Syllabus Winter 2007
THE
EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
Anth 173: Tuesday 10:00
to 11:50, Thursday 10:00 to
Professor: Dr. Frances White
Office: 352 Condon Hall
Office hours: Thursdays 9 to 10 and 11:00 to 12:00 or by
appointment
Telephone: 346-5278
E-mail: fwhite@uoregon.edu PLEASE put Anth 173 in the subject of your
e-mail to help me filter your message for my attention
Course syllabus and statement of course policies:
This course
examines the behavior, physiology, and anatomy of human sexuality as traits
that have evolved from our primate and mammal ancestors. By first understanding the theory of
evolution and then the advantages of sexual reproduction, we can then go on to
look at our primate relatives and see how much of our own sexuality has a
biological basis and how much (or little) is truly unique to humans.
Although this is
a science course, I do not assume that you have a rigorous scientific
background: in fact I will be assuming the opposite. My aim is to present the scientific
foundations of this course in a way that will give you an intuitive
understanding of evolution and sociobiology that will help you look critically
at human sexuality from an evolutionary perspective. We will all need, however, a common language
and some scientific terminology and definitions will be essential, but it is
most important that you understand and see how to apply the concepts.
This course is divided into three sections:
- Section
1 runs from the start of the course to first midterm and will examine the
theory of evolution, especially how it is applied to behavior. During this time, discussion sections
will work on the scientific method and how to generate and test
hypotheses.
- Section
2 begins after the first midterm and runs to the second midterm exam. This section will examine the diversity
of sexuality in our primate cousins and look for the evolutionary threads
that we can use to understand and interpret human sexuality.
- Section
3 starts after the second midterm and goes to the end of the class. During this time we will look at sexual
traits often considered unique to humans and see how much we can now
understand based on the evolution of these traits in primates or on their
evolutionary benefits in a variety of human populations.
Specific goals: My goal here is to teach you to understand and
critically evaluate arguments proposed for the evolution of human sexual
behavior. As part of this course we will
be watching a series of videos by Dr. Desmond Morris that present one view on
why humans behave sexually in the ways they do.
My hope is that you will not just sit back and enjoy these videos, but
instead critically evaluate the presentation of evolutionary theory and its
application to the information at hand.
Wherever possible, classes based on videos will include a lecture on the
hypotheses presented in the video and an examination of whether these
hypotheses were addressed. By the end of
this class, I think you will look at your own behavior and the behavior of
those around you in a very different light.
Required reading materials:
There
are assigned readings for both lectures and discussion groups. The assigned readings will be covered in
exams.
There are required
texts and readings:
- Small,
M (1993) What’s love got to do with it?: The Evolution of Human Mating.
Anchor books
- Diamond,
J. (1997) Why is Sex Fun? Basic Books
- Evolution
of Human Sexuality. A custom
printed set of readings available through the bookstore.
- Additional
readings will be posted on the Blackboard site in “Assigned Readings”
Note again: There are separate readings for
lectures and for discussion sections.
Grading: Your grade will be based on: 2 midterm exams,
discussion section attendance, discussion section participation (including a
worksheet to be handed in during sections), and a final exam. All exams will cover material from both
lectures (including the videos) and the discussion sections.
Exams: During this class, there will be a total of two in-class
midterm examinations and one Final exam.
One small classroom will be available for those with difficulties with
taking the exam in the large lecture room. These exams are multiple-choice. If
you have a learning disability with this type of exam, and you are registered
with Disability Services, an alternate format is available. An alternate form
is also available for those for whom English is not the first language. Please see Dr. White or your GTF to arrange
alternate exams. The two in-class exams will take place during regularly
scheduled class times and will be based on assigned readings, lecture material,
and discussion section material. The
first Midterm will cover evolutionary theory (Section 1) and account for a
smaller part of your total grade to allow you the opportunity to learn the
style of questions. The second midterm
will focus on Section 2 of the class but will include questions that require
the understanding you obtained in Section 1.
