| Unit name | Evolution and Human Society |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHILM0050 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Okasha |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Most researchers across the sciences and humanities agree that humans are a product of evolution. Nonetheless, the application of evolutionary ideas to humanity has been marked by scientific and ethical controversy. It has been argued that research programs—such as sociobiology and evolutionary psychology—are both methodologically flawed and ethically problematic. The last 40 years has seen a marked increase in evolutionary work on central human traits such as language, culture and social structure. In this unit, we will engage with philosophical questions arising from understanding humanity from an evolutionary perspective: Can we produce a robust science of the human past, where direct experimentation is unavailable? How do we apply evolutionary ideas to explain processes of cultural change? How can we use evolutionary ideas to understand humanity in an ethical way? What are the political implications of treating social structure as a product of evolution?
This unit links to philosophy of biology, philosophy of psychology, philosophy of science and also ethics, political and social philosophy and is thus of interest to a variety of students. The unit thus bridges theoretical and practical philosophy and compliments existing units as well as allowing students more familiar with either theoretical or practical philosophy a good way into other areas of philosophy. Moreover, the unit is interdisciplinary and so serves as a link between philosophy and anthropology, integrating two disciplines within the school and introducing philosophy students to some of the methods and themes in anthropology and vice versa.
An overview of content
Students will cover some of the following topics: archaeological and paleontological evidence for the human past; modelling and ethnographic evidence for the human past; issues in the philosophy of the historical sciences, theories of cultural evolution; the evolution of cooperation; the evolution of human cognition; the evolution of hierarchical society; ethical debates concerning sociobiology and evolutionary psychology; ethical issues concerning ethnographic evidence; political implications of the evolution of big societies.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will leave the unit with the ability to critically analyse the scientific and ethical issues arising from the science of human evolution. They will be able to apply these skills and knowledge to other areas in the philosophy of science, ethical theory and philosophy more generally.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
Lectures, small group work, individual exercises, seminars and virtual learning environment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Digital Individual Presentation (20%) [ILOs 1, 3, 4]
4000 word essay (80%) [ILOs 1-3]
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHILM0050).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
