Module ANTH3071: HUNTERS & GATHERERS PAST & PRESENT (AN)

Department: Anthropology

ANTH3071: HUNTERS & GATHERERS PAST & PRESENT (AN)

Prerequisites

• Two modules from the following: Political and Economic Organisation (ANTH2051) OR Kinship (ANTH2041) OR Archaeology of Britain (ARCH) AND Scientific Methods in Archaeology (ARCH1041) OR Archaeology of Britain (ARCH) AND Principles of Archaeological Science (ARCH).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with an advanced understanding of the significance of hunter-gatherer communities in human social evolution and in the contemporary world.
• To integrate archaeological and anthropological study, with particular reference to issues and methods that are common to both disciplines.

Content

• Lectures:
• Is hunting and gathering a distinctive mode of subsistence? The evolution of hunter-gatherer technology. Resource ecology and optimal foraging. Reciprocity and co-operation in modern hunter-gatherers, and the evidence for social behaviour in the Palaeolithic. Rock art. Hunter-gatherer politics and the concepts of immediate and delayed return. The transition between hunting and gathering, and farming. Hunter-gatherer/farmer interaction. Hunter-gatherers in the modern world. Seminars:
• Is hunting and gathering a unique adaptation? Settlement and society, past and present. Optimality theory: territory and technology. The interpretation of Palaeolithic art. The behaviour of premodern humans. Egalitarian societies. The origins of agriculture. Strategies for survival in the modern world.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have:
• A comprehensive knowledge of current theories concerning hunter-gatherer society and economy.
• A critical appreciation of the contexts and methods by which hunter-gatherers survive in the modern world.
• An understanding of how archaeological and anthropological theory and method can be integrated to gain a fuller appreciation of hunter-gatherer society.

• Students will have: the ability to synthesise archaeological and anthropological approaches and insights.
• Advanced knowledge of current debates in anthropology and archaeology.
• Applied transferable skills (detailed below) to archaeologically specific tasks and situations.

• Independent study and research.
• Sampling, collection and analysis of complex secondary data.
• The preparation and effective communication of data, methods, interpretations and arguments.

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

• The module is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and self-guided learning.
• Lectures will ensure the effective communication of key information and theoretical ideas, supported by reading lists and written summaries of follow-up notes posted on DUO, enabling students to gain up-to-date knowledge, as well as guidance on further reading.
• Seminars comprise structured oral and visual presentations and discussions of archaeological material, methods and theories, within medium-sized groups, enabling students to deepen their knowledge, to take responsibility for independent study.
• Self-guided learning comprises personal study, research, revision and evaluation associated with classes and assignments; guided by lecturers, tutors and reading lists of specialist books, articles and web-sites.
• Research is embedded into the teaching of this module through the expertise of the lecturers and tutors. The examples and topics chosen within the curriculum are closely aligned with the specialist research interests and experience of the staff teaching the module. Elements of the teaching cover topics at the frontiers of knowledge and this allows students to be trained in current, critical approaches to understanding and interpreting archaeological research.
• Summative assessment is based on (a) a 1500 word Essay that develops the documentation and arguments provided by the student in their seminar presentation (on which written feedback is provided), and (b) a two-hour unseen examination.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment is based on the student's verbal seminar presentation which is accompanied by a one-page A4 handout prepared by the student and distributed to the other students in class. Formative assessment is provided through class discussion and the lecturer's guidance at the end of the class.

■ 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