The final will be cumulative but will contain a larger proportion of
material covered in the final section of the class (Section 3). Exams scores will not be curved. I will use the following guide in assigning
letter grades: A = 90-100%, B = 80 – 89%, C = 70 – 69%, D = 60 – 69%, F <
60%, unless this does not yield reasonable results.
There will be no trick questions on exams but
typographic and editing errors do occur and you may ask questions if you do not
understand the wording of exam questions.
All exams are multiple choice and computer graded.
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
1. Midterm 1 10%
2. Midterm 2 25%
3. Discussion
attendance 5%
4. Discussion
participation 20%
5. Final 40%
FINAL EXAM: The University
regulations do not allow faculty to provide early final examinations.
Make-up Exams: Make-up exams are possible and may be approved
ONLY in the event of a documented serious illness, injury, family emergency, an
integral part of your undergraduate education (e.g. a field course or study
abroad), or a scheduled university event.
DO NOT ASSUME that you can take a make-up until it has been
approved. If you have one of these valid
reasons for missing an exam, you must notify me and/or your GTF prior to or
during the scheduled time of the exam. Original
notification at the time of the absence may be by e-mail, in writing, by phone
or in person, but MUST be followed up with an email notification. A valid reason must include documentation
such as a signed statement from a physician or equivalent written evidence of
an emergency, crisis, or university event.
If you have a legitimate reason for missing an exam, you will be approved
to take an make-up and assigned an essay question to be completed during the
final exam period. If you are absent
from campus for a university event during an exam, it may be possible to take
the exam away from campus if the correct academic administration is
available. Please check with me and/or
your GTF if you have questions before the exams. We use multiple different copies of exams to
avoid both temptation to cheat and inadvertent copying. Exams are color-coded. You will be responsible for ensuring that
your answer sheet includes the correct code for the version of the exam you are
answering.
All
make-up examinations will consist of essay exams and will be taken either
before or during the final exam week.
There
will be no extra-credit opportunities to improve grades in this class.
Attendance: In order to get the most out of this class, it
is vital that you attend lectures and discussion sections. The notes provided on Blackboard are outlines
only and much of the material is presented only in lectures. It has been shown many times that class
attendance is the most important factor in improving a student’s academic
performance. Attendance is required (and
counts towards your grade) in Discussion sections. If you miss a section, you should contact
your GTF and you may be able to make-up a section by attending another
section. BUT the class and all
discussion sections are full, and only the GTF in charge can give you
permission to sit in on another section that is not your own. You will need to obtain permission to attend
another section from the GTF before the time of that section.
Attendance will
not be recorded for lectures. If you
miss a lecture due to illness or other legitimate reasons, you will need to
obtain the notes for that class from a classmate. You do not need to inform me if you miss
class but I suggest you make an appointment with your GTF to go over missed
material during their office hours.
During lectures: PLEASE
TURN YOUR
Videos and Images: We will watch a set of videos as an integral
part of this class. You will be expected
to take notes and retain information from videos as much as from lectures. Exam questions will cover material presented
in videos. Where possible, copies of
videos will be put on reserve for you to review. Some of you may find some of
the content of videos (as well as images in lectures) too explicit or
offensive. Most notable here are images
of male genitalia, the process of penis erection, and one sequence showing
ejaculation. I will try to give a general notice when images that some have found
objectionable are coming up. You are not
required to watch these images and alternative notes to the videos have been
provided.
GTFs: This year we are fortunate to have a set of
experienced and qualified Graduate Teaching Fellows who are an integral part of
this teaching team. Along with the
professor, these GTFs will be running the Discussion Sections and will hold
office hours. Office hours are an
important resource open to you where you can meet with someone who can help you
understand material if you are having difficulties. Please make sure you know your GTF’s name and
contact information as well as your section time and Discussion section
Discussion Sections: As an integral part of this class, you will also
be required to attend and participate in a Discussion Section. Discussion sections account for a large
proportion of your grade. Attendance
will be taken at discussion sections. As
you will be graded on your discussion section participation, it will be to your
advantage to identify yourself to your GTF when you participate in discussions
and make sure your name appears on your worksheet. Grading on participation in discussions will
be based on the effort you put in. These
sections serve several roles (see course schedule):
- In
some discussion sections you will cover background material you will need
to understand in order to follow evolutionary arguments presented in
lectures.
