Population and Biodiversity
Code: 106227 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2504235 Science, Technology and Humanities | OB | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Rafael Montiel Duarte
- Email:
- rafael.montiel@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
It is advisable to review block 1 of the subject of Life and evolution (1C-2S); the topic "Climate and climate change" from the Planeta Terra subject (1C-2S); the subject of Ecology and sustainability (2C-4S); and the subject of Gens and society (3C-5S).
To ensure the integration of the contents of this course within the grade, it will be necessary to keep in mind topics such as “The meaning of life” of the subject of Fundamentals of Philosophy and Ethics (1C-1S); the contents of the subject of Social and cultural anthropology (1C-2S); the topic of “Conceptions of culture: biological and anthropological” of the subject of Culture and Technology (2C-3S); and the topic of “The androcentric view in the construction of science” of the subject of Gender and Science (3C-6S); among others.
Objectives and Contextualisation
From the perspective of biological evolution, this course offers a deep exploration of the essential questions about human existence: Where do we come from? What are we? How are we? Where do we go? We will examine the origin and diversity of the human species, our distinctive characteristics and the variation in our populations. Furthermore, the impact of our species on global biodiversity and how it interacts with the natural world will be analysed, highlighting the importance of sustainability and conservation for the future of humanity and the planet.
It is expected that through this course, the students may combine the necessary elements to integrate the biological vision of human existence with other perspectives, such as the philosophical and from the field of sociology, which are taught in the grade, to enrich the multidisciplinary understanding and promote a holistic approach.
Competences
- Explain the basic concepts related to life, its origin and evolution, especially those referring to health and illness throughout history.
- Relate terrestrial dynamics and the variable of time in the terrestrial, atmospheric and climatic processes, and identify the problems generated by use of natural resources on the part of humans.
- 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 ethical relevant issues.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse the mechanisms that generate biological diversity in our species and interpret their adaptive significance and the mechanisms that maintain this diversity.
- Apply the knowledge acquired in complex or professional work settings.
- Identify your own training needs in the field of study, work or professional practice, and organise your own learning.
- Interrelate the environmental, biological and cultural data that merge in the interpretation of human evolution.
Content
I. Where do we come from?
- Primates
- Hominins
- Genus Homo
II. What are we?
- Migrants
- Mestizos
- Hosts and holobionts
III. How are we?
- Adapted
- Miscellaneous
- Our Neanderthal mirror
IV. Where do we go?
- Evolutionary legacy
- Demography and epidemiology
- Human disconnection and future scenarios
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Classroom Practice | 16 | 0.64 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Theoretical lessons | 33 | 1.32 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 5 | 0.2 | 3 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Bibliographic recearch | 5 | 0.2 | 3 |
| Personal study | 55 | 2.2 | 1, 3 |
| Reading scientific texts | 18 | 0.72 | 1, 3 |
| Writing assignments | 15.5 | 0.62 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
To achieve the objectives of the course, the teaching methodology focuses on learning, using three types of strategies: (1) sessions with the whole group, (2) individual or small group activities within the classroom or on the UAB’s Virtual Campus and (3) individual or group autonomous work for the preparation of writings and presentations. The tools provided by the Virtual Campus and other internet resources will be used.
1. Sessions with the whole group: Classroom sessions complemented with personal study. These sessions will include (a) presentations by the teaching staff that will encourage student participation in the form of debates or collective reflections, and (b) flipped classroom, in which the students will previously analyse the study material and carry out previous tasks to discuss them later in the sessions in which doubts will be resolved and exercises will be carried out.
2. Evaluable classroom or Virtual Campus activities, individual or teamwork: Review exercises, reading controls, problem-solving, discussion of shared readings and guided debates will be conducted.
3. Autonomous individual or group work: preparation for the flipped classroom, writing works and preparation of presentations or debates that they will lead in front of the group.
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual and small group activities during the academic course | 20 | 0.5 | 0.02 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Midterm exam and final essay | 50 | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 2, 4 |
| Teamwork presentation | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Continuous assessment
a) A written test and the delivery of an essay: each with a weight of 25% of the final grade (total 50%). To pass the subject it is a requirement that the average of these instruments be a minimum of 5.
b) Activities carried out in the classroom or on the Virtual Campus: 20% of the final grade.
c) Teamwork: 30% of the final grade. This evaluation will consider the presentation (15%) and the written work (15%). The assessment will be individual and self-assessment may be considered.
To approve the course, obtaining at least a 5 in the final grade is necessary. At the end of the course, a recovery test will be carried out for students who have failed the written test and have not exceeded the minimum average between the test and the essay. To participate in the recovery, students must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of two-thirds of the total grade for the subject.
The grade 'Not evaluable' will be received as long as no more than 30% of the evaluation activities have been delivered.
At the time of carrying out each evaluation activity, the teaching staff will inform the students (Moodle) about the procedure and date for reviewing the grades.
If any irregularity is committed that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instituted. If various irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.
Single evaluation
The single evaluation consists of a summary test that includes the contents of the entire theory program with a weight of 60%. On the same day of this test, the exercises corresponding to the classroom practices will also be carried out with a weight of 20%. Before taking the test, an essay must be submitted 30 days in advance, on a topic agreed upon with the teaching staff, with a weight of 20%.
The same criteria regarding irregularities described in the continuous evaluation will be applied.
Bibliography
Lluís Quintana-Murci. 2022. Humanos. La extraordinaria historia del ser humano: migraciones, adaptaciones y mestizajes que han conformado quiénes somos y cómo somos. Editorial Deusto.
Marina LOZANO i Xose Pedro RODRÍGUEZ. 2010. D’on venim? l'origen de l'Homo sapiens. Ed: Rafael Dalmau, col·lecció evoluciona núm 2.
Jurmain R. et al. 2016. Introduction to Physical Anthropology. 15th edition. Cengage.
John FLEAGLE. 2013. Primate adaptation & Evolution. Academic Press.
Mark STONEKING. 2016. An Introduction to Molecular Anthropology. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
Mark A. JOBLING, Mathew HURLES i Chris TYLER-SMITH. 2004. Human Evolutionary Genetics - origin, peoples & disease. Garland Science.
Emilio F. MORAN. 2008. Human Adaptability - An introduction to Ecological Anthropology. Westview press.
Francesca Romagnoli, Florent Rivals and Stefano Benazzi (eds). 2022. Updating Neanderthals. Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128214282/updating-neanderthals
Clive Finlayson. 2020. El Neandertal inteligente: Arte rupestre, captura de aves y revolución cognitiva. Almuzara.
Ludovic Slimak. 2024. The Naked Neanderthal. Penguin books.
Jokin de IRALA-ESTÉVEZ, Miguel ángel MARTÍNEZ GONZÁLEZ, Maria SEGUÍ GOMEZ. 2004. Epidemiología Aplicada. Ariel Ciencias Médicas.
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Software
This course does not require specific software.
Language list
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |