Semesters
NAT150 Human Evolution and a Sustainable Future
None.
The objectives of this course are to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the historical trajectory of humankind, from being primates living in small groups to becoming the most dominant and influential species on Earth. Challenges and possibilities in the face of climate change, faltering ecosystems and developing technologies are discussed through a multi-disciplinary approach, bridging insights from biology, history, philosophy, economics, and technology. Building on an understanding of how humankind´s evolutionary course will help students to develop analytic skills relating to contemporary issues such as sustainable development and the possibilities and pitfalls that lie within evolving technologies in medicine and artificial intelligence.
Central themes are:
- The evolution of Homo sapiens
- The brain, the human mind and decision-making by groups and individuals
- Belief and belief systems the evolution of ethics and morality
- Evolution of the world economy
- Human influence on ecosystems
- The concept of sustainable development
- Intelligence and artificial intelligence possibilities, consequences, and ethics
- The human genome and biotechnology possibilities, consequences, and ethics
The pedagogical approach to the topic is student-active learning, with discussions and presentations in groups and in plenary.
I samsvar med det nasjonale kvalifikasjonsrammeverket har studenten følgjande læringsutbytte etter fullført emne:
The student will have
- Knowledge and understanding of the governing principles of evolution.
- Knowledge about central theories of how Homo sapiens outcompeted other human species, and about the macrohistorical events that led to today's global society.
- Basic knowledge about the human brain and the neurobiology/psychology of motivational drivers and decision-making.
- Knowledge about the emergence of beliefs and belief systems
- Knowledge about the emergence and basic workings of the economic system.
- Basic knowledge about the workings and potential consequences of biotechnology and artificial intelligence.
- Basic knowledge about ecosystems and the consequences of human influences
- Knowledge about ethical and political challenges in sustainable development
- Knowledge about environmental- and animal ethics
The student will have developed and improved skills in
- Application of theories, models and expressions relating to the central themes when assessing contemporary real-life issues.
- Formulating relevant research questions on the basis of theories and models presented in the central themes.
- Evaluating the reliability and validity of information relating to the central themes.
- Oral discussion of topics relating to the central themes.
- Reflecting upon decisions the individual, as part of local and global societies, makes in the context of sustainable development.
The student should be able to
- Take a multidisciplinary approach to reflect upon contemporary issues.
- Critically reflect on both the advantages and the challenges of developing technologies.
The course lays emphasis on student-active learning. The course is organized with a mixture of lectures, written assignments with individual tutorials, discussions, group tasks and student presentations. Teaching takes place on campus at Volda University College. The course language is English.
The requirements for the course are:
- One paper (written individually in either English or Norwegian), of 2500 words +/- 10%. The student receives supervision in the process and the paper must be handed in for a tutorial and accepted before the exam. The paper will be part of the final exam (see below).
- One group assignment to be presented in plenary.
Grading will be done in accordance with the Regulations governing admiddion, studies and examinations at Volda University College.
- History - bachelor
| Assessment Form | Grouping | Duration | Grading scale | Proportion | Comment | Support Materials | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oppgave | Individual | 1 Semester | A-F, A is the best grade and E is the lowest passing grade | 50 % | 2500 words +/- 10 % | ||
Oral examination | Individual | 20 Minutes | A-F, A is the best grade and E is the lowest passing grade | 50 % |