The Behavioral Biology of Women
Paper Assignment Due: Friday, May 11th by 5:00 pm
Option A:8-10 page Life History Analysis of an Older Woman
In this course, we have taken a life history approach to understanding the experience of being a woman. To give you an opportunity to integrate the material on a more personal level, we’d like you to interview a post-reproductive woman.
Before the interview, you should develop a specific set of questions that will facilitate discussion of the different stages of her life (childhood, puberty, later teenage years, early adulthood etc).
Ask specific questions about your subject’s experience growing up female and ask her about her experience of being a woman. Pay particular attention to the decisions she made throughout her life. For example, how has she chosen her mates? How has she gotten the resources she needed to survive? Did she have children? Why or why not? If she had them, how many did she leave? Why? How did she space them?
If you have access to a tape recorder and your subject is willing, it is best to tape record the interview. If not, be sure to take detailed notes. As soon after the interview as possible you should write down thoughts and observations. You will need to include your notes, or a transcript of the interview as an appendix to your paper.
In your paper, analyze the decisions she made from an evolutionary perspective using concepts from the course. Think of her life choices in terms of trade-offs and costs/benefits. Also, how was her life and the choices she confronted similar or different from a woman in our EEA?
Option B: 10 Page Research Paper
If you prefer, you may do a 10 page traditional referenced research paper or independent project on a topic pre-approved by your TF or by Prof. Knott. The paper must encompass biological or evolutionary perspective on your topic of choice (although the entire paper need not be like this). You must include a bibliography with at least 10 references from scientific journals. We strongly suggest that, in addition to consulting with your TF about the topic, you hand in a brief bibliography to ensure your paper meets the assigned criteria.