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Human Evolution and Diversity
UndergraduateMAQ-ANTX10512020
Previously MAQ-ANTX2051
Course information for 2020 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Evolve your thinking on human development and biological and cultural diversity. Study Darwin's breakthroughs alongside the most recent evolutionary research. Examine language origins. Join in ongoing debates about the study of human evolution.
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 18 weeks
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Human Evolution and Diversity
About this subject
At the completion of this subject students will be able to:
- Introduce students to certain key concepts and theories in the study of human evolution including the most important debates and new developments in the field
- Provide a clear sense of how paleoanthropologists conduct research and draw conclusions about extinct species and ways of life from material evidence
- Help them to understand, evaluate, and employ evolution-based explanations for contemporary features of human life, anatomy, and behaviour, including the limits on those explanations
- Improve students' ability to employ theoretical concepts, evidence, and analysis in general by specifically exercising these abilities on the materials covered in this subject
- Actively participate in group discussions and examinations of material related to human evolution (such as facsimile remains, site surveys, and material culture)
- Analyse and express your judgement about significant debates in the study of human evolution.
- Natural Selection and Evolution
- Human among primates
- Early hominids and bipedalism
- Genus homo: brain and dietary change
- Sex and reproduction
- The first technology
- Language origins and development
- Modern human origins and dispersal
- Food domestication and urbanisation
- Human variation
- The end of human evolution?
This subject was previously known as ANT151, ANTX151 Human Evolution and Diversity.
This subject explores the evolution of our species, what makes humans distinct, and how we have developed the biological, cultural and technological diversity we now see around us. The subject examines new research, highlighting the most recent discoveries and theoretical breakthroughs, encouraging students to learn more about the major debates, key discoveries, and important theories in the study of human evolution. Specifically, the subject provides students with a background in evolutionary theory, genetics, anthropology, paleoarchaeology, and comparative primatology in order to address a number of topics: the development of the human brain; bipedalism; language; families; social life; sexuality; reproduction; hunting; diet; clothing; art; stone tools and technology; domesticated plants and animals; cities; and the first civilisations. The subject also demonstrates how an evolutionary perspective offers new insights into modern human diversity, including both cultural and biological differences among us. The subject does not require a background in the biological or evolutionary sciences. It provides an excellent foundation for understanding and evaluating important contemporary issues such as whether sexuality is hardwired, how technology affects us, if genetic racial differences are significant, what makes our species distinct, and how humans might look in the future.
- Essay (35%)
- Non-Invigilated Exam (20%)
- Non-Invigilated Mid Term Exam (20%)
- Quiz (5%)
- Review (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
This research-intensive university in north-western Sydney offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. With over 44,000 current students, Macquarie has a strong reputation for welcoming international students and embracing flexible and convenient study options, including its partnership with Open Universities Australia.
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- 10
Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MAQ-ANT151 (Not currently available)
MAQ-ANTX151-Human Evolution and Diversity (no longer available)
Additional requirements
- Other requirements -
Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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