Universität Wien
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300132 SE Basics and current progress in theory of evolution (2022W)

3.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 30 - Biologie
Continuous assessment of course work
ON-SITE

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

The seminar will be held in person in the seminar room 1.2 of the UBB, Djerassiplatz 1.

  • Monday 10.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 17.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 24.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 31.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 07.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 14.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 21.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 28.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 05.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 12.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 09.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 16.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 23.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 30.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The seminar focuses on a particular topic in evolutionary theory each semester and aims to illuminate it using a series of papers, including classical seminal papers that have set the stage as well as recent developments. In the WS, we will focus on biocultural evolution and gene-culture coevolution in humans.

Assessment and permitted materials

Each student gives a seminar on one of the papers from the list. Reading of all papers is however required in order to participate in the discussion. Discussion and presentation are in English.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Presentation and discussion.

Examination topics

Reading list

Laland, K. N., Odling-Smee, J., & Feldman, M. W. (2001). Cultural niche construction and human evolution. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 14(1), 22-33. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00262

Creanza, N., Kolodny, O., & Feldman, M. W. (2017). Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(30), 7782-7789. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620732114

Whitehead, H., Laland, K. N., Rendell, L., Thorogood, R., & Whiten, A. (2019). The reach of gene–culture coevolution in animals. Nature Communications, 10(1), 1-10.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10293-y

Mitteroecker, P. (2019). How human bodies are evolving in modern societies. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(3), 324-326. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0773-2

Laland, K. N. (2008). Exploring gene–culture interactions: insights from handedness, sexual selection and niche-construction case studies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363(1509), 3577-3589. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0132

Danchin, É., Charmantier, A., Champagne, F. A., Mesoudi, A., Pujol, B., & Blanchet, S. (2011). Beyond DNA: integrating inclusive inheritance into an extended theory of evolution. Nature Reviews Genetics, 12(7), 475-486. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3028

Laland, K. N., Odling-Smee, J., & Myles, S. (2010). How culture shaped the human genome: bringing genetics and the human sciences together. Nature Reviews Genetics, 11(2), 137-148. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg2734

Ready, E., & Price, M. H. (2021). Human behavioral ecology and niche construction. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 30(1), 71-83. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21885

O'Brien, M. J., & Bentley, R. A. (2021). Genes, culture, and the human niche: An overview. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 30(1), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21865.

Richerson, P. J., Boyd, R., & Henrich, J. (2010). Gene-culture coevolution in the age of genomics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(supplement_2), 8985-8992. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0914631107.

Feldman, M. W., & Cavalli-Sforza, L. L. (1975). Models for cultural inheritance: a general linear model. Annals of Human Biology, 2(3), 215-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014467500000791

Whitehead, H. (2017). Gene–culture coevolution in whales and dolphins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(30), 7814-7821. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620736114

Association in the course directory

MAN 3, M-WZB, MZO W-4

Last modified: Mo 23.01.2023 14:09