Dennett D. "Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolutions and the Meanings of Life". Penguin, 1996. ISBN: 014016734X
Barrett, L. Dunbar, R. & Lycett, J. Human Evolutionary Psychology. Palgrave. 2001. ISBN: 0333725581
Badcock., C. Evolutionary Psychology: A critical introduction. Polity. 2000. ISBN: 0745622062
Blackmore, S. The Meme Machine. Oxford Paperbacks. 2000. ISBN: 019286212X
Cartwright J. (2007) Evolution and Human Behaviour: Darwinian Perspectives on Human Nature. Palgrave Macmillan

Summative assessment
100% coursework essay, 2,500 words. In this essay students will explain and analyse, by drawing on a range of psychological theories, one type of human behaviour. This will assess learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3.


Formative learning
Example essay questions for which students will prepare plans will form the basis of the seminar preparation. Student plans will be evaluated and both general verbal feedback and specific written feedback will be provided.

Be registered on any Psychology Award

Computers with word processing capabilities.

A weekly lecture of two hours will include time for discussion based on the independent work you have carried out. Every week there will be an assignment, which in some cases will require group work. The independent assignments relate to the topic of the coming week, the breadth of the module will these vary from week to week and will also form the basis of the seminar discussions. For instance, they may involve some research in the library for exotic examples of a given behaviour pattern. Feedback on the assignments will form part of the lectures and seminars.

The module deals with current key evolutionary thinking associated with the mode and tempo of evolution, to include areas such as fitness, neutralism, drift, contingency, selfishness & altruism, competition & cooperation and sexual selection.
Basic concepts of population biology, ethology and cultural selection. After these fundamental concepts have been firmly established, the goal is to consider how evolutionary explanations have been used in studies of human behaviour and to critically evaluate some commonly encountered examples. These could include: inclusive fitness, aggression, altruism and selfishness, morality and memes.