Since 2019, this seminar is offered every other year.

Instructors: Dr. Morten H. Christiansen & Dr. Laurent Dubreuil.

Understanding the essential features and qualities of culture and how it impacts human endeavors necessarily requires interaction across multiple areas of study. This interdisciplinary seminar will be based on discussions of recent research on culture at the interface of cognitive science and the humanities. Topics could include: animal cultures, the evolution of language, the symbolic revolution, knowledge acquisition, play and pretense, rituals, and the arts—painting, movies, music, poetry.

Purpose of Class: To provide a comprehensive introduction to questions, theories, and research on human culture. At the end of this class, students are expected to be able to think critically about research and theories related to human culture.