Teaching
Primate Social Evolution
ANTHRBIO 469
In this course students will learn about how natural selection has shaped the social organization and behavior of a variety of nonhuman primate species. Advances in the study of behavioral ecology, cognition, genetics, and physiology over the last century have led to breakthroughs in our understanding of this extremely diverse order of mammals. Humans, of course, are primates too, and anthropologists study nonhuman primates to learn more about the sorts of animals that humans evolved from and to understand how natural selection shapes behavior in animals that share our long lives, large brains, good memories, extended parental care, and capacity for nepotism, reciprocity, and competition. The course format will be twice-weekly discussion sessions of textbook and primary literature readings. Twice-weekly reading response assignments and a final literature review will be submitted asynchronously via Canvas, and final group presentations will be conducted synchronously at the end of the semester.
ANTHRBIO 469
In this course students will learn about how natural selection has shaped the social organization and behavior of a variety of nonhuman primate species. Advances in the study of behavioral ecology, cognition, genetics, and physiology over the last century have led to breakthroughs in our understanding of this extremely diverse order of mammals. Humans, of course, are primates too, and anthropologists study nonhuman primates to learn more about the sorts of animals that humans evolved from and to understand how natural selection shapes behavior in animals that share our long lives, large brains, good memories, extended parental care, and capacity for nepotism, reciprocity, and competition. The course format will be twice-weekly discussion sessions of textbook and primary literature readings. Twice-weekly reading response assignments and a final literature review will be submitted asynchronously via Canvas, and final group presentations will be conducted synchronously at the end of the semester.
Practical R for the Behavioral Sciences
ANTHRBIO 561
This class will offer an R-based introduction to the analysis of behavioral data. This is not a statistics class, although some relevant statistical concepts will be covered. Instead, we will cover both practical and theoretical considerations of behavioral data analysis. Students will learn to work with, summarize, and draw inferences from the types of data behavioral researchers will encounter in the wild. The first half of the class will cover data manipulation, including data cleaning and reshaping; data visualization; working with dates and times; combining data from multiple sources; and data structures. The second half of the class will cover Social Network Analysis, including advanced network-based regression techniques. During class, students will be provided with R code to execute example tasks, and assignments will involve modifying and extending this code to solve similar problems. Previous familiarity with R is strongly encouraged, but if you are considering taking the class I encourage you to contact me with any questions.
ANTHRBIO 561
This class will offer an R-based introduction to the analysis of behavioral data. This is not a statistics class, although some relevant statistical concepts will be covered. Instead, we will cover both practical and theoretical considerations of behavioral data analysis. Students will learn to work with, summarize, and draw inferences from the types of data behavioral researchers will encounter in the wild. The first half of the class will cover data manipulation, including data cleaning and reshaping; data visualization; working with dates and times; combining data from multiple sources; and data structures. The second half of the class will cover Social Network Analysis, including advanced network-based regression techniques. During class, students will be provided with R code to execute example tasks, and assignments will involve modifying and extending this code to solve similar problems. Previous familiarity with R is strongly encouraged, but if you are considering taking the class I encourage you to contact me with any questions.
Biology, Society, and Culture
ANTHRBIO 361
This course will provide an anthropological perspective on the intersection between human biology and society, past and present. Through lectures and discussions, we will focus on three areas: (1) what we can infer about the evolution of human social systems and culture from studies of extant primates and modern hunter-gatherers, (2) what we know about human variation from studies of human genetics and ancient DNA, and (3) the limits and pitfalls of attempts to make normative descriptions of human social systems and variation from biology. The latter section will touch on subjects including biological vs social conceptions of race, the misapplication of evolutionary arguments in biology and psychology, and the connection of these misuses to the eugenics movement in the United States and elsewhere. Carrying through this course will be a critique of adaptationism and the inherent limitations of trying to build a just society from first scientific principles.
ANTHRBIO 361
This course will provide an anthropological perspective on the intersection between human biology and society, past and present. Through lectures and discussions, we will focus on three areas: (1) what we can infer about the evolution of human social systems and culture from studies of extant primates and modern hunter-gatherers, (2) what we know about human variation from studies of human genetics and ancient DNA, and (3) the limits and pitfalls of attempts to make normative descriptions of human social systems and variation from biology. The latter section will touch on subjects including biological vs social conceptions of race, the misapplication of evolutionary arguments in biology and psychology, and the connection of these misuses to the eugenics movement in the United States and elsewhere. Carrying through this course will be a critique of adaptationism and the inherent limitations of trying to build a just society from first scientific principles.