Module overview
This module explores human evolution in terms of physiological, social and cultural adaptations. It explores human ecology in the broad sense, combining not just cultural and social variability, but also physiological adaptations in past and present-day hunter-gatherers and great apes. These physiological adaptations are not just skeletal, but are also reflected in soft tissues and in surviving genotypes. We shall cover six main themes: different models of biocultural change; Human Behavioural Ecology; hominin energy budgets; brain size changes; dexterity, handedness and tool-use; social organisation over time and space. Evidence derived from primatology, ethnoarchaeology, ancient DNA, stable isotopes and Palaeolithic assemblages can be used to test models such as the Social Brain hypothesis, Daily Energy Expenditures, hominin thermoregulation and mobility/locomotion costs, and the applicability of different evolutionary mechanisms to change in the archaeological record (e.g. Lamarck versus Darwin). Lectures will be augmented by student-led seminars on key debates in palaeoanthropology and Human Behavioural Ecology.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- demonstrate a detailed knowledge of key themes in human ecology and evolution.
- become familiar with interdisciplinary fields of knowledge, and how to communicate these approaches to different audiences;
- acquire study skills using a range of archaeological, primatological/ethnographic, biological and palaeoenvironmental data;
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the different analytical scales needed to examine processes of change in hominin populations;
- the effects of palaeoenvironmental conditions on hominin behavioural and physiological variability and change (speciation and extinction);
- specific models from evolutionary ecology in relation to subsistence behaviour among hunter-gatherers and great apes;
- the role of social choice and epigenetics in hominin diversity.
- the increasing extent to which stable isotopic and genetic data can be combined to inform palaeoanthropological interpretations of human evolution;
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- evaluate published arguments, and present information and opinion concisely to audiences of different abilities.
Syllabus
This module will combine approaches from human origins and biological anthropological research to evaluate how we can reconstruct the ecologies (in the broad sense) of hominins. We shall focus on hominin records between 6 million and 10,000 years ago. Multiple frameworks and lines of evidence will be evaluated, using a mix of lectures, seminars, group-based and individual research. You will have the opportunity to evaluate the latest techniques (many operating at the microscopic and molecular levels) that are helping to revolutionise palaeoanthropology. Each of the six frameworks/themes comprising the module will be spread over 2-4 double lecture slots, augmented by three seminars.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- Lectures
- Classes/Seminars
- Group-based outreach project
Learning activities include:
- Lectures
- Classes/Seminars
- Group-produced outreach materials
- Independent study
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Completion of assessment task | 84 |
| Lecture | 22 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 15 |
| Seminar | 3 |
| Project supervision | 1 |
| Follow-up work | 5 |
| Wider reading or practice | 20 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Collection of fossil casts and Palaeolithic artefacts in the John Wymer Laboratory. 65a/1205
Textbooks
Panter-Brick, C., Layton, R.H. & P. Rowley-Conwy (eds.) (2001). Hunter-Gatherers: An interdisciplinary perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Klein, R.G. (2009). The human career: human biological and cultural origins. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Strier, K.B. (2011). Primate Behavioral Ecology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Gamble C.S. (2007). Origins and revolutions: human identity in earliest prehistory. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kelly, R.L. (2013). The Lifeways of Hunter-Gatherers: The foraging spectrum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
de Beaune, S.A., Coolidge, F.L. & T. Wynn (eds.) (2009). Cognitive Archaeology and Human Evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Stringer, C. & P. Andrews (2005). The complete world of human evolution. London: Thames & Hudson.
Gamble, C. (2013). Settling the Earth: The Archaeology of deep human history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lee, R.B. & R. Daly (eds.) (1999). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of hunters & gatherers. Cambridge: CUP.
Gamble, C.S (1999). The Palaeolithic Societies of Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Whallon, R., Lovis, W.A. & R.K. Hitchcock (eds.) (2011). Information and its role in hunter-gatherer bands. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press (Ideas, Debates and Perspectives 5).
Dunbar, R. (2014). Human Evolution: A Pelican Introduction. London: Pelican/Penguin Books.
Dunbar, R.I.M., Gamble, C. & J.A.J. Gowlett (eds.) (2014). Lucy to Language: The benchmark papers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Allen, N.J., Callan, H., Dunbar, R. & W. James (eds.) (2011). Early Human Kinship: From sex to social reproduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell & Royal Anthropological Institute.
Shryock, A. & D.L. Smail (et al.) (2011). Deep History: The architecture of past and present. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
There are two assignments for this module: (1) a group-based public engagement project to convey complex ideas about human evolution to an interested lay audience, and (2) an essay exploring a key theme of human evolution and ecology in depth (independent research).
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Written assignment | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual project | 40% |
| Essay | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External