Human Nature, Animal Nature

How do humans differ from other animals? We use language, invent tools, organize complex social systems, rear children in families, experience spirituality, and behave morally. But we also wage war, develop addictions and harm others. To what extent is human behavior a product of our genetic evolution and to what extent is it a product of our social environment? In this Honors FIG, you will learn about origins of human behavior through the study of animal behavior. Psychology 211 asks whether we can find traces of the origins of language, morality, complex cognition, and social organizations in other species, and whether can we legitimately generalize between nonhuman and human animals. In Anthropology 105, you will explore the basis of morphological, physiological, and behavioral variations within human populations, and in Philosophy 101 you will gain insights into philosophical principles which will be useful background for the other two courses.