(Recorded Course) The Cat: Natural History, Artificial Selection, and Anatomy with MacBeth Derham

Join us for this fun 6th- to 8th-grade science course exploring our feline friends! Learn about where domestic cats came from, different cats around the world, common and exotic breeds, and some anatomy and genetics.

How to get the most out of The Cat: Natural History, Artificial Selection, and Anatomy with MacBeth Derham:

  • First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

  • Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.

  • Read assignments before class meetings

  • Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.

  • Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

  • Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total number of class meetings: 12

Duration of each class: 45 minutes

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade

Suggested credit: One full semester Life Science. For a full year credit, follow with Megafauna in the spring.

Instructor: MacBeth Derham

Instructor email: macbethderham@gmail.com

Course Description: Let's study the surprising natural history of the Family Felidae! Cats are hunters, and notoriously difficult to domesticate. So how did we end up with these small predators in our homes? We'll study big and not-so-big cats from around the world as we try to understand the fearsome and fluffy feline.

Course Outline:

  • Week 1: Introduction: what is a cat? (Anatomy 1)

  • Week 2: Fossil cats: an evolutionary overview

  • Week 3: European cats

  • Week 4: Asian cats

  • Week 5: South American cats

  • Week 6: North American cats

  • Week 7: African cats (Anatomy 2)

  • Week 8: Island species: small wild cats

  • Week 9: The domestic cat (Anatomy 3)

  • Week 10: Common breeds

  • Week 11: Exotic breeds

  • Week 12: Recent breeds, and Genetics of color

Course Materials: Two books to be purchased: The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives by Turner and Anton, ISBN 13: 978-0231102292 (https://amzn.to/3uTNkRg) and Cats: The Breeds, History, and Folklore of the Domestic Cat, ISBN 13: 978-1640308763 (https://amzn.to/3gPe2lN)

Homework: Weekly quizzes, assigned reading. Students are welcome and encouraged to share their photos of felines and tales of tigers.