteristics of human and non-human primates.
Explanation of the interrelationship between biological and socio-behavioral aspects of human evolution, such as the changing social role of sex, are also discussed. In addition, human inter-population differences and environmental factors that account for these differences will be evaluated.
Course Topics:
Module 1: Introduction to Biological Anthropology
Module 2: The Evolutionary Process
Module 3: Molecular Genetics
Module 4: Natural Selection and the Forces of Evolution
Module 5: Osteology - Understanding the Skeleton
Module 6: Bioarcheology and Forensic Anthropology
Module 8: Race and Human Variation
Module 9: Introduction to Primates and Primate Behavior
Module 10: The Fossil Context + Primate Evolution
Module 11: Early Hominins
Module 12: Early Members of the Genus Homo
Module 13: Archaic Homo and Modern Homo sapiens
Module 14: Finals
Questions about Biological Anthropology.mp4
