This four-session course will examine our human species, inform our understanding of behaviour, and provide insight into what makes us tick, from motivation to action and from personal to universal. Week one will explore some of the myths that continue to plague our worldview and the ways we make personal decisions. Where did these myths originate and why do they persist? We’ll also shine the light on our cousins, the nonhuman great apes, who provide a model for possible human origins. Though our paths diverged millions of years ago, today’s surviving orangutang, gorillas and chimpanzees are our closest genetic and behavioural relatives.
Week two will take us on a time-traveller’s journey to better understand how we got to the current state of the world. How and why did one lineage of ancient apes become the only one to commit to locomotion on two legs? And what caused our ancestors’ brains to expand in complexity and size beyond those of nonhuman apes?
Week three will delve into various cultures and their ways of living in order to better understand humanity, for better and also for worse. Why do all cultures matter and how do they contribute to our best chance for survival as a species?
Week four will incorporate these anthropological tools into a view of major issues facing our world today, from personal relationships to geopolitical dynamics.
Presenter: Christine Giancarlo
Dates: Fridays Oct 16, 23, 30, & Nov 6
Times: 10am – noon
Venue: St. Hilda’s Hall, Sechelt
