Popular media is filled with portrayals of humanity's past and our potential futures. Diet influencers and cookbooks tell us to follow the paleodiet or eat raw foods assuming that is what our ancestors ate. Movies like Jurassic World depict humans living alongside dinosaurs and suggest that modern technology could bring back extinct species. TV shows like Ancient Aliens tell us that extraterrestrials have influenced our evolution, while comic books like The X-Men and The Incredible Hulk suggest that DNA modification could give humans extraordinary abilities. In this seminar we will explore representations of human evolution in popular media and assess how accurately (or not) these depictions reflect the current scientific consensus. Through critical reading, discussions, and engagement with several forms of media, such as films, documentaries, and tv shows, we will learn how our species arose, which evolutionary mechanisms still impact us today, and how misconceptions about evolution as depicted in popular culture influence our ideas about the present and future of humans.
prereq: Fr