Postgraduate Handbook 2026-2027
Module ANTH40L15: Sex, Reproduction and Health (Advanced)
Department: Anthropology
ANTH40L15: Sex, Reproduction and Health (Advanced)
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 4 | 15 | Available in 2026/2027 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- None.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- To provide advanced evolutionary perspectives on human sex and reproduction and associated health concerns.
Content
- The content will provide students with advanced knowledge of topics such as evolutionary and cross-species explanations for the origins of sexual reproduction, the evolutionary biology of human sexual behaviour, ecological factors affecting fertility, gestation and foetal development, evolution of human birth, evolutionary perspectives on parental care and on infanticide and infant mortality.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- How evolutionary perspectives advance understanding of human sexuality and reproduction.
- How evolutionary perspectives can inform our understanding of health concerns associated with reproduction and infant care.
Subject-specific Skills
- Demonstrate advanced ability to gather and evaluate relevant information and write coherently about the distinctiveness of an evolutionary approach to sex, reproduction and health.
- Critically evaluate the contribution of an evolutionary perspective on sex, reproduction and their relationship to health to contemporary understandings, particularly in the biomedical sphere.
Key Skills
- Advanced skills in researching relevant literature and constructing an academic essay.
- Plan, organise and manage time and work to predetermined deadlines.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures and seminars: subject knowledge will be delivered via lecture, and seminars will be used to provide a forum for discussion and development of critical thinking.
- Summative assessment is by one 3000-word written essay.
- Formative assessment is a 500-word outline and draft of the summative assignment
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | Weekly | 1 hour | 10 | |
| Seminars | 3 | Spread across term | 1 hour | 3 | |
| Preparation and Reading | 137 | ||||
| Total | 150 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% | Written assignment | 3000 words | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Written feedback on one formative assignment. Verbal feedback in seminars.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.