Module Description: 
 
 

(L7)

Human communication is one of our defining characteristics. No other species exhibits any form of communication we know to be as complex as language. However, despite what we know about its role in social interactions, we know little of its evolutionary trajectory and origins. Critical insights into the evolution of human language and communication can be revealed by observation of our most closely related relatives, nonhuman primates. In this course we will integrate lecture, discussion, and observation of (captive) primates to consider contemporary topics in primate (including human) communication. You will learn key definitions of communication and reflect on theoretical issues concerning signals, deception, and natural and sexual selection on communicative behaviour. You will discuss communication in multiple modalities: olfactory, auditory and visual, as well as combinations of these and especially hypotheses to explain how multimodal communication may have evolved. We will situate communication in a broader social context and conclude by examining the fossil and archaeological record of language and contemporary theories of language evolution.

 

(L6)

Human communication is one of our defining characteristics. No other species exhibits any form of communication we know to be as complex as language. However, despite what we know about its role in social interactions, we know little of its evolutionary trajectory and origins. Critical insights into the evolution of human language and communication can be revealed by observation of our most closely related relatives, nonhuman primates. In this course we will integrate lecture, discussion, and observation of (captive) primates to consider contemporary topics in primate (including human) communication. You will learn key definitions of communication and reflect on theoretical issues concerning signals, deception, and natural and sexual selection on communicative behaviour. You will discuss communication in multiple modalities: olfactory, auditory and visual, as well as combinations of these and especially hypotheses to explain how multimodal communication may have evolved. We will situate communication in a broader social context and conclude by examining the fossil and archaeological record of language and contemporary theories of language evolution.

 

*Module Content:

This module will provide background to the topic of animal communication, from its

evolution and function, to its flexibility and adaptation to human dominated

landscapes. The systems and modes of animal communication will be examined as

will the wide range of communication across the animal kingdom and finally, how

animal communication compares to human language.

 

*Learning Outcomes:

After completing the course you will be able to:


 Describe the anatomy and physiology of structures relevant to primate
 
communication


 Synthesize information about the evolution and function of communication,
 
especially natural selective pressures on communication modes, and relate animal

communication to human language


 Recognize and discuss the function, use, flexibility, and consequences of
 
communication modes across a range of animal taxa.


 Contextualise primate communication in theories and evidence of language evolution
 

 Identify a knowledge gap, and
 
Address this gap by designing an observation-based study, statistically analyzing resulting data to test a specific hypothesis

 

*Delivery Method:

The module is delivered through a combination of lectures, a computer lab, and observation of primates on two field trips to the ZSL London Zoo (7 hours/trip). Lectures will provide important background information on relevant topics and establish current controversies in the field of primate communication. A computer laboratory session will engage students with analytical techniques of primate communication signals. The two visits to the ZSL London Zoo will allow students to apply many of the concepts that are discussed in the classroom to data collection of captive primates (e.g. squirrel, colobus monkeys, etc.).

 

 

*Additional Information:

Students will receive on-going verbal feedback from peers and the module tutors on their critical responses to empirical studies and idea development. This feedback will be offered in two (of the four) tutorials, when students choose primary literature examples to critically assess and draft outlines for their Zoo study to be conducted. The module will follow Liebal et al.’s Primate Communication but also be supplemented by contemporary papers on related topics.