ANTH2327: Primate Societies

• Human Evolution and Diversity (ANTH1091) OR Organisms and Environment (BIOL1161)

• None.

• None.

• To develop awareness and understanding of evolutionary biology as applied to primates.
• To equip students with an understanding of the evolution of primate societies, and the major adaptive problems primates face in the wild.
• To examine the colonial history of primatology and the implications of the dominance of the Global North in science for our understandings of primates.
• To prepare students for Level 3 modules requiring an evolutionary perspective.

• The evolutionary systematics, ecology, and adaptive diversity of non-human primates.
• Primate behaviour and ecology, and current theories about the evolution of primate societies.
• Space for students to co-design the curriculum by choosing topics for seminars.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Familiarity with the diversity and evolution of primate social systems and primate behaviour.
• Critical understanding of theories used by primatologists and anthropologists to understand the evolution of primate behaviour.
• An understanding of biases in the species we study and in who does primatology, and how that influences our understanding of primates.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Familiarity with key methods and concepts in the study of primatology and behaviour.
• Understanding the scientific process and biases in the scientific literature.
• Ability to critically analyse and evaluate written scientific information.
• The ability to evaluate anthropological arguments and evidence.

Key Skills:

• Searching information sources effectively (e.g., libraries, archives) and find information.
• Using academic literature effectively.
• Integrating and evaluating a range of information and data from primary and secondary sources.
• The ability to communicate a complex topic in an effective and compelling manner.

• Lectures cover subject-specific knowledge.
• Seminars further develop subject-specific knowledge and key skills.
• Assessment surgeries provide an opportunity to talk through ideas for the assignment to ensure that student creations meet the assessment criteria.
• The summative assignment assesses subject-specific knowledge and key skills.
• For the summative assignment students create a study aid for a topic that challenged them during the module, accompanied by an explanatory statement for their choice of topic, what they are attempting to show, and what they learned.
• Formative assessment consists of oral and written feedback in seminars and assessment surgeries.
• The module will have a dedicated Learn Ultra site on which course information and materials will be posted.

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