Humans are as much a part of the natural world as plants and animals, and a full understanding of our anatomy, physiology and behaviour thus requires a deep appreciation of evolutionary principles. This major aims to provide that level of understanding by exploring human evolutionary history, a story spanning the last seven million years, and its relevance for humans today. Students in this major will strive to answer questions such as: How have evolutionary forces shaped the origin and maintenance of human adaptations? How are humans like other animals? What makes humans unique? And What evolutionary processes led to this uniqueness?
Learning Outcomes
explain the processes of natural selection, adaptation and speciation that underpin the evolution of animals and humans;
explain the characteristics of humans, including intelligence, language, culture, morphology and behaviour, and place those in the context of our place in the animal kingdom;
interpret and discuss hypotheses as to how and why uniquely human adaptations initially evolve; and
critically evaluate and propose hypotheses about the future directions of human evolution on the basis of existing evolutionary theory and the selective factors acting on humans.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must consist of:
18 units from the completion of the following course(s):
BIAN1001 - The Human Voyage: Introduction to Biological Anthropology (6 units)
BIAN3113 - Human Evolution (6 units)
BIOL1003 - Biology 1: Evolution, Ecology and Genetics (6 units)
A minimum of 6 units from the completion of the following list:
BIOL3131 - Behavioural Ecology (6 units)
BIOL3206 - Evolution of Biodiversity (6 units)
A minimum of 12 units from the completion of the following list:
BIAN2015 - Human Skeletal Analysis (6 units)
BIAN2119 - Nutrition, Disease and the Environment (6 units)
BIAN3124 - Evolution and Human Behaviour (6 units)
BIAN3127 - Primate Behaviour and Conservation (6 units)
A maximum of 12 units from the completion of the following list:
BIAN3125 - Ancient Health and Disease (6 units)
BIOL2131 - Ecology (6 units)
BIOL3204 - Genetics of Human Disease 1 (6 units)
BIOL3205 - Genetics of Human Disease 2 (6 units)
MEDN2222 - Exquisite Corpse - Insight Into The Human Body (6 units)
MEDN3186 - Human Anatomy (6 units)
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