9.250 | Spring 1999 | Graduate

Evolutionary Psychology

Readings

The lectures in this course are based on the readings listed below.

Dawkins, R. The Blind Watchmaker. New York: Norton, 1986. An excellent introduction to the theory of natural selection and current controversies surrounding it.

Hauser, M. The Evolution of Communication. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996. A synthetic overview of communication in humans and animals.

Smith, J. Maynard. Evolutionary Genetics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. A more technical introduction, with an emphasis on mathematical modeling.

Pinker, S. How the Mind Works. New York: Norton, 1997. A synthesis of cognitive science and evolutionary psychlogy.

Barkow, J. H., L. Cosmides, and J. Tooby, eds. The Adapted Mind. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. An influential collection of papers on general theory and concrete research areas, including a manifesto for evolutionary psychology by Tooby and Cosmides.

Boyd, R. and J. Silk. How Humans Evolved. New York: Norton, 1996. Excellent textbook on paleoanthropology, primatology, and ethnography relevant to human evolution.

Ciba Foundation. Characterizing Human Psychological Adaptations. Papers and discussions, from a recent conference. New York: Wiley, 1997.

Betzig, L., ed. Human Nature. 1996. Classic papers, with critical Commentaries.

Course Info

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As Taught In
Spring 1999
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