Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Evolutionary Psychology (Face-to-Face)

PSY 3130-01

Course: PSY 3130-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 33125

Course Description

This course will explore how the perspective provided by the biological theory of evolution helps to understand human and non-human animal psychology. Fundamental evolutionary principles will be introduced and their application to psychological theory and research carefully evaluated. Individual topics include romantic relationships, family dynamics, cooperation, clinical pathology, judgment and decision-making, and more. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 1020 or PSY 1010 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C- Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Textbook
Required: Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, 7th ed. (2024). Buss, D. ISBN: 9781032137919

Learning Outcomes

Learning OutcomeLearning ActivityAssessment
1. Students should be able to explain the major theories of biological evolution.Reading, discussion, in-class assignments, exams, News or You assignmentsExams, in-class assignments, News or You assignments
2. Students should be able to apply the theories of biological evolution to explain relevant human psychology and behavior.Reading, discussion, in-class assignments, exams, News or You assignmentsExams, in-class assignments
3. Students should be able to critically analyze claims related to biological evolution.Reading, discussion, in-class assignmentsIn-class assignments
4. Students should be able to see how the theories of biological evolution apply to their own lives.Reading, discussion, in-class assignments, News or You assignmentsIn class assignments, News or You assignments

Course Requirements

Reading Notes

Before midnight the night before the class indicated on the schedule, upload an image to Canvas of the first page of your reading notes. You say that you don’t usually write notes for reading? Well, you should for this class. They are worth 13% of your class grade!

In-Class Assignments (ICAs) and Attendance Points

We will complete in-class assignments (ICAs) that will help you understand and apply course concepts. Submit hard copies of ICAs at the end of class. They are worth 10 points per class. If a class has no ICA, then attendance is worth 10 points.

News or You Essays (NoY)

These are 6 short essays, each on a topic of your choosing from an indicated chapter. Each essay can be 400 words minimum to 500 words maximum. It should have three paragraphs: (1) briefly describe an EVENT from the news, your personal life, or another source (2) identify then briefly explain one or more concept from the chapter, and then (3) explain/analyze the event using the concept(s) from the chapter. Your goal is to show that you understand the relevant concepts and how they apply to life. Grading is based on accuracy, depth of analysis, appropriateness of the concepts for the event, and writing quality (e.g., organization, spelling, clarity). Each essay is worth 20 points. Submit the News or You essays on Canvas by midnight on the night before the due date for the class indicated on the schedule.

Exams

The four in-class exams are each worth 100 points. The Final Exam is worth 150 points. Exams include multiple-choice and short-answer questions. If your Final Exam percentage is better than your percentage on any other exam score, the worst exam score will be replaced with the percent of your Final Exam.

Grading

Your grade is based on reading notes for each of the 12 chapters and two chapter excerpts (10 points each; 130 total), 22 in-class assignments/attendance (10 points each; 220 total), 6 News or You essays (20 points each; 120 total), 4 mid-semester exams (100 points each), and one final exam (150 points). A total of 1020 points are available, but grades are out of 1000 points, as follows.

93-102% A
90-92% A-
87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82% B-
77-79% C+
73-76% C
70-72% C-
67-69% D+
63-66% D
60-62% D-
< 60% F

Course Outline

WeekDatesAssignmentsTopics
1Aug. 28 (R)Introductions & Syllabus
2Sept. 2 (T); Sept. 4 (R)Buss Ch. 1, notes
Buss Ch. 2, notes
Scientific Movements Evolutionary Psychology
Science of Evolutionary Psychology
3Sept. 9 (T); Sept. 11 (R)NoY Buss Ch. 1 or 2
Buss Ch. 3, notes
Combating Hostile Forces of Nature
4Sept. 16 (T); Sept. 18 (R)NoY Buss Ch. 3
Exam 1
Catch up and exam review
Buss 1-3
5Sept. 23 (T); Sept. 25 (R)Buss Ch. 4 & notes
Buss Ch. 5 & notes
Women’s LT Mating Strategies
Men’s LT Mating Strategies
6Sept. 30 (T); Oct. 2 (R)NoY Ch. 4 or 5
Buss Ch. 6 & notes
Short-term Mating Strategies
7Oct. 7 (T); Oct. 9 (R)NoY Ch. 6
Exam 2
Catch up and exam review
Buss 1-6
8Oct. 14 (T); Oct. 16 (R)No class!
W&R Ch. 6, notes
Fall break
Social Development
9Oct. 21 (T); Oct. 23 (R)Buss Ch. 7, notes
Buss Ch. 8, notes
Problems of Parenting
Problems of Kinship
10Oct. 28 (T); Oct. 30 (R)NoY Ch. 6, 7, or 8
Exam 3
Catch up and exam review
Buss 1-8, W&R 6
11Nov. 4 (T); Nov. 6 (R)Buss Ch. 9, notes
Buss Ch. 12, notes
Cooperative Alliances
Status
12Nov. 11 (T); Nov. 13 (R)NoY Ch. 9 or 12
W&R 406-407, notes
Societal Inequity
13Nov. 18 (T); Nov. 20 (R)Exam 4Catch up and exam review
Buss 1-9 & 12, W&R 6 & pp. 406-407
14Nov. 25 (T); Nov. 27 (R)No class!
No class!
Thanksgiving break
Thanksgiving break
15Dec. 2 (T); Dec. 4 (R)Buss 363-6, W&R Ch. 12, notes
wrap up
Evolutionary Medicine & Psychopathology
Catch up and exam review
16Dec. 9 (T)FINAL EXAM (5-6:50pm)Buss 1-9, pp. 363-366; W&R 6, pp. 406-407

Abbreviations:

  • Buss = Buss (2024). Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, 7th Edition.
  • W&R = Workman & Reader (2021). Evolutionary Psychology, 4th Edition. (on Canvas)
  • NoY = News or You Essay
  • GGS = Guns, Germs, and Steel

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignments
You can submit late reading notes, ICAs, and News or You essays until the start of the last class before the next exam (the one following the missed due date). Late submissions are worth 90% within one week of the due date, 80% thereafter.
Exam Rules and Make-Ups
To maintain the integrity of exams, you must show up on time, no one may start an exam once someone has left the room, and electronic gadgets are strictly prohibited. If you miss an exam without an excused absence, you will receive a zero. Make-up exams are given only with documentation of extreme circumstances (e.g., severe illness) or for university approved events (e.g., team sports). Make-up exams are all essay questions.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required, and participation is strongly encouraged. Attendance will improve your understanding of the concepts and course performance. We will complete in-class assignments (ICAs) that will help you understand and apply course concepts. Submit hard copies of ICAs at the end of class. They are worth 10 points per class. If a class has no ICA, then attendance is worth 10 points. Unless you explain an extenuating circumstance before class, if you use your phone during class you will be asked to leave for the day, and you will receive no ICA points for the day.

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.