Human Evolution and World Prehistory

Built around the question of who we are and how we got here, this course traces the biological and cultural emergence of humans from the earliest African hominins through the Mesolithic, weaving together morphological evolution, climate shifts, and the archaeological record. You'll work through readings, regular quizzes, homework, and two essay-style midterms that push you to synthesize evidence across fossils, genetics, and material culture rather than memorize species lists. As a Spring required course in Year 1, it gives Archaeology students the deep-time framework that later prehistory, Anatolian, and Holocene-focused courses assume you already carry.