Where did humankind come from, why do we behave the way we do, and does this behaviour help us survive in our unique biocultural environments?
Biological anthropology is a subdiscipline of anthropology that seeks to understand the origins and diversity of human biology and behaviour from an evolutionary and biocultural perspective. In this major, you will complete courses in primatology, palaeoanthropology, human skeletal biology, and human behavioural ecology to gain insights into culture, society, behaviour, adaptability, ecology, and biology across diverse human cultures, human ancestors, and non-human primates from deep time to today. You will explore key challenges faced by humanity from a biological anthropological perspective to learn how we, as an evolved species, are both resilient and vulnerable to the ever-changing circumstances in which we live. These challenges include climate change, disaster recovery, conservation and protection of the natural world, social inequality, health and wellbeing, and nutrition. Finally, you will critically engage in key debates in the field of biological anthropology, such as the biosocial bases of human social behaviour, human variation and ‘race’, and the ethics of studying human skeletal remains.
Learning Outcomes
- define the scope of biological anthropology as a discipline and situate it in a wider anthropological context;
- develop an in-depth understanding of the theoretical approaches and methods used in biological anthropology and the ethical factors to be considered in their application;
- critically apply methods and theoretical and ethical approaches to the investigation of key questions in biological anthropology;
- understand the social, environmental, biological, and ethical implications of biological anthropology research and explore its relevance to a range of disciplines; and
- communicate biological anthropology concepts and perspectives in a broad range of formats according to ethical and scientific best practice.
Other Information
Students considering the possibility of becoming professional biological anthropologists are encouraged to complete postgraduate study to gain more specialised training in biological anthropology. Postgraduate study options include Honours in Biological Anthropology, the Master of Anthropology and Planetary Futures, and the Master of Archaeological and Evolutionary Science. Please note that students intending to take honours are required to complete prerequisite courses in their third year.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
The Biological Anthropology Major requires the completion of 48 units, of which:
A maximum of 18 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
A minimum of 18 units must come from completion of 3000-level courses
The 48 units must consist of:
30 units from the completion of the following courses:
BIAN1001 The Human Voyage: Introduction to Biological Anthropology
BIAN2015 Human Skeletal Analysis
BIAN3113 Human Evolution
BIAN3124 Evolution and Human Behaviour
BIAN3127 Primate Behaviour and Conservation
6 units from the completion of the following course(s):
ANTH1002 Culture and Human Diversity: Introducing Anthropology
ANTH1003 Anthropology: Critical Foundations
ARCH1001 Uncovering the Past: A survey of global archaeology and methods
BIOL1008 Human Biology
BIOL1020 Foundations of life
12 units from the completion of the following courses:
ANTH2026 Medicine, Healing and the Body
ARCH2041 Introduction to Environmental Archaeology
ARCH3042 Scientific Dating in Archaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Studies
ARCH3043 Advanced Methods in Environmental Archaeology
ARCH3108 Animal and Plant Domestication
BIAN2064 Anthropology of Environmental Disasters
BIAN2119 Nutrition, Disease and the Environment
BIAN2128 Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology
BIAN3014 Research Design and Analysis in Biological Anthropology
BIAN3125 Ancient Health and Disease
BIAN3129 Supervised Research in Biological Anthropology
BIOL2114 Evolution
BIOL2151 Genetics
BIOL3131 Behavioural Ecology
ENVS2011 Human Ecology
ENVS2012 Sustainable Urban Systems
PHIL3079 Evolution and Human Nature
A minimum of 24 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIAN3113 | Human Evolution | 6 |
| BIAN2015 | Human Skeletal Analysis | 6 |
| BIAN 2115: 'Race' & Human Genetic Var | ||
| BIAN2119 | Nutrition, Disease and the Environment | 6 |
| BIAN3125 | Ancient Health and Disease | 6 |
| BIAN 2126: Primate Evolutionary Biology | ||
| BIAN3014 | Research Design and Analysis in Biological Anthropology | 6 |
| BIAN 3018: Primatology Field School | ||
| BIAN3127 | Primate Behaviour and Conservation | 6 |
A maximum of 12 units may come from completion of courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH2026 | Medicine, Healing and the Body | 6 |
| ANTH 2132: Food for Thought | ||
| ANTH 2133: Human-Animal Relationships | ||
| ARCH 2054: Arch of Death & Mortuary Prac | ||
| ARCH 2108: Animals, Plants & People | ||
| BIAN2064 | Anthropology of Environmental Disasters | 6 |
| BIAN 2120: Culture, Biol & Pop Dyn | ||
| BIAN2128 | Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology | 6 |
| BIAN3129 | Supervised Research in Biological Anthropology | 6 |
| BIAN 2130: Ancient Medicine | ||
| BIAN 3010: Dating in Arch and PaleoEnv | ||
| BIAN 3016: Analysis of Mammalian Remains | ||
| BIAN3124 | Evolution and Human Behaviour | 6 |
| BIOL 2103: Human Physiology | ||
| BIOL2151 | Genetics | 6 |
| BIOL 2191: Ecology Health & Disease | ||
| BIOL3131 | Behavioural Ecology | 6 |
| BIOL3142 | Biomedical Parasitology | 6 |
| BIOL3204 | Genetics of Human Disease | 6 |
| ENVS2011 | Human Ecology | 6 |
| ENVS2012 | Sustainable Urban Systems | 6 |
| ENVS 2022: Sustainable Systems: Rural | ||
| PSYC2007 | Biological Basis of Psychology | 6 |
A maximum of 12 units may come from completion of courses from the following list:
1000 level courses in:
- Anthropology (ANTH)
- Archaeology (ARCH)
- Biology (BIOL)