This is an interesting course at the City College. Perhaps not evolution course at its best/worst, because the instructor is trying to be very open minded and sensitive about religious views. After all, I saw him at Redeemer, though he admitted to me that he's not Christian, but was raised Jewish. While at times I had to worry for Redeemer's methodology, the instructor does make me admire Redeemer's ministry for being so approachable by a Jewish raised, non-Christian professor.
That said, there's much to deal with in this course. First I had to deal with evolution of hominids to man, then I have to read the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (Interesting negative reviews on Amazon): about a gorilla who came into consciousness and attempts to teach a man "the author" about life. The book is in the form of Socratic Dialogue. The link provided has all of the Socratic dialogues by Plato.
The class itself is rather easy going, I think.
Read the article "1941" by Charles Mann.
Native Americans more than estimated...by millions, back in Columbus' days. Wiped out by deceases, chiefly, smallpox, which the whites were mostly immune to.
As the keystone species disappeared, the bison population increased.
The theory is disputed by other scholars. The anti-wilderness scenario is accused as the fantasy of postmodern philosophy.