Human Evolution

Course description

Why do we walk upright? What are the secrets to our incredible sense of eyesight? How are we different from living apes? And why was it our species that evolved to successfully cover the globe? Explore the history and evolution of the human lineage in this six-part course that spans the emergence of our first bipedal ancestors to the disappearance of our closest fossil relative, the Neanderthals. Bringing together the evidence from the fossil record, recent genetic advances, and the archaeological data, we will examine the biological and cultural characteristics that define humans, as well as the major theories for how such characteristics evolved.

The instruction format will combine lectures with hands-on exercises, making use of UVic Anthropology’s extensive collection of hominin and primate skeletal casts to understand key concepts and prevailing issues and debates in human origins.