This lecture introduces the field of anthropology. Students learn what anthropology is and main characteristics of various anthropological sub-disciplines. Students gain understanding of anthropological key concept – culture and its key research method – fieldwork and participant observation. Student's critical thinking is stimulated in a guided discussion about different ways that anthropology influences everyday life.

In this lecture students learn how people understood the living world before the nineteenth century, where Darwin’s ideas came from, how they have been further elaborated since his time, and why evolutionary theory continues to be our most powerful tool for understanding biological processes today.

In this lecture students gain deep understanding at the way evolutionary theory explains patterns of human biological variation. In particular, students learn to appreciate why anthropologists have concluded that patterns of human variation cannot be explained by the concept of biological „race”. 

In this lecture students gain understanindg how anthropology is integral to our comprehention of biological and cultural evolution. Also, students have the opportunity to consider the evidence to the study hominin evolution (fossils and genetics) as well as stone tools and other cultural remains.  In our exploration of the evolution of hominins, student learn about the divergence from a shared ancestor with chimpanzees and appearance of modern humans.

In this lecture we wach and discuss a documentary film based on the book Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind, written by Yuval N. Harari. Students critically analyse various topics raised by the author with respect to what they learned so far about human evolution and human biological and cultural variation. Students are also gudied to express their agreement and disagreement with the author, based on their knolwedge gained in the class.

In this lecture students are introduced to general steps in conducting research in anthropology by examining the example of a holistic anthropological study of the genetic history of Bayash.

In this lecture, students gain a more detailed understanding of  the concept of culture, one of the most influential ideas that anthropologists developed. Students analyze universal characteristics of culture and learn how cultural differences are encountered and viewed.

Students learn about symbolic language in humans. Students learn what makes human symbolic language different from other forms of animal communication. Also, students explore its deep connections to other symbolic dimensions of social and cultural life, including patterns of thought, sense of self, and even personality, shaped by experiences in different kinds of symbolically shaped settings.

Students take a mid-term exam to evaluate their understanding of the theory and methodology dicussed in the lectures, anthropological documentary and anthropological case study.

In this lecture students learn about social rules and patterns that result from different ways of understanding human relatedness: kinship, adoption, marriage, where to live after marriage, family and sexuality. Students get introduced to the worldwide variation in forms of relatedness and kinship.

In this lecture students learn the historic examples of trying to categorize human variation. Students follow the efforts to implement scientific reasoning and statistical methods to assess the degree of human variation. Finally, students learn the latest developments in genetics and molecular biology to see what terms are scientifically appropriate in describing variability of Homo sapiens.

Students learn about biology of the stress response and about tremendous inter-individual, but also cross-cultural variation in the perception of stress, identification of stressful situations, or means by which stress is expressed, discussed or thought to have bodily manifestations. Students learn hoow  for humans stress often derives from social circumstances and social stratification.

Students become introduced to the research conducted by a world-leading neurobiologists of our time, Robert Sapolsky. Students discuss how chronic stress has negative health consequences in humans and animals. Students also disscuss positive coping mechanisms that can be introduced into their every day lives.

Students review the most important theoretical and methodological concepts discussed in the course.

The final exam is based on the lectures and anthropological documentary film covered in the second part of the course.