[ARCHIVED CATALOG] 2020-2021 Undergraduate Academic Catalog

Jul 27, 2024

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[ARCHIVED CATALOG] 2020-2021 Undergraduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PSY 441 - Evolutionary Psychology

3 credits

Prerequisite(s): PSY 121 or PSY 161
This course presents an overview of the growing field of evolutionary psychology. Students will be exposed to empirical research findings, theoretical bases, and methodological issues related to sociobiology, behavioral genetics, and the evolution of species. Students will become familiar with concepts of natural and sexual selection, inclusive fitness, competition, evolved psychological mechanisms, and environmental influences on species. Students will gain a deeper understanding of human nature through exposure to the history of the human species as a changing social animal in dynamic relationship with his or her environment, strongly influenced by the past in his or her efforts to strive for a better future. Lectures and discussions will be supplemented by both cutting-edge and seminal primary readings.