Anthropology 415 - Women's Health/Life Course

This course explores women?s health from an evolutionary, biocultural, and global health perspective. It focuses on the physiological, ecological, and cultural factors shaping health. We will take a life course perspective to examine childhood development, reproductive processes such as pregnancy, birth, and lactation, as well as menopause and aging. Throughout the class, we will draw on findings and concepts from human biology, evolutionary ecology, public health and medical anthropology to explore the multi-faceted determinants of global women?s health. Topics include: women?s reproductive health choices, reproductive ecology, fertility, social and biological perspectives on puberty, eating disorders and body image, and infant nutrition and growth.

This is an upper-level topics course exploration. To enroll in this course, you must be sophomore level or above, have previously taken an AP Biology level course or higher, and have successfully completed at least one anthropology course (or one of its allied disciplines such as public health, sociology, and geography) or receive permission from the instructor