Human Evolution (ARCS3168)

Course overview

We live in a unique phase of human evolutionary history, where we represent the only remaining human species (hominin) of many that once co-existed on earth. In Human Evolution (ARCS3168) we will draw upon a diverse range of scientific evidence for understanding the evolution of humans and our fossil relatives. This course includes an introduction to evolutionary theory, an overview of the hominin fossil record and what that record teaches us about our place in nature. The course investigates current ideas on human biological and behavioural evolution over the last ~6 million years, ranging from the earliest hominins to the emergence of modern humans (ourselves) and the now-extinct archaic hominins they met as they expanded across the globe. ARCS3168 draws upon the many fields that contribute to our understanding of human evolution, including archaeology, palaeontology, geology, geochronology, biology, systematics, and genetics. It discusses the key data and theories explaining the emergence, diversification, and dispersal of humankind, including the colonisation of southeast Asia and Sahul (Pleistocene Australia and New Guinea). The course is taught via lectures and weekly laboratory classes in which students will learn some of the practical skills used in the identification of hominin fossil remains, past environments and technology. An essential component of this course involves handling casts of original fossil discoveries, as well as primate and human skeletal replicas. Although no real human remains will be handled, you should contact the course coordinator if you have concerns about handling the casts or viewing images of human remains.

CONTENT:ﾠThis course provides a broad overview of human biological and behavioural evolution over the last ~6 million years. ARCS3168 draws upon the many fields that contribute to our understanding of human evolution, including archaeology, palaeontology, geology, geochronology, biology, systematics, and genetics.ﾠ

OVERVIEW:ﾠARCS3168 explores the archaeological and fossil evidence for human biological and behavioural evolution spanning the last ~6 million years.

STRUCTURE:ﾠARCS3168 includes a combination of online (Prof Clarkson) and in person (Prof Westaway) 2 hour lectures each week all recorded on blackboard. A 2-hr practical session will provide training in comparative hominin anatomy together with hands-on experience with hominin fossil casts, archaeological material, and quantitative analysis of palaeoenvironmental and genetic datasets. All practicals will be held on campus in the archaeology teaching laboratory or the ATARC.

MATERIALS: ARCS3168 makes use of two textbooks,ﾠPrinciples of Human Evolutionﾠ(2nd Edition - available through the UQ library), and Human Evolution: A very short introduction (available through the UQ library).ﾠAdditional required readings (see Learning Resources) are available from the library, online in e-journal format, or in PDF form on Blackboard.ﾠ

***WARNING*** This course covers material that may upset some people. For example, the course material will include images of human and animal decomposition, skeletal remains, and traumatic injury to bone. Please contact the course coordinator if this material is likely to upset you.ﾠAll skeletal material handled during the laboratory session are polyurethane resin casts of original fossils, primate skeletons, and human replicas. For more information about how the bone casts we will be using are produced, please see the FAQ section for the Bone Clones, Inc. Osteological Reproductions:ﾠhttps://boneclones.com/page/frequently-asked-questionsﾠ

Course requirements

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ARCA1000 or ARCS1001

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ARCA2020

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

ARCA2168, ARCS2168

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Please refer to My Timetable for the most up-to-date timetable information.

Aims and outcomes

The course aims to provide an overviewﾠof human evolution through an examination of the fossil record and associated archaeological material.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Hominin Anatomy Portfolio

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

28/04/2025 2:00 pm

via Turnitin

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date. 

Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted. 

By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own. 

You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.  

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time. 

The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic. 

In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) or an Extension Verification Letter (EVL) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ).  

Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.  

Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements. 

Students may be asked to supply the work they have completed to date on the assessment piece. This is to establish what efforts have already been made to complete the assessment, and whether the proposed work plan is feasible. Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team. 

Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

In class quiz

• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

30%

Due date

16/05/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Quiz will take place during class time

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

You can request a deferred exam if you can provide evidence of unavoidable circumstances that prevented you from sitting your original exam at its scheduled date and time. Your application must include supporting evidence. The request will be assessed based on the evidence you provide when you apply. 

An application on the basis of a Student Access Plan (SAP) or Extension Verification Letter (EVL) alone will not be accepted. If you are applying on medical grounds, a medical practitioner must assess your condition and provide a signed medical certificate that covers the day of the examination. You must obtain a medical certificate no later than two business days after the date of the original examination. Further details of acceptable evidence for deferred examination can be found here. 

For information on eligibility and application instructions, please view the following page on myUQ: Deferring an exam - my.UQ - University of Queensland 

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

Arrange a deferred exam if you cannot attend for a medical or other valid reason

Video essay on human evolution topic

• Online

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Presentation

Weight

40%

Due date

9/06/2025 2:00 pm

On Blackboard (see notes on Blackboard)

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date. 

Your assignment must be submitted via blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted. 

By uploading your assignment, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own. 

You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.  

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time. 

The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic. 

In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) or an Extension Verification Letter (EVL) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ).  

Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.  

Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements. 

Students may be asked to supply the work they have completed to date on the assessment piece. This is to establish what efforts have already been made to complete the assessment, and whether the proposed work plan is feasible. Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team. 

Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Supplementary assessment is an additional opportunity to demonstrate that the learning requirements for an eligible course have been satisfied and that the graduate attributes for the course have been attained. Supplementary assessment may only be granted where Supplementary Assessment – procedures allow. A passing grade of 4 (or P) is the highest grade that can be awarded in a course where supplementary assessment has been granted. For further information on supplementary assessment please see my.UQ. 

Additional assessment information

 Academic Integrity: All students must complete the Academic Integrity Modules https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity/ 

School Guide for Written Assessments: School of Social Science Guide for Written Assessments 

Release of Marks: The marks and feedback for assessments will be released to students in a timely manner, prior to the due date of the next assessment piece for the course. This is with the exception of the final piece of assessment. The marks and feedback for the final assessment item will only be made available to the student on the Finalisation of Grades date at the end of semester.  

Assessment Re-mark: For information on requesting an assessment re-mark, please view the following page on my.UQ: https://my.uq.edu.au/querying-result  

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Further recommended readings will be added to Blackboard across the course of the semester. These recommended readings should be used to prepare your group tutorial presentation and will also be useful for researching your essay topics.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.