University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 15

ECTS credits : 7

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 1

Availability restrictions: Available only to undergraduate students in their second year of Honours. Also available to postgraduate students on MSc in Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology: the Origins of Mind.

Planned timetable: Seminars: Tuesdays 11-1

The aim of this module is to explore how evolutionary theory is being used to study human behaviour. This research field has a long and controversial history, stretching back to the work of Charles Darwin. After this history has been briefly described, the module will focus on four modern, evolutionary approaches to human behaviour, namely Human Behavioural Ecology, Evolutionary Psychology, Cultural Evolution and Gene-Culture Co-Evolution. These sub-fields differ in their underlying assumptions about how the human mind has evolved. Each field will be critically evaluated, and the potential for integrating these sub-fields will be assessed. The types of questions that will be covered include 'does the mind consist of domain-specific modules', 'do mate preferences differ between the sexes', and 'has human culture altered the direction of human evolution'? The module will consist of lectures, small group discussions, and student presentations.

Relationship to other modules

Anti-requisite(s): You cannot take this module if you take BL4280

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 2 hours x 10 weeks

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 100% Coursework


Re-assessment: 100% Coursework (resubmission of failed components)

Personnel

Module coordinator: Professor G R Brown
Module teaching staff: Dr Gillian Brown
Module coordinator email grb4@st-andrews.ac.uk

Intended learning outcomes

• "By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the human evolutionary behavioural sciences."
• "By the end of the module, students will be able to understand the core concepts of this field and will have engaged with key areas of debate."
• "By the end of the module, students will be able to describe and critically evaluate examples of recent empirical research."
• "By the end of the module, students will be able to construct a coherent, logical argument supported by empirical findings."