Anthropology 562: Introduction to Evolutionary Anthropology

Transcription

1 Anthropology 562: Introduction to Evolutionary Anthropology Instructor: Ed Hagen Office: VMMC 102E Phone: Office hours: Anytime Course website: Lecture day and time: F Semester: Spring 2011 Course description anth-562-edward-h-hagen/ Anthropology 562 is an introductory survey of evolutionary anthropology. The theme of the course is that the evolutionary biological framework developed to understand non-human organisms can also be used to understand humans. Each student is required to make two presentations during the semester. One presentation will be long, covering all readings for that week, and the other will be short, covering 1/2 of all readings for that week. Presentations will be assigned at the start of the course. Each student is also required to write one term paper on a topic of their choosing (about 20 pages, plus references). The topic must be approved by the course instructor. Papers are due the last day of finals week. Course textbook (optional) This course assumes an undergraduate level understanding of biological anthropology. If you need an introduction or refresher, I recommend: Boyd and Silk. How Humans Evolved, latest edition. Required reading Week 1 (Jan 14): The problem of organism design (and its solution) Paley. Natural Theology (the problem). Darwin. Origin of species (the solution). 1

2 Week 2 (Jan 21): The human branch of the tree of life Kutschera and Niklas The modern theory of biological evolution -- an expanded synthesis. Cela-Conde and Ayala Genera of the human lineage. Wood and Collard The Changing Face of Genus Homo. Collard and Wood How reliable are human phylogenetic hypotheses? Tattersall Paleoanthropology -- The Last Half-Century. Foley In the Shadow of the Modern Synthesis -- Alternative Perspectives on the Last Fifty Years of Paleoanthropology White Ladders, bushes, punctuations, and clades: Hominid paleobiology in the late 20th century. Week 3 (Jan 28): The human niche Brantingham Hominid-carnivore coevolution and invasion of the predatory guild. O Connell et al Male strategies and Plio-Pliestocene archaeology. Stiner Carnivory coevolution and the geographic spread of Homo. Klein Archeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior. McBrearty and Brooks The revolution that wasn t -- a new interpretation of the origin of modern human behavior. Stringer 2002 Modern human origins -- progress and prospects. Week 4 (Feb 4): The gene s eye view Williams Adaptation and natural selection. Dawkins The selfish gene. (Any edition) Gould and Lewontin The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme. Week 5 (Feb 11): Evolutionary approaches to behavior Krebs and Davies. An Introduction to behavioural ecology, 3rd edition (chapters 1-2). Maynard Smith Optimization theory in evolution. Maynard Smith Evolution and the theory of games (chapters 1 and 2). Owens Where is behavioural ecology going? [Optional] McElreath and Boyd. Mathematical Models of Social Evolution: A guide for the perplexed (chapter 2). 2

3 Week 6 (Feb 18): Sociobiology Hamilton The genetical evolution of social behaviour, I & II. Trivers The evolution of reciprocal altruism. Trivers Parental investment and sexual selection. Trivers Parent-offspring conflict. Alexander The evolution of social behavior. Axelrod and Hamilton The evolution of cooperation. Week 7 (Feb 25): Primate socioecology Wrangham An ecological model of female-bonded primate groups. Sterck et al The evolution of female social relationships in nonhuman primates. Rodseth et al The human community as a primate society. Foley and Gamble The ecology of social transitions in human evolution. Week 8 (Mar 4): Human Behavioral Ecology Smith Anthropological applications of optimal foraging theory: A critical review. Winterhalder and Smith Analyzing adaptive strategies: human behavioral ecology at twenty-five. Chagnon Life histories, blood revenge, and warfare in a tribal population. Borgerhoff Mulder Kipsigis women s preferences for wealthy men: Evidence for female choice in mammals? Kitcher Précis of Vaulting ambition: Sociobiology and the quest for human nature. Grafen Natural selection, kin selection and group selection. Week 9 (Mar 11): Life history theory Stearns 1976 Life-history tactics: a review of the ideas. Hill and Kaplan Life history traits in humans: Theory and empirical studies. Kaplan et al A theory of human life history evolution: Diet, intelligence, and longevity. Hawkes et al Grandmothering, menopause, and the evolution of human life histories 3

4 Week 11 (Mar 25): Evolutionary psychology Symons behavior. On the use and misuse of Darwinism in the study of human Tooby and Cosmides Origins of domain specificity: The evolution of functional organization. Tooby and Cosmides The psychological foundations of culture. Cosmides and Tooby Cognitive adaptations for social exchange. [Optional] Evans and Zarate Introducing Evolutionary Psychology. [Optional] Hirschfeld and Gelman Towards a topography of mind: An introduction to domain specificity. Week 12 (Apr 1): Evolved mating psychology Buss, DM (1989) Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 12:1-49. Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (1999). The origins of sex differences in human behavior: Evolved dispositions versus social roles. American Psychologist 54: Schmitt Sociosexuality from Argentina to Zimbabwe: A 48-nation study of sex, culture, and strategies of human mating. Malamuth et al Sexual coercion. Week 13 (Apr 8): Evolution of human cooperation Henrich et al Economic Man in Cross-cultural Perspective: Behavioral Experiments in 15 Small-scale Societies. Fehr et al Strong reciprocity, human cooperation, and the enforcement of social norms. Gurven To give and to give not: The behavioral ecology of human food transfers. Smith and Bird Turtle hunting and tombstone opening public generosity as costly signaling. Week 14 (Apr 15): Cultural evolution Henrich and McElreath The evolution of cultural evolution. Sperber The modularity of thought and the epidemiology of representations. Pagel Human language as a culturally transmitted replicator. Laland and Hoppitt Do animals have culture? 4

5 Week 15 (Apr 22): Human genetic evolution and diversity TBA. Week 16 (Apr 29): To be determined... 5