The Source Project

The Source Project

EvoS is excited to announce our partnership with the Source Project! The Source Project is a A First-year Research Experience in the Humanities and Social Sciences, designed to give freshmen experience exploring different ideas and perspectives. It is composed of a sequence of two, four-credit courses in fall and spring semesters that let students explore our world, guided by faculty in their chosen field.

For more information on the program, check out the Source Project page.

Courses that are part of the Source Project that also count towards the Evolutionary Studies Certificate are:

Anth 150 - What is Human Nature?

Students in this course will learn to use the tools and perspectives of multiple disciplines, such as anthropology, psychology, philosophy, biology, and religion, and apply them to various facets of human life. We will consider what is fundamentally human about gender, sexuality, health, violence, and cooperation. We will evaluate the evidence used to make claims about humanity and look for what is missing from these explanations and where biases exist. For the fall semester of the cycle, the focus will be on three overlapping themes: sex and gender, race, and health. Prerequisite: Must be accepted to the Source Project. Offered fall only. 4 credits.

Anth 250 - Beyond Human Nature

In “Beyond Human Nature” students participating in the Source Project will build upon the research they conducted in the fall semester where we questioned “common‐sense” assumptions about human nature said to derive from our evolutionary past. We will continue to evaluate the evidence related to race, sex and gender, health, and other biocultural concepts to question and understand what they truly mean for modern Western ideas about how it is natural for people to act and live. Students will further refine their research projects and adapt their presentations to different audiences, including peer researchers and the general public. Restricted to participants in the Source Project. Prerequisite: ANTH 150. Offered regularly in spring. 4 credits.

For more information, contact Dr. Rolf Quam, EvoS Director, rquam@binghamton.edu, or Susan Ryan, EvoS Coordinator, sryan@binghamton.edu