As a first year student double majoring in kinesiology and psychology, I already came to campus with many credits, boosting me to junior status by the second semester of my first year. With this, I had taken some science courses for my major in high school and was eligible to take more advanced science courses in my majors coming in due to my accelerated path. The topic of evolution–specifically the effects of epigenetics in the body–was brought up quite often in a class titled “Brain and Behavior.” Using the knowledge discovered about epigenetics to understand the mechanisms the brain uses in allowing individuals to control behavior, the field of psychology is one that, in most lights, relies on statistical evidence to draw conclusions on human variability. Although I have only taken a few other psychology courses thus far in my collegiate career, evolution has been mentioned in all of the other ones I have taken, proving that the topic is prevalent in psychological studies.
Comparably, kinesiology also views evolution as a truthful science that contributes to research, especially concerning the changes of the physique of the human body over time. Human variation is the main factor that diversifies occupations in the field of kinesiology. Those with careers in physical therapy, prosthetics, et cetera, work daily with individuals with varying bodily structures and mechanisms for completing tasks; without studies concerning human variation, explanations for these differences would be hard to come by. Also, biology is the base of kinesiology; as stated by Alters and Alters in “Why Should Students Learn Evolution?”, “evolution is the basic context of all the biological sciences” (2001). If evolution were not mentioned in the kinesiology courses I have taken thus far, I would be very surprised considering its prominence in the field.
Watching the videos and reading the articles for this week while thinking about what I have previously learned in the courses I have taken within my majors has shown me that the studies of anthropologists concerning human variation aid greatly in laying a foundation for the topics focused on in courses concerning human anatomy and physiology and many subfields of psychology. Additionally, because kinesiology focuses on how the body works, moves, and grows and psychology focuses on the connections between brain function and personality and behavior traits, it is very important to take into consideration how the variations between individuals comes about. For example, epigenetics affect what genes are ‘switched on or off’ in each person’s DNA. These differences in gene expression influence both physical and behavioral characteristics, making every individual that lives on planet Earth–even identical twins who share 100 percent of their DNA–unique.
Evolution and human variation, in a nutshell, encompass the bases of which both of my majors build off of. Outlining the reasons why organisms are built the way they are and act the way they do, according to their genetic makeup, learning about evolution–specifically epigenetics and natural selection–proves critical for anyone pursuing degrees in kinesiology, psychology, and so many other disciplines.
Reference:
Alters, B. J., & Alters, S. M. (2001). Chapter 5: Why Should Students Learn Evolution? In Defending evolution in the classroom a guide to the creation/evolution controversy(pp. 103-112). London: Jones and Bartlett. Retrieved July 9, 2019.