The Evolutionary Studies Program is happy to announce the first-ever offering of Evolution and Human Health. This course will be offered as a “special topics” in Psychology (PSY 293) this first go-around – but we expect it to be an official EVO course added to the permanent curriculum soon after this summer.

This course will count toward the Non-Biology Foundation component of the EvoS Minor.

This course will run during Summer Session 1, and will be co-taught by EvoS Faculty Member Hamilton Stapell (stapellh@newpaltz.edu) and Athletic trainer Keith Kenney (kenneyk@newpaltz.edu). It is scheduled for M, T, W, and Th from 10:45-12:40.

Class will include a lecture component that addresses material related to evolutionary factors that underlie human health. What kinds of foods were available to humans under ancestral conditions? What kinds of exercises were humans engaging in during the thousands of generations of pre-agrarian human existence? Can evolutionary principles help us lead healthier lives?

This area of inquiry relates to a new focus on health from an evolutionary perspective, that is gaining significant attention from scholars across many areas (see: http://ancestryfoundation.org/ for more information on this area of inquiry).

The course will also include regular meetings at the gym with New Paltz’s head athletic trainer (Keith Kenney) to focus on exercises and nutritional discussions related to the evolutionary perspective on human health.

This course is expected to appeal to students from various backgrounds, including student athletes, EvoS minors, students in anthropology, biology, and psychology – and anyone interested in leading a healthier life.

Please don’t hesitate to contact to contact Dr. Stapell (stapellh@newpaltz.edu) or Mr. Kenney (kenneyk@newpaltz.edu) with any questions – and always feel free to contact the director of EvoS, Glenn Geher (geherg@newpaltz.edu) as well.

Here’s a link with information on signing up for summer courses:

http://www.newpaltz.edu/summer/reginfo.html

And here’s a link to an article on health from an evolutionary perspective, co-written by Hamilton Stapell and Glenn Geher:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/k087pj2l43680521/