Course Details in

Module Title	LI Human Evolution, Adaptation and Behaviour
School	School of Bioscience
Department	School of Biosciences
Module Code	03 23327
Module Lead	PROF Thorpe
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	Limited to 120 students
Exclusions
Description	The major aims of this module are to introduce students to 1) the key features that have guided human evolution over the last 5 million years (including the evolution of bipedalism, culture, large brain size, diet, and language); 2) human adaptations and behaviour to demonstate that modern humans have been subject to the same evolutionary processes as the rest of the animal kingdom; 3) human’s functional evolutional anatomy.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Compare and critically analyse current theories regarding major trends in human evolution; Employ a forensic archaeology approach to work as a team to examine human skeletal remains to establish the sex, age of the individual at death and other indicators of their life history; Use the skills developed in the learning outcome above to work out 1) the genus and species of three unknown fossil apes, and 2) key life history traits; Apply the morpho-species concept to human fossil material; Explain human’s functional anatomy from an evolutionary perspective; Describe the structure of muscle, tendon and bone and discuss how they function to produce muscle contractions; Explain and contrast the different techniques that may be used to study muscle function in humans and other animals; Describe the structure of the vertebrate brain and the regulation of motor functions by basal ganglia and cerebellum; Explain and contrast theories of human social behaviour in an adaptive context; Explain and contrast the techniques required to test theories about human co-operation; Formulate and express their own ideas concisely through independent learning and writing.; Apply the mark for the in-course assessment to their own work and to the work of others.
Assessment	23327-01 : Examination : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Seen (50%) 23327-02 : Continuous Assessment : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: In-course assessment (50%) - split into two parts, an MCQ (25%) and an assessed SAQ (25%) Two hour written examination in May/June (50%) This will have a different format to traditional 2nd year exams. The students will be provided with a choice of essay titles (including citations for 3 key references) 14 days in advance of the exam so that they can revise specific topics and pre-select the questions they will answer. They will answer 2 essays question in the 2 hour exam. The aim is to focus on developing skills in critical analysis and synthesis, rather than on short-term recall of information.
Other	None
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