Prehistory I: Human Origins
Code: 106091 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500241 Archaeology | FB | 1 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Ermengol Gassiot Ballbé
- Email:
- Ermengol.Gassiot@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Teachers
- Raquel Piqué Huerta
Prerequisites
There is not prerequisits official
Objectives and Contextualisation
The subject is part of the basic knowledge of History of the Degree in Archaeology. The
subject has a very broad geographical and chronological perspective, from the first
hominization processes to the present. The specificity of the primary sources of
knowledge, archaeology and archives, prints a marked interdisciplinary character to the
ways of approaching these stages of the humanity development. For this reason, the main
objective of the subject is that students know the fundamental processes of the stages of
history, but that they can also understand how this knowledge has been generated and
that they are in a position to evaluate the different interpretative models. On the other
hand, it is intended to emphasize the relevance of these social and economic processes
for the understanding of the current world situation. Teachers expect from students to be
able to understand phenomena such as sexual division of labour, social discrimination.
Competences
- Contextualizing and analysing historical processes.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethic relevant issues.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Learning Outcomes
- Identifying the context of the historical processes.
- Mastering and identifying the history of immediate environment.
- Organising and planning the search of historical information.
Content
UNIT 1. The process of hominization. Human evolution and its protagonists. Technology, subsistence and social organization of the first hominids
UNIT 2. - Modern humanity. The debate on the origin and expansion of modern humans. The prehistoric colonisations. Technology, social organization and subsistence of the hunter-gatherer societies of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene.
UNIT. 3- The crisis of the Palaeolithic world and the origin of food production. The latest hunter-gatherer societies and the causes of their transformations.
Methodology
Directed activities
• Theoretical classes led by the teachers with Moodle support.
• Group work sessions and debates led by the teaching staff. Evaluation and collective discussion of textual or audio-visual material, individual and / or collective class presentations.
• Outdoor activities in museums and archaeological sites
Supervised activities
• Concerted sessions to resolve doubts about the development of the subject. Individual or small group advising sessions on specific content of the subject.
• Advice in small groups for the preparation of presentations and assignments.
• Individual or advising sessions sessions online and through Moodle.
Autonomous activity
• Personal study. Reading of texts. Search of bibliographic information
• Writing of papers. Preparation of presentations, oral comments and debates
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Theoretical classes | 40 | 1.6 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Concerted sessions | 20 | 0.8 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study or reading of texts | 75 | 3 |
Assessment
The continuous evaluation system will be organized in three modules; each one will be assigned a specific weight in the final grade:
1. The directed activities (theoretical classes) account for 60% of the grade. The evaluation of theoretical knowledge will be done by means of 2 written tests (each one will account for 30% of the final qualification)
2. Supervised activities (tutoring) will be weighted with 10%
3. Autonomous activities will account for the remaining 30%.
In case that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Microsoft Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
Evaluation calendar
At the beginning of the course students will be informed of the deadlines for completion / delivery of the assignments and the date of the written test
Requirements to pass the subject
• Presentation / completion of the evaluation exercises within the established deadlines.
• Achieve an average score of the evaluation exercises of five or more on a scale of 10
• A student will be considered not presented if he does not deliver or submit to one or more of the assessment modules within the established deadlines.
Grading Review
At the time of completion/delivery of each assessment activity, the teacher will inform (Moodle, SIA) of the procedure and date of revision of the grades.
Re-evaluation
•Students who have performed / presented supervised and autonomous activities within the established deadlines and have a minimum mark of 3.5.
Conditions for the rating ‘Not evaluable’:
The student will be classified as Non-evaluable when he/she has delivered less than 30% of the evaluation assignments.
Plagiarism
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Reassessment calendar
The Faculty of Letters sets the re-evaluation dates. These dates are published on the website of the faculty in the month of July of the previous year. It is the responsibility of the students to know the date that corresponds to the revaluation of their subject. The last test of the continuous evaluation will be scheduled at least one week before the revaluation date.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | 50 | 5 | 0.2 | 2, 1, 3 |
| Personal study or reading of texts | 50 | 10 | 0.4 | 2, 1, 3 |
Bibliography
ADOVASIO, J.M., SOFFER, O.,PAGE, J.: El sexo invisible. Barcelona 2008.
ARSUAGA, J.L.; MARTINEZ, I.: La especie elegída: La larga marcha de la evolución humana.
ARSUAGA, J. L. El collar del Neandertal: En busca de los primeros pensadores. Ed. Temas de hoy. Madrid 1999.
BERGER, L.R.: HILTON-BARBER, B.: Tras las huellas de Eva. El misterio de los orígenes de la humanidad. Ediciones B. Barcelona 2001.
BINFORD, L.R.: En busca del pasado. Ed. Crítica, Barcelona 1988
BURENHULT, G. (Ed.). El amanecer de la humanidad. Los primeros humanos. Ed. Debate- Circulo de Lectores. vol. 1. Barcelona 1994.
BURENHULT, G. (Ed.). Más allá de África. Las primeras migraciones. Ed. Debate-Circulo de Lectores. Vol. 2. Barcelona 1994.
BURENHULT, G. (Ed.). De la Piedra al Bronce. Cazadores, recolectores en Europa, África y Oriente Medio. Ed. Debate-Circulo de Lectores. Vol. 3. Barcelona 1994.
CAMPBELL, B.G.: Humankind emerging. Ed. Harper Collins Publishers. London 1992. 6a edició.
CELA, C. J. y AYALA, J. (2013). Evolución Humana. El camino hacia nuestra especie. Madrid, Alianza editorial.
COPPENS, Y. Y P. PASCAL, Eds. (2004). Los orígenes de la humanidad Madrid. Espasa.
DENNEL, R.: Prehistoria económica de Europa. Ed. Crítica. Barcelona 1987
FULLOLA, J. Mª.; PETIT, M.A.: (Coord).: La puerta del pasado. Ed. Martinez Roca S.A. Barcelona 199.
JONES, S.; MARTIN R.; PILBEAM D. (Eds.):Human Evolution. Cambridge Univ. Press. 1992.
KLEIN, R. G.: The Human Career. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. 1999.
LEAKEY, R.E.; LEWIN, R.: Nuestros Orígenes: En busca de lo que nos hace humanos. Ed. Critica. Serie Mayor. Barcelona 1994.
LEWIN, R.: Evolución Humana. Biblioteca Cientifica Salvat. Barcelona 1993.
LEWIN, R. y FOLEY . R.: Principles of Human Evolution. Oxford Blackwell. 2004.
REDMAN, CH. L.: Los orígenes de la civilización: Desde los primeros agricultores hasta la sociedad urbana en el Próximo Oriente. Ed. Crítica. Barcelona 1990.
SCHICK, K.; TOTH, N.: Making silent stones speak. Human evolution and the dawn of technology. Ed. Touchstone. 1994
STRINGER, CH.; GAMBLE, CL.: En busca de los Neandertales. Ed. Crítica. Barcelona 1996.
STRINGER, C. Y P. ANDREWS (2005). La evolución humana. Akal
TORRE, I. DE LA: La Arqueología de los Orígenes humanos en África. Madrid, Akal. 2008.
Software
Text processor