Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH Animal Communication and Language Evolution
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	Eng Lang and Linguistics
Module Code	09 32240
Module Lead	Marcus Perlman
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Seminar-10 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	In this module, we will examine what is currently known about animal communication and the evolution of human language. We will learn about the cognitive, biological, and structural aspects of language through comparison to various animal communication systems, spanning whales, birds, frogs, insects, primates and ancestral humans. This comparison will identify the aspects of language that humans share with other animals and those that make it special. We will also learn about current theories of the biological and cultural evolution of language. Students will have the chance to examine language from an inter-disciplinary perspective that includes biology, evolutionary theory, experimental and comparative psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and semiotics.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of the cognitive, biological and structural aspects of language through comparison to animal communication systems. Demonstrate an understanding of fundamental concepts in evolutionary theory and how these apply to the study of human and animal communication. Analyse and critically assess current research from the interdisciplinary literature on animal communication and language evolution. Write a clear, cogent report on a topic in animal communication and language evolution with references to the interdisciplinary literature.
Assessment	32240-01 : Assignment : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 4,000 word essay (100%) Reassessment: Resubmission of failed component(s)
Other
Reading List