Current course offerings

Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.

Course description

Human evolution is one of the most important areas of global scientific research and this course provides an overview of current ideas on human biological and behavioural evolution over the last ~6 million years, ranging from the earliest hominins to the emergence of modern humans and their expansion across the globe. ARCS3168 draws upon the many fields that contribute to our understanding of human evolution, including archaeology, palaeontology, geology, geochronology, biology, systematics, and genetics. It discusses the key data and theories explaining hominin emergence, diversification and dispersal, including the colonisation of southeast Asia and Sahul (Pleistocene Australia and New Guinea). The course brings a consideration of human evolution to the modern world and concludes by asking whether we are still evolving? The course is taught via lectures and weekly laboratory classes in which students will learn some of the practical skills used in the identification of hominin skeletal remains, past environments and technology. An essential component of this course involves the handling of polyurethane resin casts of original fossil discoveries, as well as primate and human skeletal replicas. Although no real human remains will be handled, you should contact the course coordinator if you have concerns about handling the casts. For more information about how the casts are produced, please see the FAQ section for the Bone Clones, Inc. Osteological Reproductions: https://boneclones.com/page/frequently-asked-questions. There will be no images of ancestral remains from Australia or the Torres Strait used in this course.

Archived offerings