My pedagogical objective is threefold — to help students cultivate the habit of approaching problems scientifically, to develop transferrable professional skills that will benefit students in any career path, and to relate course content to broader issues in society. I create an active learning environment that provides students with mastery of the scientific method so that they leave my courses as investigators with experience critically evaluating scientific literature, designing and conducting research, and with the ability to communicate their findings to diverse audiences.
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
Students are introduced to cell biology, genetics, evolution, primate evolution and taxonomy, behavior, and the hominin fossil record. Undergraduates learn how to read and synthesize the primary literature, work as a member of team to reason through scientific problems, and understand the place of humans in the natural world. I have taught this course and its equivalent at Boston University and the University of Southern California.
Primate Behavior and Ecology
This course explores the behavior of wild primates and the ecological models that attempt to explain the evolution of these behaviors. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, socioecology, aggression, kinship, cooperation, reproductive strategies, cognition, and conservation. Students design and conduct an observational study on behavior at a local zoo and present their findings in written and oral form. I have taught this course at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California.
Theory and Methods in Human Evolutionary Biology
The goal of this course is for students to obtain a clear knowledge of the theories and methods used to understand human and primate evolution and undertake a capstone project. We focus on a few large bodies of theory (socioecology and life history) and discuss current research on these topics. We explore the use of both non-human primates and humans as study subjects and survey the methods employed to gather data. Students learn to critique scientific studies and gain experience in articulating with peers in a discussion-based format. The course wraps up with scientific presentations of their research findings, peer review, and publication-quality research reports. I taught this course at the University of Southern California.
Human Reproductive Ecology
This course explores the processes that regulate fertility in human populations. We adopt an evolutionary perspective to examine the factors that have shaped human reproductive physiology and contribute to variation in reproductive parameters between populations. The biology of menarche, ovarian cycling, pregnancy, lactation, fetal loss, and menopause are reviewed and the ecological and social factors that influence these steps in the reproductive process are considered. Students select most of the peer-reviewed literature that we discuss, prepare scientific poster presentations, and produce a research grant proposal. I have taught this class at the University of Pennsylvania as a discussion-based seminar.
Evolutionary Medicine
This course introduces the field of evolutionary medicine, recognizing that evolutionary processes and human evolutionary history have shaped health among contemporary human populations. The course emphasizes ultimate explanations, such as how natural selection and other evolutionary forces shape our susceptibility to diseases. We review human evolutionary history, focusing on the major events in hominin evolution such as bipedalism and large brain size (some of which are responsible for many of our medical issues today) as well the origins of modern human variation. The course uses the evolutionary medical approach to examine contemporary health issues including infectious and non-infectious diseases, and considers biocultural factors that influence patterns of health disparities among and within populations. I have taught this course at the University of Pennsylvania.
Disease and Human Evolution
Disease and Human Evolution goes through the chronology of broad human epidemiological, demographic, and biocultural changes and the diseases that are associated with these shifts. Students learn the basic biology of a wide array of common human diseases along with the social and cultural variables that influence the prevalence of those ailments. In addition to lecture material, class discussions are thought provoking and productive, particularly with regard to understanding the current global pandemic and considering what patterns of human disease we can expect moving into the future. I have taught this course at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nutritional Anthropology
This course adopts a biocultural perspective to explore human food and foodways. I cover the biology of digestion and metabolism and evolutionary perspectives on the human diet. We also discuss the biology, culture, and political economics of undernutrition and overnutrition, using case studies from around the world. We consider food security, food justice, and food apartheid and relate these concepts to current issues facing our own country and others around the globe. Students have the chance to explore a topic of their own choosing related to human nutrition or diet using a holistic biocultural approach. I have taught this course at the University of Pennsylvania