- Several
discussion sections provide you with additional material including
original research or syntheses to critically evaluate and discuss.
- Answers
to both Midterm exams will be reviewed in discussion sections.
- Discussion
sections provide you with the opportunity to ask questions and review and
clarify material with your GTF and classmates.
You may be assigned reading and need to present information to
your section. Make sure you do the
readings and prepare before coming to your Discussion section.
Class Blackboard Site:
Important information will be posted on the Blackboard site. Please check the site regularly during the
term to stay in touch with any changes.
To keep the amount of paper we have to use as low as possible, we will
avoid giving out handouts and instead post material shown as overheads, etc., on the class Blackboard site
for you to review. The site will also
include class schedule and syllabus, reading assignments, and whenever possible
lecture outlines. It will also include
additional resources such as web sites and additional readings for those
interested. The results from exams will
be posted on the web site as soon as they become available.
Cheating and Academic Honesty:
Anyone caught cheating or engaged in any form of academic
dishonesty will fail this course. As
stated in the University of Oregon Policy on Academic Honesty “to present the
words, ideas, data or work of another as one’s own, or to cheat on an
examination corrupts the essential process by which knowledge is
advanced”. Please help us in exams by
avoiding behaviors that have been associated with cheating, including talking
or interacting with friends, wearing hats or concealing clothing, using cell
phones, or bringing class materials to exams.
We use multiple different copies of exams to avoid both temptation to
cheat and inadvertent copying. Exams are
color-coded. You will be responsible for
ensuring that your answer sheet includes the correct code for the version of
the exam you are answering as well as your name and identifying number.
Discrimination: We are committed to fostering the University of Oregon’s goals of
encouraging a caring and supportive atmosphere on campus and of promoting a
campus climate that understands and respects the needs of a culturally,
ethnically, physically, and socially diverse student body. Also the
Language: If English is not your primary language
and you have difficulties with the multiple-choice format, you may elect to
take the alternative essay version of the exams. Documentation from you academic advisor or
equivalent is required. Please see Dr.
White or your GTF to arrange alternate exams.
Physical and Learning Disabilities: Please contact
Disability Services if you have a disability that affects your performace in
this class so that we can make any reasonable adjustments to improve the
learning environment. Exams can be taken
using Disability Service resources. Alternate forms of exams are available for
those with extra challenges with the multiple-choice format.
Bloopers and Gaffs: I feel I must say
from the beginning that this is not an easy subject to lecture on. I do try to present the material in a fair
and balanced way, but everyone makes mistakes, especially when I am standing up
here talking about such a loaded subject as sex for 10 weeks. I also believe in using humor to interest
students, provide a break in a long lecture, and provide an additional way for
memory to retain information. Although
obviously I will try not to say anything too offensive, mistakes do happen and
if you are offended anything I say, I apologize, and please work with me to
help each year that I teach this course better than the year before. Some of best humor-based learning tools (i.e.
cartoons and jokes) have come from students in this class!
