Program in Primatology
Interest in human evolution has surged in recent years because of some startling fossil discoveries and the rapid development of a strong theoretical base for the study of primate behavior and ecology. The anatomy of living and fossil primates can be interpreted only on the basis of the behavior and ecology of living primates. The Dept. of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy and the Duke Primate Center contain collections of specimens of both extant and fossil nonhuman primates. The Primate Center provides a further and unique opportunity to study fossil specimens and living primates simultaneously.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the program is to understand the behavior and biology of primates, including humans. Program objectives include an under-standing of the origin and evolution of humans as well as their morphological and behavioral relationships to other primates. The study of primate evolution involves such diverse areas of investigation as morphology, social behavior, ecology, and physiology. A cross-disciplinary approach employing the faculty of the Duke Primate Center; the Departments of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Philosophy, Psychology, Zoology; and the Nicholas School of the Environment provides the opportunity for linking of these parts of the University in order to concentrate on a topic which has become too large for one perspective or one discipline.
Program Curriculum
A total of six courses are required to complete the program and receive the program certificate:
- One course must be BAA 93D.
- Research Internship. PRI 186S.
- Senior Seminar. PRI 187S.
- Three elective courses, one of which must be drawn from among those not originating in BAA.
Anthropology 93D is designed as the first course taken by an individual enrolled in the program. It will provide all individuals enrolled in the program and others in the class the necessary background and basic information to fully benefit from subsequent classes and experiences gained in research labs concerned with primate morphology, behavior, or ecology.
Research Internship
The research internship provides the opportunity to design and carry out actual research in primate mor-phology, behavior, or ecology. The results of this research experience will be reported in the Senior Seminar, which will be structured as seminar presen-tations by resident and visiting primatologists, and students who have completed the research internship.
Electives Include:
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BAA 132 Human Evolution BAA 134L Anthropology of the Skeleton BAA 136 Human Biology BAA 143 Primate Ecology BAA 144L Primate Field Biology BAA 146 Sociobiology BAA 172L Primate Anatomy BAA 183 Primate Social Complex. & Intell. BAA 184 Primates & Trop. Forest Conserv. BAA 185 Current Issues in Primatology BAA 238S Func. & Evol. Morphol. of Primates BAA 240S Hominid Socioecology BAA 244L,S Comparative Primate Ecology BAA 245S Primate Social Evolution BAA 246 Primate Fossil Record BAA 249S Microevolution and Sociobiology BAA 280S Seminar in Selected Topics BAA 281S Seminar in Selected Topics BAA 287S Macroevolution BAA 292S Topics in Morphology & Evolution BIO 31L Diversity of Life BIO 43D Ecology and Society BIO 102 Trees and Shrubs of North Carolina BIO 108L Dev. & Comp. Anat. of Vertebrates BIO 110L Ecology BIO 112 Population Biology BIO 113L Behavioral Ecology BIO 120 Principles of Evolution BIO 122 Evolution of Animal Form BIO 151L Principles of Animal Physiology BIO 201L Animal Behavior BIO 215 Tropical Ecology BIO 229L Paleoecology BIO 241 Field Botany |
BIO 267L Community Ecology BIO 285S Ecological Genetics CA 111 Anthropology of Law CA 113 Gender and Culture CA 165 Psychological Anthropology CA 216S Gender, Race, and Class ECO 53 Economics of Contemporary Issues ECO 189 Business and Government ENV 101 Intro. to Environ. Sciences & Policy ENV 205L Silviculture ENV 213 Forest Ecosystems ENV 216 Applied Population Ecology ENV 217 Tropical Ecology ENV 277 Conservation & Sustainable Dev. I: Concepts and Methods ENV 278 Conservation & Sustainable Dev. II: Integrated Problem Solving ENV 282S Environmental Ethics or PHL 289S Environmental Ethics GEO 41 The Dynamic Earth GEO 172L History of the Earth PHL 104 Philosophy of Science PHL 115 Environmental Ethics PHL 289S Environmental Ethics or ENV 282S Environmental Ethics PSY 91 Biological Bases of Behavior PSY 111 Learning and Adaptive Behavior PSY 150S Hormones and Behavior PSY 181B Research Methods: Animal Learning PSY 223S Animal Learning and Cognition PSY 225S Ingestion: Behavior & Neurobiology PSY 230S Social Behavior of Animals (Other electives as approved by Program Chair) |