Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2005-2006 (archived)

Module HUSS3361: EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE

Department: ANTHROPOLOGY (HUMAN SCIENCES) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

HUSS3361: EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE

Type	Open	Level	3	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2005/06	Module Cap	None.	Location	Queen's Campus Stockton

Prerequisites

Completion of Level 2 Human Sciences/Health and Human Sciences OR Biological Anthropology I (ANTH2061) OR Biological Anthropology II (ANTH2011) OR Stage 1 MBBS.

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To expose students to the perspective of evolutionary medicine and to encourage the critical appraisal of western biomedicine in the light of evolutionary theory.

Content

Evolutionary medicine takes the view that many contemporary health issues are related to an incompatibility between the lifestyles and environments in which humans currently live and the conditions under which human biology evolved.
This module explores the ways in which questions about health and disease can be reframed in consideration of an evolutionary perspective and new suggestions about treatment can be made.
Specific areas to be covered include reproductive health (e.g. fertility, post-natal depression, menopause), infant health (e.g. colic, jaundice, SIDS, infant sleep, breastfeeding), chronic disease (e.g. breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, allergies).

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Students should be able to: Understand and explain the application of evolutionary perspectives to a variety of contemporary health issues.
Understand the value of a cross-cultural perspective in informing evolutionary medicine.

Subject-specific Skills:

Articulate how an evolutionary perspective to health might inform current health care practices and interventions and synthesise material.
Be able to evaluate evolutionary explanations of health issues and be able to articulate how these may be tested.

Key Skills:

Problem solving.
Research design.
Ability to engage in discussion and debate on theoretical and practical issues.
Ability to present written summaries of debates and argue for a particular perspective using research based evidence.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Seminars will introduce a different health issue each session and present students with various examples of evolutionary interpretations.
Seminars will guide students to further reading on each area.
Tutorials (small group teaching) will use a problem solving approach in which students will present the results of their own in depth reading to explore topics of 'received biomedical wisdom' using evolutionary perspectives.
Formative and summative class-write-ups will be used to consolidate students' ability to explain and articulate evolutionary perspectives on health.
Summative exam will be used to assess students ability to explain and synthesise their understanding of this topic.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Tutorials	6	2 per term	1 hour	6
Seminars	20	10 in Michaelmas Term, 10 in Epiphany / Easter Term	1 hour	20
Preparation and Reading				174
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination		Component Weighting: 70%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
examination		100%
Component: Tutorial write-ups		Component Weighting: 30%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
tutorial write-up 1		50%
tutorial write-up 2		50%

Formative Assessment:

Two tutorial write-ups, 500 words each.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University