|
Week |
Subject |
|
|
Week 1 |
Evolution and how it works: popular use and misconceptions |
|
|
Week 2 |
Kin selection and relatives: using the senses |
|
|
Week 3 |
Go over Midterm 1 |
|
|
Week 4 |
Female dominance: what does it mean in non-human and human primates |
|
|
Week 5 |
JD Ch 2 |
|
|
Week 6 |
The Human face: fathers and babies and who do you look like? |
JD Ch 2 |
|
Week 7 |
Go over Midterm 2 |
|
|
Week 8 |
Fathers and hormones: male parenting skills |
|
|
Week 9 |
Measures of attractiveness: worksheet exercise |
|
|
Week 10 |
Darwinopoly: time to put your strategy into action and see who wins (also chance to ask questions before the final) |
Instructions on Blackboard – read before you play! |
|
Week |
Date |
Lecture outline and
schedule |
|
|
Week 1 |
Lecture 1 |
Introduction to the course. Evolution and Creationism. |
HS Ch 1: Genetics & Evolution, BB Human Evolution |
|
Lecture 2 |
What animals look (and behave) like the blueprint at conception (genotype) versus what happens during growth (phenotype). Advantages of sexual reproduction. Meiosis & mitosis. What does evolution act on? The importance of VARIATION. What is male / female? |
HS Ch 1: Genetics & Evolution, BB Human Evolution |
|
|
Week 2 |
Lecture 3 |
Adaptation, fitness, and reproductive success. The importance of doing better than others of the same sex (intrasexual selection) compared to getting the best mating (intersexual selection). Relatedness: selfish genes and unselfish kin. |
HS Ch 3 Self sacrificing behavior and 6 Adaptation |
|
Lecture 4 |
Video: The Nature of Sex: The Sex Contract –start promptly at 10! |
Small Ch 1, 2 |
|
|
Week 3 |
|
MIDTERM 1 |
|
|
Lecture 6 |
The Comparative Approach: Evolution of humans, primates (lemurs, monkeys and apes), and others: where do we fit in and what does everyone else look like? |
HS Ch 2: The Living Primates |
|
|
Week 4 |
Lecture 7 |
Types of mating systems: from pair bonds to harems in non-human primates. |
|
|
Lecture 8 |
The mechanics of sex. Anatomy and physiology of sex. Did orgasms evolve? Video: The Human Animal: the biology of love –start promptly at 10! |
HS Ch 4: Sex Anatomy |
|
|
Week 5 |
Lecture 9 |
What happens when one sex gives more - inter and intrasexual competition. |
HS Ch 7 Sexual Selection |
|
Lecture 10 |
Why is the sex ratio important? Can primates decide on male or female infants? |
|
|
|
Week 6 |
Lecture 11 |
Why sexuality? What do primates use sex for other than reproducing? Why hide or show ovulation? |
JD Ch 4 |
|
Lecture 12 |
Video: Sex and the human animal –start promptly at 10! |
HS 5: Sexual Arousal… |
|
|
Week 7 |
|
MIDTERM 2 |
|
|
Lecture 14 |
Reproduction: just how hard is it? (Video excerpt on human birth from: The immortal genes: human birth, reproduction, and death). |
|
|
|
Week 8 |
Lecture 15 |
Why do women menstruate? Why don’t men lactate? Why do both masturbate? |
JD 3, 6, Small 3 and 4 |
|
Lecture 16 |
Human sex differences. Video: The Human Sexes: different but equal –start promptly at 10! |
|
|
|
Week 9 |
Lecture 17 |
Why live after menopause? Monogamy or not? What are humans evolved to do? Sex and Marriage video |
JD Ch 5, 6 |
|
Lecture 18 |
Evolution of homosexuality. The special case of the pygmy chimpanzee: Video segment from The Uncommon Chimpanzee |
Small Ch 6 |
|
|
Week 10 |
Mar 14 Lecture 19 |
Are human mating systems adaptive? Beauty and attractiveness: Lust and Love. |
JD Ch 7; Small 5 |
|
Lecture 20 |
Course evaluations. Human sociobiology: how far should we go? |
Small 7 |
|
|
Final |
|
Final exam dates are set by the Registrar. See http://www.uoregon.edu/~registrar/common/cals/finalscal.htm |
|
Key to readings:
Small = Small, M (1995) What’s love got to do with it?
JD = Diamond, J. (1997) Why is Sex Fun? Basic Books
HS = The Evolution of Human Sexuality. A custom printed set of readings available through the bookstore
BB = reading posted on Blackboard