PSYC 215 - Seminar in Evolutionary Psychology

FDR: SS3
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2011 and alternate years

Prerequisite: PSYC 111, 112, 113, or 114, or permission of the instructor.The purpose of this course is to examine evolutionary theory as a means of explaining human behavior. The main premise is that behaviors such as cooperation, aggression, mate selection, and intelligence exist because individuals exhibiting these behaviors were more likely to produce healthy offspring that perpetuated those behaviors (i.e., natural selection). We evaluate the validity of this argument in a number of areas of human behavior and also discuss how culture has shaped our genes. Evolutionary psychology is not an area of psychology, like social psychology or cognitive psychology, but is instead a lens through which all human behavior can be explained. Though it is tempting to engage in “arm chair” application of evolutionary theory to behavior, this is a science course; all arguments must be backed up with data.Whiting.