Undergraduate

Module Content

Darwinian approaches can contribute to our understanding of human behaviour, including our demography, health, psychology, culture, and can be applied in hunter-gatherer, small-scale agricultural/pastoralist and post- industrial societies. This course is about the evolution of behaviour in humans and examines how much of the variation in human behaviour can be understood in terms of individuals making choices that are adaptive in different ecological and social circumstances. The course introduces classic theories of social evolution (kin selection, reciprocal altruism and indirect reciprocity). It covers aspects of our behaviour and life history that have parallels in numerous species, as well as those that are (more or less) uniquely human (such as menopause), and discusses how cultural evolution has influenced our behaviour. Topics will include basic behavioural ecology (as applied to both animal and human behaviour) and some evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution, mate choice, parental investment, life history evolution, evolution of cooperation and kinship and marriage systems.

Learning Outcomes

Having completed the module, students will be able to:

gain a cross-cultural understanding of specific themes (mate choice, kin selection, parental investment, cooperation, life history theory, marriage and residence systems, game theory, human sociality, cultural evolution and social learning) in HBE and an evaluation of the intellectual debates concerning them. have critical knowledge of other topics examining human behaviour from an evolutionary perspective (evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution);
 have awareness and understanding of evolutionary principles and their relevance to human behaviour ; understanding of the importance of ecology in understanding human behaviour;
 describe, interpret and critical use of a repertoire of concepts, theories and research methods in HBE; have an understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of HBE and research studies within the paradigm;
 apply and analyses key concepts and theories in HBE.
Delivery Method

One 2 hour lecture and one 1 hour tutorial per week.

 

Postgraduate

Module Content

Darwinian approaches can contribute to our understanding of human behaviour, including our demography, health, psychology, culture, and can be applied in hunter-gatherer, small-scale agricultural/pastoralist and post- industrial societies. This course is about the evolution of behaviour in humans and examines how much of the variation in human behaviour can be understood in terms of individuals making choices that are adaptive in different ecological and social circumstances. The course introduces classic theories of social evolution (kin selection, reciprocal altruism and indirect reciprocity). It covers aspects of our behaviour and life history that have parallels in numerous species, as well as those that are (more or less) uniquely human (such as menopause), and discusses how cultural evolution has influenced our behaviour. Topics will include basic behavioural ecology (as applied to both animal and human behaviour) and some evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution, mate choice, parental investment, life history evolution, evolution of cooperation and kinship and marriage systems.

Learning Outcomes

Having completed the module, students will:

have a cross-cultural understanding of specific themes (mate choice, kin selection, parental investment, cooperation, life history theory, marriage and residence systems, game theory, human sociality, cultural evolution and social learning) in HBE and an evaluation of the intellectual debates concerning them;
 be able to describe, interpret and critical use of a repertoire of concepts, theories and research methods in HBE.
 have critical knowledge of other topics examining human behaviour from an evolutionary perspective (including evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution);
 have informed awareness and understanding of human behavioural diversity and major hypotheses for why this diversity occurs.
 have a detailed understanding of the importance of ecology in understanding human behaviour, and as an extension critically classify different anthropological fieldsites and their importance in understanding
 human behavioural adaptation (from hunter-gatherers to post-industrial state societies); construct a realisation that knowledge is contested.
 interpret varied information on different aspects of human diversity
Delivery Method

One 2 hour lecture and one 2 hour seminar per week.

 

 

Please note the assessment titles may be subject to change.