Introduction to Human Evolution
As contemporary humans, we are a product of our evolutionary past. That past can be directly observed through the study of the human fossil record, the materials preserved for archaeological study, and the DNA of living and extinct human populations. This course will provide an overview of human evolutionary history from the present--contemporary human variation in a comparative context--through our last common ancestor with the living great apes, some 5-7 million years in the past. Emphasis will be placed on major evolutionary changes in the development of humans and the methodological approaches used by paleoanthropologists and related investigators to develop that knowledge.
The course will begin by asking basic questions about how evolution operates to shape biological variation and what patterns of variation look like in living humans and apes. We will then look at how the human lineage first began to differentiate from apes, the rise and fall of the Australopithecines, the origin and dispersal of the genus Homo, and eventually the radical evolutionary changes associated with the development of agricultural practices in the past 15,000 years. Throughout the course students will be exposed to the primary data, places and theories that shape our understanding of human evolution.
What you'll learn
- How the forces of evolution shape patterns of biological variation
- The major events in human evolutionary history
- How humans can model how evolution works
- Details of the human fossil, archaeological, and genetic records
- The methods scientists use to reconstruct evolutionary history
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| Rating | 5.0★ based on 7 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 4 weeks |
| Effort | 4 weeks, 4–6 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $0 |
| From | Wellesley College, WellesleyX via edX |
| Instructor | Adam Van Arsdale |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Science Humanities |
| Tags | Biology & Life Sciences Science Humanities History |
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What people are saying
approximately six million years
Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.
professor succeeds in creating
The professor succeeds in creating a desire to learn more about this topic.
think wellesley college students
Finally, I think Wellesley College students have the good fortune of having an opportunity to to do courses under Professor Adam Van Arsdale.
though provoking rather than
The quiz questions and exams are very well designed, and though provoking rather than a test of memory.
behavioral traits shared by
courses under professor adam
scientific evidence shows
material can get
The material can get a bit technical, but that's the part that I really enjoyed.
excellent introduction
Excellent introduction to the field.
human evolution
Human evolution as a lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors.
approx 40
I consider this course as one of my top 5 (out of approx 40).
bit technical
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| Rating | 5.0★ based on 7 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 4 weeks |
| Effort | 4 weeks, 4–6 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $0 |
| From | Wellesley College, WellesleyX via edX |
| Instructor | Adam Van Arsdale |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Science Humanities |
| Tags | Biology & Life Sciences Science Humanities History |
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