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hus1thj the human journey

THE HUMAN JOURNEY

HUS1THJ

2017

Credit points: 15

This subject addresses La Trobe's Global Citizenship Essential. Global Citizenship is about learning to live in an interconnected world, including the social, environmental, political and economic challenges this brings.

Subject outline

Philosophical and religious discussion of humanity's origins can be traced back to the Enlightenment and to Ancient Greek and Roman texts. In the nineteenth century scholars discovered that there is also a physical record of the deep past, in the form of fossils and artefacts, and they developed methods for studying this record. This inter-disciplinary subject explores the stories we tell about our origins with a particular focus on how we reconcile intuitively plausible accounts of our past with the rigours of scientific methods. In doing so, it focuses on three major events in the human journey: the origin of the first true Homo ancestor approximately 2 million years ago in Africa, second, the Neanderthals of "Ice Age" Europe, and third, the evolution of modern humans in Africa approximately 150,000 years ago.

SchoolSchool of Humanities & Social Sciences

Credit points15

Subject Co-ordinatorNicola Stern

Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes

Subject year levelYear Level 1 - UG

Exchange StudentsYes

Subject particulars

Subject rules

Prerequisites None

Co-requisites None

Incompatible subjects None

Equivalent subjects None

Special conditions None

Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes

01. Understand the way in which stories of human evolution are put together.

Activities:
Online questions and quizzes; essay
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)

02. Evaluate alternative accounts of human evolution and assess the import of new discoveries as they are announced.

Activities:
Online questions and quizzes; essay
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)

03. Identify the scientific methods and deep-seated beliefs that influence understanding of key events in human evolution.

Activities:
Online questions and quizzes; tutorial exercises
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)

04. Recognise cultural values, awareness and sensitivities surrounding discussions of human evolutions

Activities:
Tutorial exercises and discussions
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
Personal and Professional Skills(Study and Learning Skills)

05. Evaluate the import of all humanity sharing a deep-time history.

Activities:
Online questions and quizzes and tutorial discussions
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
Personal and Professional Skills(Study and Learning Skills)

Subject options

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Start date between: and    Key dates

Melbourne, 2017, Semester 1, Day

Overview

Online enrolmentYes

Maximum enrolment sizeN/A

Enrolment information

Subject Instance Co-ordinatorNicola Stern

Class requirements

Unscheduled Online ClassWeek: 10 - 22
One 1.5 hours unscheduled online class per week on weekdays during the day from week 10 to week 22 and delivered via face-to-face.
"No maximum class size"

TutorialWeek: 10 - 22
One 1.5 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 10 to week 22 and delivered via face-to-face.
"In order to facilitate access to reference materials and student involvement in tutorial discussion, the maximum class size should be capped at 25 per tutorial "

Assessments

Assessment elementComments%ILO*
12 online quizzes (5% each and equivalent to 225 words each)6001, 03, 05
Essay (1,500 words)4001, 02, 03, 04, 05