Human Evolution student work

Midterm Paper

One of the best ways to test one’s understanding of evolutionary concepts is to consider how well others incorporate these concepts into their creative work. So after gaining a basic understanding of human evolutionary history in the first half of the semester, I ask my students to choose a creative work and critique that work through the lens of human evolution. The guidelines for this assignment can be found here. Below are some of the best papers I have received, downloadable as PDF’s:

“10,000 BC: A Life Much Like Ours” © Ethan Beach (Spring 2011)
“Scientific Illustration in Human Evolution” © Roxanne Bockius (Spring 2011)
“Max Klinger’s Nature” © Kiona Hagen Niehaus (Spring 2011)
On Highway Signs © Genelle Salazar (Spring 2011)

Final Project

Although not every student can find a way to weave concepts learned in my classes into their creative work, I push them to try. The Final Project in my Human Evolution course asks students to incorporate concepts learned in the class into a creative work. I encourage students to work in any medium, and encourage them to produce work that can be included in their portfolio of developing work. The guidelines for this assignment can be found here. Below is some of the best work that I have received in PDF format:

Genes, Memes, & Temes © Roxanne Bockius (Spring 2011)
Neanderthal Illustration © Adam Dreifus (Spring 2011)
Ergonomic Chair © Neter Harding (Spring 2011)
“Play Leo” © Adam Miller (Spring 2011)
Niehaus Photo © Kiona Hagen (Spring 2011)
“Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny”© Hannah Ohlund (Spring 2011)
Triptych © Justin Oon (Spring 2011)
“Soul Sole”© Will Van Zee (Spring 2011)

Below is a gallery of the work students have completed for the Final Project:

You can click on each of the images above to see the work in more detail. The description for each image also includes a link to the Project Summary that accompanies the work.

Videos students have produced for the Final Project:

“Human Evolution, as seen through the ingenuity of humanity” © Ethan Beach (2011) [ Project Summary]

All of this work is used with permission of the students who produced it. Please respect the intellectual property rights of these students by not using their work without their permission. If you would like to contact any of the students who produced this work, contact me.