The Nature of Human Nature

WCP 222 Natural Systems II Spring 1998

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INSTRUCTORS:

Hays Cummins 226 Boyd Hall, ext 9-1338 Office Hours: W, Th 3-5

Chris Myers 126 Peabody Hall, ext. 9-5664 Office Hours: T, Th 3:30-4:30

DESCRIPTION:

Where do friendship, romance, racism, sibling rivalry come from? What are the evolutionary implications of sex and gender? Where do our ethics come from? Darwin helped begin a controversy that thrives to this day on the nature of who we are. The controversy was inflamed in 1975 with the publication of E. O. Wilson's Sociobiology, a conceptual marriage of evolution and human behavior. Politically loaded and regarded as anathema to many, the word sociobiology has been stricken from journals and professional usage.

" People sometimes ask: What ever happened to sociobiology? The answer is that it went underground, where it has been eating away at the foundations of academic orthodoxy. "

-- Robert Wright, The Moral Animal

In this course we will critically explore the cherished perceptions we hold of ourselves and the research that has sought to lend new insights into the fundamental basis of human behavior. This will include modern interpretations of such issues as criminal behavior, honor, sacrifice, parental manipulation, and intelligence.
We will further examine new uses of evolutionary theory to address our place in nature. This course will combine careful readings of primary and secondary literature in evolutionary biology, ecology, and psychology, with empirical investigations (including fieldwork) of the central tenants of the course.

COURSE GOALS:

• To develop tools necessary to assess claims of "natural" human behavior
• A fundamental knowledge of evolutionary theory and its applications
• A better understanding of core principles in quantitative genetics
• A detailed introduction to the study of human/nature relationships

INTERDISCIPLINARITY: We will mainly draw on subdisciplines in biology (evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology), psychology, anthropology, and sociology. We will be following the tracks of a recent, controversial paradigm (sociobiology), to examine how its central tenants are denied, incorporated, and transformed in other disciplines.

WRITING AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING: Writing assignments will include professional writing within a discipline, creative writing, essay, and autobiography. Quantitative components include basic statistics; collecting, presenting, and interpreting data; simple mathematical models in quantitative genetics.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:

Assignment	Weight
In-Class Writing and On-line Feedback	15%
Midterm	15%
Poster Presentations	20%
Naturalist Autobiography	15%
Field Study/Final Exam (on poster topic)	25%
Participation	10%

Miami has 100s of acres of beautiful Natural Areas which lend themselves to experiencing nature! (Quicktime movie~4 mb). On the same walk, a garter snake makes her presence known!

Attendance is essential for serious class discussion and learning. Three percent of the final grade will be subtracted for each unexcused absence. All students should submit end-of-the-semester course evaluations. WCP students must complete their Statement of Educational Objectives in order to receive a grade for second-year Western courses.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: All students should carefully read Part V, Sections 501 507 of The Miami Student Handbook which deals with academic misconduct. If you have any questions about this material, please ask your instructor for interpretation.

HUMAN NATURE POSTER PRESENTATION GUIDELINES: Poster sessions are effeictive ways of communicating research and are commonly employed in academic meetings of all disciplines. Each team (typically two people) should plan to lead class on the day of the poster session: 15 minutes presenting the poster; 15 minutes leading a discussion on the topic of the poster; 30 minutes on leading a more general discussion of the week's readings, or conducting an activity based upon the readings, or gathering data for your Human Nature Field Project. Poster board can be picked up at the Peer Science Center.

Poster and discussion sessions will be each Tuesday beginning week 4.

Your poster should:

• Be provocative
• Have a point--be focused
• Synthesize research on your topic, not simply present findings of others
• Summarize your topic adequately, include text, statistics, and graphics
• Be based on primary as well as secondary sources
• Have a well rounded bibliography
• Be visually appealing and creative
• May include empirical results from your own investigations (e.g. literature surveys or field research)

Poster topics should be directly linked to your Human Nature Field Project.

WEB FORUM FOR THE HUMAN/NATURE FIELD PROJECT: Visit Research Entry by week 4 to put your project ideas on the web. We will work together online. Students and instructors will provide ideas and critiques as the projects develop.

Here's a little boost in your search for a suitable topic!!

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