Evolutionary Anthropology BSc (Hons)

Program Overview

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Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Liverpool is a multidisciplinary program that explores human evolution and the interaction between humans and their environment. Students study archaeology, palaeoanthropology, and primatology to gain a comprehensive understanding of the human species. The program emphasizes critical thinking, research skills, and the ability to analyze and interpret data. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in archaeology, anthropology, and related fields.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

Evolutionary Anthropology represents the deep time perspective of anthropology in the broadest sense. Anthropology encompasses the biological and social study of humans as complex organisms with the capacity for language, thought, and culture. This unique multidisciplinary programme is the only one of its kind available in the UK and offers an opportunity to study an in-depth programme that explores what it is to be human. This is based on the study of three major areas of evolutionary anthropology: the archaeology of human evolution, palaeoanthropology, and primatology. You can choose to study all three elements or focus on two areas and add modules in life sciences and earth sciences.

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Objectives:

• Gain a broad and integrated knowledge of the evolution of the human species, including principles of archaeology, evolutionary psychology, human anatomy and hominid palaeontology
• Develop the ability to understand how human beings have been shaped by, and have interacted with their cultural, social and physical environments through time
• Cultivate an appreciation of the inherent cultural and biological diversity of human beings
• Acquire the ability to analyse and evaluate relevant quantitative and qualitative data
• Develop critical awareness of the application of ethnographic models to the hominin behavioural record

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Outline:

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Year One:

• Compulsory Modules:
• PRINCIPLES OF ARCHAEOLOGY (ALGY101):
Introduces students to the concepts, methods and evidence that archaeologists use to study and interpret the past. Students gain core skills essential to building and evaluating knowledge about the human past from material remains.
• THE ORIGINS OF HUMANITY (ALGY105): Explores the emergence of 'humanity' in the fossil and archaeological records, examining key events in human evolution such as the development of large brains, toolmaking, fire control, language, and art.
• INTRODUCTION TO BIOANTHROPOLOGY (ALGY119): Focuses on identifying osteological elements, introducing the osteology and anatomy of locomotor adaptations of humans and non-human primates, with a major emphasis on bipedalism.
• Optional Modules:
• BRONZE AGE CIVILIZATIONS: MESOPOTAMIA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN (ALGY106):
Provides an introduction to the history and archaeology of the Near East and Aegean from ca. 4,000 to 800 BC, focusing on ancient cultures of the Near East, Levant, and Greece.
• FROM VILLAGE TO CITY: THE ORIGINS OF CHINESE CIVILISATION (ALGY112): Introduces students to the development of early Chinese civilizations, investigating the transition from hunter-gatherers to sedentary farming communities and the emergence of early cities and states.
• Sedimentary Rocks and Fossils (ENVS118): Introduces students to sedimentology and palaeontology, covering the origin of sediment, sedimentary processes, and the importance of sedimentary rocks for hydrocarbons, water, and construction materials.
• Living with Environmental Change (ENVS119): Examines global challenges related to climate and environmental change, introducing core concepts of sustainability and human impacts upon the environment.
• EVOLUTION (LIFE103): Describes the evolutionary processes that have resulted in the generation of diverse life forms, including the theory of evolution by natural selection and the genetic processes that result in gene evolution and diversity.
• THE PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGY (ALGY102): Introduces students to the design and implementation of archaeological projects, covering various stages of archaeological projects, including desk-based assessment, mapping, data collection, and analysis.
• ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY (LIFE112): Studies the body plans of major animal groups and explores the relationship between body form and function, discussing the evolutionary origins of these body plans and how they have been modified to adapt to particular habitats.
• ECOLOGY AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT (LIFE120): Introduces students to the physical and chemical contexts of the biosphere, the cycling of important elements, the distribution of biomes, and the ecosystem concept.
• Ecology and Conservation (ENVS157): Examines the interactions between organisms and the environment, exploring how species organize into communities, how energy flows through ecosystems, and how ecosystems respond to change.

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Year Two:

• Working with the Past (ALGY248): Builds on fieldwork experience, exploring the process of post-excavation and the creation of published and grey literature.
• Optional Modules:
• HUNTER/GATHERER SOCIETIES (ALGY228):
Examines the lives of hunter-gatherer societies, exploring how they organized their lives, raised children, and resolved conflicts.
• BEYOND THE WALL: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF NOMADISM (ALGY223): Explores the emergence and transformation of steppe pastoralist societies, focusing on the archaeology of the Eurasian steppe.
• PLANTS AND PEOPLE IN THE PAST: AN INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOBOTANY (ALGY220): Introduces students to the principles and practical applications of archaeobotany, the study of ancient plant remains retrieved from archaeological sites.
• Changing Environments (ENVS214): Provides a critical insight into global changes impacting the Earth over decades to millennial timescales, exploring how we can reconstruct climatic and environmental conditions of the past.
• Animal Behaviour (LIFE211): Provides an introduction to the fundamental evolutionary principles that explain a wide range of animal behaviours, including sexual selection, animal mating behaviours, and the evolution of co-operative societies.
• Evolutionary Biology (LIFE213): Seeks to explain how the process of natural selection underpins the origins of biodiversity, addressing the origins of phenotypic diversity and the link between microevolution and macroevolution.
• EVOLUTION OF THE HUMAN MIND (ALGY240): Examines the evolution of the human mind from a multidisciplinary perspective, integrating insights from anthropology, archaeology, psychology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience.
• THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE UPPER PALAEOLITHIC IN EUROPE (ALGY268): Explores the nature of changes observed in the archaeological record during the Upper Palaeolithic, considering factors such as climate change, chronology, and hunter-gatherer ethnography.
• THE AGE OF STONEHENGE: RETHINKING BRITISH PREHISTORY (ALGY283): Covers current debates in British Archaeology for the later prehistoric period, challenging traditional perceptions of the deep past.
• DEATH AND MORTUARY PRACTICES (ALGY224): Examines how past societies dealt with death and the dead, exploring different approaches to death and mortuary practice and the role of the deceased in the lives of the living.
• EXTENDED ESSAY IN CHINESE ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE (ALGY285): Allows students to conduct individual research on a specific topic related to Chinese archaeology or heritage.
• OLD WORLDS AND WORK FUTURES: PLACEMENTS IN ACE (CLAH222): Provides an opportunity for students to undertake a placement in a setting that matches their academic and career interests.
• THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ROMAN BRITAIN (ALGY234): Looks at specific themes in Roman archaeology in their British context, examining the monuments of Roman Britain and their interpretation.

