Postgraduate Course: Foundations of Evolution (LASC11006)

Course Outline
School	School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Available to all students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the central ideas of evolution. In particular, it covers key theoretical concepts of evolutionary biology and the application of evolutionary approaches to the study of culture. This course is intended to be accessible and relevant to students whether or not they have a background in evolutionary biology. As well as providing a primer for the core concepts of modern evolutionary theory and practice, the course situates evolutionary biology in a wider context, covering the historical development of evolutionary theory, its philosophical ramifications and its impact on other disciplines. Formative feedback available: - There will a session devoted to practising examination questions, with students attempting and discussing and the lecturer providing comments to the class. PLEASE NOTE: this course is primarily intended for students on the MSc in Evolution of Language and Cognition. Any other students should contact the course organiser for permission to take this course.
Course description	Not entered

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 18, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 78 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	One 2-hour examination Date of exam: to be confirmed by Central University Return deadline: within 3 working weeks
Feedback	Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Foundations of Evolution		2:00

Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the course, students will have an understanding of: - the intellectual history of evolutionary biology - what evolutionary theory aims to explain - the mechanisms that give rise to adaptation - the biological evidence for evolutionary processes - the major evolutionary transitions in the history of life on earth - how techniques from evolutionary biology can be applied to the study of cultural systems such as language - how evolutionary biology impacts on the cognitive and social sciences Students will be able to: - critically evaluate the application of evolutionary thinking in biology and other disciplines - integrate formal models and philosophical arguments to develop scientific explanations