Instructor: Herman Pontzer                           
Office: McMillan 119                                                            
Phone: 935-5292                                                       
Email: hpontzer@artsci.wustl.edu                  
Office Hours: M W 2:30-4:00pm or by appointment.                            

Required Text: The Human Species, 7th ed. By John H. Relethford (2008) McGraw-Hill

Date                                   Topic (Reading)

Monday           Aug. 31     Introduction, History of evolutionary thought
                                           (Reading: p. 3-22, 33-40, 43-54)   

Monday           Sept. 7      Labor Day – No Class
 
Monday           Sept. 14    Genes and inheritance, Mechanisms of evolution, Natural selection                
                                            (Reading: p 23-28, p 55-58, 71-99)

Monday           Sept. 21   Evolution in the public sphere, Speciation and extinction, Phylogeny 
                                          (Reading: p 103-122)

Monday           Sept. 28   Genetic perspective on human evolution
                                          (Reading: p 41-43, 378-415)

Monday         Oct. 5      EXAM 1 (30% of course grade; material 8/31 – 9/28)

Monday           Oct. 12    Introduction to the living primates, Prosimians, Tarsiers, and New world                                                     monkeys, Old world monkeys, Gibbons
                                          (Reading: p 125-137, 155-175)
   
Monday           Oct. 19    Orangutans, Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Bonobos, & Human foragers
                                          (Reading: p 175-186)

Monday           Oct. 26    Primate intelligence, social behavior, life-history, locomotion, and diet
                                         (Reading: p130-151)

Monday           Nov. 2      Humans: What’s old, what’s new? 
                                          (Reading: p 191-216)

Friday              Nov. 6      Walk-through fossil lab for day course (10am-4pm, McMillan Cafe)

Monday          Nov. 9    EXAM 2 (30% course grade; material 10/12 – 11/2)

Monday           Nov. 16    Introduction to paleontology,  primate evolution, history paleoanthropology 
                                          (Reading: p 221-262)

Monday           Nov. 23    Earliest hominins, Australopithecines, Evolution of human bipedalism
                                          (Reading: p 265-299)

Monday           Nov. 30    Evolution of the genus Homo: diet, tools, and brains
                                          (Reading: p 303-338)

Monday           Dec. 7      Origin of modern humans and modern human adaptation
                                          (Reading: p 341-365, p 378-391, p 426-453)

Monday         Dec. 14    EXAM 3 (35% course grade; material 11/16 – 12/7)

 

Grading:
1. 95% of your final grade is based on your performance on exams 1, 2, and 3. The remaining 5% of your course grade will be based on your participation in three short out-of-class assignments.

2. Students taking the course on a Credit/No Credit basis are required to earn a grade of C in order to receive credit (C- and lower will receive no credit).

3. There are NO options for extra credit and no exemptions from the final exam.

4. CHEATING and other misconduct will be dealt with according to Washington University's policies on academic integrity. Don't do it.