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Year Three:

• Compulsory Modules:
• EARLY HUMAN ANCESTORS: ARCHAEOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR (ALGY363):
Examines the emergence of human behaviour from primate origins, exploring the basic evidence recovered from early hominid living sites.
• DISSERTATION (ALGY450): A 10,000-word dissertation on an original archaeological/Egyptological research topic.
• THE BODY IN MOTION: MUSCULOSKELETAL FUNCTIONING IN HEALTH, PERFORMANCE AND DISEASE (LIFE335): Addresses how the musculoskeletal system of humans and other animals functions to perform whole body tasks, such as locomotion and keeping balance.
• THE ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE AND SEDENTISM IN THE NEAR EAST (ALGY356): Investigates the transition from foraging to farming and the appearance of sedentary communities in the Near East.
• AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY (AFTER 500,000 BP) (ALGY360): Examines the African archaeological record, focusing on three intervals of technological and social change starting 500,000 years ago.
• PALAEOLITHIC ART IN EUROPE (ALGY361): Explores the nature of Palaeolithic art in Europe, considering its discovery, dating, recording, and interpretation.
• ECONOMIC ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY (ALGY362): Introduces students to various anthropological approaches to the study of economic systems and how they can inform the archaeological and historical study of past economies.
• BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY (ALGY342): Examines the archaeology of the southern Levant in the Iron Age as the context within which the Hebrew Bible took shape.
• IRON AGE EUROPE: BEYOND THE CELTS (ALGY358): Covers the Iron Age in Europe, focusing on Celts, settlement, agriculture, ritual deposition, mortuary traditions, and social change.
• LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD: ARCHAEOMATERIALS RESEARCH IN PRACTICE (ALGY314): Introduces the laboratory analysis of archaeological materials, offering in-depth tuition in a range of common materials and providing hands-on experience with analytical and technological processes.
• Introduction to Quaternary Micropalaeontology (ENVS342): Provides a holistic insight into marine and terrestrial microfossils used for reconstructing past environmental conditions for the Quaternary period.
• Current Topics in Animal Behaviour (LIFE322): Addresses contemporary topics in animal behaviour within an evolutionary framework, combining current experimental and field research.
• BECOMING HUMAN (LIFE364): Takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine human evolution, beginning with the human genome and moving through the biological scales to examine how the genome has shaped developmental evolution in the human lineage.

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Assessment:

• Examination: Assesses learning outcomes through preparation for and the sitting of an examination, covering essay-based work, source analysis, or language work.
• Assessed Coursework: Demonstrates learning outcomes through the preparation and delivery of a piece of work, including essays, commentaries, posters, and projects.
• Portfolio: A critical summary of seminars presented by students, reflecting on the material discussed in seminars and subsequently researched and presented as a discussion of the topic or theme.
• Class Tests: Primarily in language modules, assess understanding, analysing, and applying structures and concepts of grammar and syntax.
• Oral Presentations: Assess presentation skills and may require the use of Microsoft PowerPoint.

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Teaching:

• Modules are delivered by a mixture of lectures and seminars in year one.
• In year two, the lecture element within modules is complemented by student-led seminars.
• In year three, most modules are delivered by a short series of lectures with a focus on student-led seminars thereafter.
• Self-directed study is also expected through the course reading list and conducting research for essays and projects.
• Course material is available 24-hours a day on Canvas, the online learning platform.

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Careers:

• Students who graduate from Evolutionary Anthropology are equipped with skills required for employment or advanced study in archaeology or anthropology.
• Graduates have also gone on to careers in a range of public service and private industry, such as the police, science journalism, or financial services.
• Many past students have progressed through doctoral studies.

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Recent Employers:

• The National Trust
• English Heritage
• Civil Service
• Archaeology South East
• Police Service
• Apple

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Other:

• The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology is part of the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures.
• Teaching takes place across campus, including in specialist facilities in the Central Teaching Hub.
• The University of Liverpool offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to provide tuition fee discounts and help with living expenses.
• The University of Liverpool offers a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment.
• The University of Liverpool offers global opportunities for students to study at partner universities worldwide, including a Year in China, a Year Abroad, a Semester Abroad, and Summer Abroad options.
• The University of Liverpool offers language study options for students to combine with their degree, including dedicated languages degrees, joint or major/minor degrees, language modules, and language classes alongside their studies.
• The University of Liverpool provides careers and employability support, including help with career planning, understanding the job market, and strengthening networking skills.
• The University of Liverpool offers a dedicated student services team to help students with their studies, health and wellbeing, and financial advice.
• The University of Liverpool provides confidential counselling and support to help students with personal problems affecting their studies and general wellbeing.
• The University of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group.

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UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)

Full-time place, per year £9,250 Year in industry fee £1,850 Year abroad fee £1,385

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International fees

Full-time place, per year £22,400 Year abroad fee £11,200