Human Biology

Investigation of the inner workings of human biology using a biocultural approach. Biocultural perspectives consider the evolutionary, social and biological factors that underpin our biology and shape health and disease. This course introduces the basic structures of the integumentary (i.e., skin), blood, skeletal, respiratory, endocrine, circulatory, and reproductive systems with interactive lab activities. We will move beyond simple mechanistic explanations and explore biocultural and evolutionary explanations for individual and population-level differences across these systems. This course employs the critical lens of health inequity/disparity literature to examine how risk of pathologies/disruptions to these systems are focused on marginalized populations both globally and within the United States. Case studies from anthropological research will be incorporated into discussion of a range of topics, including but not limited to sickle-cell anemia, osteoporosis, psychosocial stress and health, COVID-19, cardiovascular disease, and premature births.

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