653F Spring 2026 Homo Sapiens: Are We Really Very "Sapiens"?

653F  Homo Sapiens: Are We Really Very "Sapiens"?
Eight sessions
Instructor: Elva Card
Tuesdays, 2:15—3:40, Mar. 24—May 12
We humans are called sapiens, the Latin word for “wise man”, but are we really? Even as NASA probes the mysteries of outer space, psychology is probing the mysteries of inner space. In this class, we will look at the major domains of psychology as it seeks answers to intriguing questions about human behavior. Are we shaped by nature or by nurture? (Spoiler alert: it's both. Nature deals the hand. Nurture determines how well or badly it is played). Why is learning a second language so much easier for pre-adolescents? Why do we have such an instinctual fear of spiders? How can we be manipulated by the way a survey is worded? We'll study the most complex thing in our known universe—the human brain, as well as the behavior of our own homo sapiens.
Elva Card taught Psychology for 29 years in Fairfax County Public Schools. She has a BA from George Washington University and two MAs from George Mason University.