ESP/ANT 105. The Evolution of Societies and Cultures. In 2004 given as ANT198/ESP198 (52245/64161) 4 units MWF 1:10-2:00pm, T. 9-9:50.

The course material leverages theories and data from anthropology, psychology, and biology to help make sense of human cultural diversity and how and why it changes through time.

  TOPICS: Human cultural diversity in time and space. The relative importance of genes, environment, and culture; psychology of social learning; diffusion of innovations; climate change and human evolution; conflicts between genetic and cultural systems, the demographic transition; the evolution of cooperation; the evolution of symbolically-marked groups; evolution of complex societies; the origin of agriculture; the origin of complex societies; the origin of modern societies; contemporary trends.

Syllabus

See also my co-instructor Richard McElreath's web page.

                                                               19th Century cartoon of Charles Darwin

                                                                                   as an ape.