Fall 2026 Courses:
Anthrbio 368 Primate Behavior
This class reviews the social systems and behavior of our closest living relatives, the primates. The course will be divided into two parts. Part 1 will introduce the biology and behavior of lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes. It will cover important aspects of their life histories, their social systems, and their reproduction, such as dominance and aggression, mating and parenting, predation, feeding strategies, and social relationships. Part 2 will focus on primate cognition, including their communication and problem-solving abilities and their analogs of culture. The class will draw heavily on field studies of primates, and emphasize their behavior in natural environmental and social settings. This course fulfills the Universitys upper-level writing requirement, and thus is writing-intensive. It is taught as two 1.5 hour lectures per week.
Anthrbio 168 First Year Seminar in Primate Field Studies
A seminar designed for first-year students. Students will be introduced to science as a mode of inquiry by applying Darwins theory of evolution via natural selection to the behavior of non-human primates. Emphasis will be given to long-term field studies of primates in the wild. Class participation, weekly writing assignments, and a term paper are required. This course is taught as one 3 hour discussion/lecture per week.
Winter 2026 Courses:
Anthrbio 369 Honors Seminar in Biological and Archaeological Anthropology
This seminar is for students preparing honors theses under the supervision of faculty in Biological Anthropology or Archaeology, or whose projects align with these subfields. Students should enter the course with data collection and most analyses completed. The focus of the class is on developing the written thesis through structured writing time, instructor feedback, and peer exchange. Topics covered include scientific writing, citation management, data presentation, and strategies for communicating research clearly and effectively. By the end of the term, students will have produced a refined thesis draft and a concise presentation of their work. This course is taught as one 3 hour discussion/workshop per week.
Anthrbio 478 Advanced Primate Behavior
This is an advanced undergraduate/graduate course examining the ecology and behavior of non-human primates. Using mainly primary research articles, the class will explore themes in primate behavioral ecology including reproductive strategies, sexual selection, behavioral endocrinology, cooperation and conflict, cultural transmission, and primate cognition The objectives of this class include providing an overview of some of the exciting and controversial research areas in primate behavior, and to help bring advanced undergraduates up to graduate level in their reading, understanding, and writing about primate-related topics. The class places emphasis on critical thinking and clear, concise presenting and writing.