HUMAN ETHOLOGY

ANTH 395.01

Fall 2004

V. Bentley-Condit Ext. 4305

Goodnow 307 bentleyc@grinnell.edu

 
 
In this course we will explore 1) the evolutionary bases for human behavior, 2) how to observe, record, and study human behavior and 3) the benefits and shortcomings of an ethological approach through both readings and hands-on projects. Each student will design and conduct a short ethological study of human behavior. This course will be research-centered. 

READINGS:

1) Cartwright, J. 2001. Evolution and Human Behavior. MIT Press.

2) Darwin, C., 2002. The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 3^rd edition. Oxford University Press. (With Introduction, Afterword and Commentaries by Paul Ekman)

3) Lehner, P. 1998. Handbook of Ethological Methods, 2^nd edition. Cambridge University Press.

4) Schmitt, A., et al. 1997. New Aspects of Human Ethology. Plenum Press. **CHECK WITH VB-C**

5) Other readings as assigned (RR)

6) Provided supplementary materials (PV)

GRADING/REQUIREMENTS:

Absences – Don’t even think about it. If you must think about it, here’s how it works.

Absence #1 – If you are seen (i.e., don’t just contact) at the health center and have them contact me, you’re OK. Of course, it will have a negative impact on your class participation grade.

Absence #2 – If you are (a) hemorrhaging something at every orifice, (b) or hospitalized, (c) or dead and (d) have an excuse from a doctor, you’re OK. Again, it will negatively affect your grade and death will probably cause you to fail.

Absence #3 – I’ll have you removed from the class. (Yes, I can do that.)

Leading Discussion (20%) – This will be scheduled late in the semester. Each student will assign the readings for his/her class and lead the discussion on that date. These readings will most likely be part of her/his project research.

Participation (30%) – Obviously, this is crucial. Everyone must participate all the time. This is not a lecture course; it’s a seminar. We’ll read things, talk about them, and do some hands-on projects. So, in addition to “you must always attend” add “you must always be prepared and participate”. Project (50%) – This, too, is crucial. This is what the entire course it building towards. I’ll provide you with more info as we go in terms of what the final paper should look like, etc. It will be somewhere around 20 pages in length and written following an NSF Grant Proposal format.

If you have issues with any of the above, now’s the time to find another course. If you have questions, now’s the time to ask.

SYLLABUS:

