Human Evolutionary Biology

College Majors
1

<p>Harvard recently established a new Department of Human Evolutionary Biology.
[New</a> department reflects the evolution of human evolution | HarvardScience<a href=“Previously,%20HEB%20was%20an%20interdisciplinary%20concentration%20for%20undergrads%20at%20Harvard.”>/url</a> I believe this is the first such department in this field. Given Harvard’s stature and the fact that it has given departmental status to this field, it effectively establishes a new academic discipline. </p>

<p>Harvard has extraordinary resources in this field and it is unlikely that many other universities match this, and establish their own departments in HEB. Nonetheless, here are a couple questions for comment and discussion:

  1. Do you think we will start to see other universities establish interdisciplinary HEB majors (though, perhaps without departmental status), possibly combining biological anthropology + biology?</p>

<p>For an example, Duke already offers a major in Evolutionary Anthropology or Biological Anthropology + Anatomy: [url=<a href=“http://www.baa.duke.edu/undergrad/major.php]Undergraduates”>http://www.baa.duke.edu/undergrad/major.php]Undergraduates</a> – BAA](<a href=“http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/new-department-reflects-evolution-human-evolution]New”>http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/new-department-reflects-evolution-human-evolution)</p>

<li>Will HEB become the sexy new major for many premeds? (just as many premed students previously gravitated to interdisciplinary “Neuroscience” programs as a major)</li>
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<p>See, for example, this University of Michigan page on “Darwinian Medicine”: [Evolutionary</a> Biology and Human Disease - Darwinian Medicine Links](<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/courses/darmed/links.htm]Evolutionary”>http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/courses/darmed/links.htm)</p>

<p>Unlike Neuroscience, which had very good research funding and relatively large numbers of biology and psychology faculty in this field, the potential growth of HEB as a major may be limited by fewer numbers of bio-anthropology faculty at many universities.</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

2

<p>i doubt it</p>

3

<p>Kind of narrow.</p>

4

<p>^^^ Perhaps, narrow to be given departmental status since many might consider it just a subfield of anthropology. But certainly not narrow in terms of an interdisciplinary major, combining both anthropology and biological sciences. If you look at the Harvard HEB dept. website, you’ll see that course topics take in evolution, genetics, primate behavior, other apects of behavior, nutrition, etc. It seems very broad, though its boundaries are not necessarily well-defined.</p>