Paleoanthropology is the science of human origins and evolution.
In this course we explore the method and theory of paleoanthropology, focusing on reconstructions of human evolutionary history and the behavior of fossil hominids. Students will learn to identify and classify fossil humans, to analyze the functional and behavioral implications of their anatomy, and to reconstruct patterns of evolution from the fossil record. The course includes an extensive lab component using a large collection of primate skeletons and fossil human casts.