WEEK/DATE	TOPIC/ASSIGNMENT	READINGS
SUMMER BREAK 17MAY – 24AUG	One of the first ethological studies of humans	Darwin, entire book RR1: Armstrong, 1993 RR2: Browne, 1985 RR3: Turner, 1991 Fieldwork CD (PV); Mini-project
1 26AUG & 31AUG	1) Discussion of Darwin and mini-project	26^th – Darwin 31^st - Darwin, cont.
2 02SEP & 07SEP	1) What is human ethology 2) History of ethology. 3) Applying evolutionary theory to human behavior	2^nd – Cartwright 1 RR4: Tinbergen, 1963 RR5: Wilson, 1975 RR6: Wilson, 1976 RR7: Critique, 1976 7^th – Cartwright 2 Schmitt et al. 1 RR8: Kenrick, 1995
3 09SEP & 14SEP	1) Mating behavior & sexual selection 2) Doing ethology 3) Discussion of potential projects & sites	9^th – Cartwright 3-4 Lehner 1-2 14^th – Cartwright 5 Schmitt et al. 189-224
4 16SEP & 21SEP	1) Brain, language, mind 2) Research delineation 3) Discussion of potential projects & sites	16^th – Cartwright 6-7 Schmitt et al. 5,6 21^st – Schmitt et al. 2,4 Lehner 3-5
5 23SEP & 28SEP	1) Sexual behavior and mate choice 2) Conflict 3) Research design 4) Determine topic, begin literature search & locate ethogram 5) Ethogram & Bibliography due on Friday, 01OCT	23^rd – Cartwright 8-9 28^th – Lehner 6, 8
6 30SEP & 05OCT	1) Altruism 2) Data collection methods	30^th – Cartwright 10,11 5^th – Schmitt et al. 3 Lehner 7,9,10
7 07OCT & 12OCT	1) The use and abuse of evolutionary theory 2) Further case studies 3) Practice observations 4) Draft of methodology due on Friday, 08OCT	7^th – Cartwright 12 Schmitt et al. 7-9 12^th – N/A – Practice observations; Have a working ethogram for practice; Reread relevant parts of Lehner or Cartwright to write methodology draft
8 14OCT	1) Further case studies 2) Practice Observations 4) Complete and more polished draft of all previous sections due on Friday, 15OCT	14^th - RR9: Eals & Silverman, 1994 RR10: Kohl et al., 2001
FALL BREAK 15OCT – 25OCT	DATA COLLECTION
9 26OCT & 28OCT	1) Continued Data collection (if necessary) 2) Begin data analysis 3) Detailed outline/rough draft of literature review section due on Monday, 01NOV	26^th – N/A; Discussion of fall break data collection 28^th – Lehner 11-12
10 02NOV & 04NOV	1) Data analysis and write-up 2) Preliminary data tabulations and more polished draft ofliterature review due on Friday, 05NOV	2^nd – RR11: Zeifman, 2001 RR12: Weisfeld, 1979 4^th – RR13: Feierman, 1982 RR14: Zabel & Zabel, 1982 RR15: Troisi, 1999 Lehner 13-18 (as needed)
11 09NOV & 11NOV	1) Data analysis and write-up 2) Individual meetings to discuss progress on 9th	9^th – No Class 11^th - TBA – Student-led & assigned
12 16NOV & 18NOV	1) Data analysis and write-up	16^th – TBA – Student-led & assigned 18^th – TBA – Student-led & assigned
12 1/2 23NOV	1) Data analysis and write-up	23^rd – TBA – Student-led & assigned
13 30NOV & 02DEC	1) Data analysis and write-up 2) Optional – may submit draft of final paper following NSF guidelines on 03DEC for feedback	30^th – TBA – Student-led & assigned 2^nd – TBA – Student-led & assigned
14 07DEC & 09DEC	1) Final NSF grant proposal due Monday, 13DEC, 5pm (but I’m happy to accept them sooner)	7^th – TBA – Student-led & assigned 9^th – N/A; Wrap-up

RESERVED READINGS:

1) Armstrong, P. 1993. An ethologist aboard HMS Beagle: The young Darwin’s observations on animal behavior. J of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 29:339-344.

2) Browne, J. 1985. The Darwinian Heritage – Ch 12: Darwin and the expression of the emotions. Kohn, D. (ed). Princeton University Press, NJ. Pp. 307-326.

3) Turner, D. 1991. The ethology of the human-cat relationship. Schweiz Arch Tierheilk 133:63-70.

4) Tinbergen, N. 1963. On aims and methods of ethology. Zietschrift für Tierpsychologie 20:410-429.

5) Wilson, E.O., 1975. Sociobiology. Belknap Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ch 27 – Man: from sociobiology to sociology. Pp. 547-575.

6) Wilson, E.O. 1976. Academic vigilantism and the political significance of sociobiology. Bioscience 26:183-190.

7) Sociobiology Study Group. 1976. Sociobiology – another biological determinism. Bioscience 26:182-186.

8) Kenrick, D. 1995. Evolutionary theory versus the confederacy of dunces. Psychological Inquiry

6:56-61.

9) Eals, M.; Silverman, I. 1994. The hunger-gatherer theory of spatial sex differences: proximate factors mediating the female advantage in recall of object arrays. Ethology and Sociobiology 15:95-105.

10) Kohl, J.; Atzmueller, M.; Fink, B.; Grammer, K. 2001. Human pheromones : integrating neuroendocrinology and ethology. Neuroendocrinology Letters22:309-321.

11) Zeifman, D. 2001. An ethological analysis of human infant crying: answering Tinbergen’s four questions. Developmental Psychobiology 39:265-285.

12) Weisfeld, G. 1979. An ethological view of human adolescence. The Journal of Nervous and mental Disease67:38-55.

13) Feierman, J. 1982. Nocturnalism: an ethological theory of schizophrenia. Medical Hypotheses 9:455-479.

14) Zabel, R.; Zabel, M. 1982. Ethological approaches with autistic and other abnormal populations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 12:71-83.

15) Troisi, A. 1999. Ethological research in clinical psychiatry: the study of nonverbal behavior during interviews. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 23:905-913.