A Journey Back: A Walk through Human Evolution

Start date Venue 17 December 2010 Madingley Hall Madingley Cambridge Tutor Alex Piel Course code 1011NRX143 End date 19 December 2010

For further information on Linda Fisher, Academic Programme Manager on 01223 746218 this course, please contact Sandy Haylock, Administrative Secretary on 01223 746227 To book See: www.ice.cam.ac.uk or telephone 01223 746262

Tutor biography Mr Piel has been studying wild primates for almost a decade, and has conducted research in four different African countries, from Madagascar to Senegal. His current research centres on savanna chimpanzees living in an open habitat in W. Tanzania, one that closely resembles that in which early human ancestors evolved. His teaching style reflects a desire to share with students his passion for Biological Anthropology as a subject, but also to engage them in the continually developing puzzle that is our species rich and complex history.

University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall, Cambridge, CB23 8AQ www.ice.cam.ac.uk

Course Programme Friday 17 December 2010 Please plan to arrive between 4:30 and 6:30. You can meet other course members in the bar which opens at 6:15. Tea and Coffee making facilities are available in the study bedrooms. 7.15 pm 8.30 pm 10.00 pm 10.00 pm Dinner Lecture: introduction to course, important terms Terrace bar open for informal discussion

Saturday 18 December 2010 8.00 am 9.00 am 10.30 am 10.30 am 11.00 am 12.30 pm 1.00 pm 2.00 pm 4.00 pm 4.30 pm 6.00 pm Breakfast Lecture: meeting the primates, just who ARE our closest relatives? (video) Coffee Lecture: standing up and early hominins Lunch Free Tea Lecture: Ardi, Lucy and the other Australopithecines...controversies and criticisms Dinner Lecture: the transition to Homo and ultimately, human Terrace bar open for informal discussion

7.15 pm 8.30 pm 10.00 pm 10.00 pm

Sunday 19 December 2010 8.00 am 9.00 am 10.30 am 10.30 am 11.00 am 12.30 pm 1.00 pm Breakfast Lecture: Neandertals to lump or split? Coffee Lecture: Language and complex culture... the defining of the human? Lunch

The course will disperse after lunch

Course syllabus Aims: This course offers an introduction to human evolution from the perspective of biological anthropology, including evolutionary theory and the evolution of the primates, hominins (humans and their ancestors, chimpanzees, and gorillas), and modern humans. Emphasis is placed on evidence from archaeological sites and fossil remains as well as behavioural reconstruction based on studies of extant primates. The course investigates what it means to be an anthropoid, a primate, a hominin, a human, etc. and examines the evolution of the Order Primates within a bioanthropological context. Content: A central question to biological anthropologists concerns the history of our species and its adaptation to our current environment. Understanding human evolution begins with a consideration of the fundamentals of evolutionary processes, from those at the cellular and genetic level, to those macrogeographical processes that shape landscapes and species physical and behavioural adaptations. This course will address these levels, by examining the intersection of the fossil and archaeological evidence with what we know from living primates to ask questions about our own evolution. In doing so, we will rely on our own (and others) interpretations of the evidence to reconstruct the forces (environmental, behavioural, cultural) that shaped the changes in our and other lineages over the last few million years. The influence of contemporary times on interpretations will also be addressed, as will the usefulness of models (e.g. chimpanzees) to better understand paleoanthropological conditions. Combined, we will attempt to answer the question of what it means to be human. Presentation of the course: The course will be presented through lectures and class discussions. We will also draw on other media (DVDs) to help describe and expand on class material. Students will have a chance to respond to the issues and discuss, for example, the usefulness of extant (currently living) primates to inform our understanding of the past, as well as interpretations and implications of early hominin finds. I also hope to bring to class casts of bones (crania) from early hominins which we can use for practice in identifying the anatomical features that distinguish them and to help refine our own thoughts on humanness. Outcomes: Students will be challenged to practice and improve upon several important academic skills during the course. Critical features for any scientist are the ability to assimilate and analyze scientific theories and data, such as evolutionary processes and fossil evidence; to integrate information from lectures and various readings; and to communicate understanding of the materials in class discussions. Consequently, at the conclusion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills: Identify and describe the major finds in human evolution and the theories and methods that support relevant interpretations of their importance; Argue persuasively and cite appropriate evidence that supports an understanding of evolutionary processes and patterns; Use anatomical features of (crania and post-crania) casts and cultural artefacts in the archaeological record to place specimens in specific time periods and/or contexts.

Reading and resources list Listed below are a number of texts that might be of interest for future reference, but do not need to be bought (or consulted) for the course. Author Lewin, R. and Foley, R.A Bramble, D.M. and Leiberman, D.E. Lovejoy, O. Title Principles of Human Evolution, 2nd Ed. Publisher and date Blackwell, 2003 Nature, 432, 2004

Endurance running and the evolution of Homo.

Re-examining Human Origins in Light of Ardipithecus ramidus Some bold evolutionary predictions for the future of mating in humans

Science, 326, 2009

Aarssen, L.W.

Oikos, 2007

Hauser, M.D., Chomsky, N., Fitch, W.T.

The faculty of language: What is it, who has it, and how did it evolve?

Science 298, 1569157

Note Students of the Institute of Continuing Education are entitled to 20% discount on books published by Cambridge University Pres (CUP) which are purchased at the Press bookshop, 1 Trinity Street, Cambridge (Mon-Sat 9am 5:30pm, Sun 11am 5pm). A letter or email confirming acceptance on to a current Institute course should be taken as evidence of enrolment. Information correct as of 13 September 2010