'Race' was once thought capable of explaining a great deal about both human biology and society. That is no longer true, either in anthropology or in human biology; but biological variation between individuals and between populations is real and remains to be explained. This course is about human biological variation, especially variation amongst populations in physical traits, blood genetics and DNA. Through case studies rather than comprehensively, variation amongst peoples of the world will be viewed as an outcome of evolution and biogeography, and as a reflection of ancestry, interrelationships and population histories.

Principles of genetic inheritance will be introduced. General human genetics topics selected for discussion may include: genetic disease; heredity-environment interaction; social implications of genetic issues, and forensic genetics. The main emphasis, however, will be on human population diversity and anthropological genetics and genomics, including: the 'race' concept; principles of population genetics; the geography of biological variation; the explanation of biological variation in terms of micro-evolution; and inferences from biological evidence about population origins and affinities, compared with inferences from archaeology and linguistics.

By the end of this course, you should be able to

          ·        Master the essentials of the factual groundwork presented in the course, especially in the lectures and the required readings; and demonstrate awareness of key facts and the contributions of pivotal authors in the literature on human ‘races' and on human genetic and phenotypic variation, viewed especially at a geographical and population level

          ·        Place the ‘race' concept in its social and historical context, and demonstrate a secure grasp of fundamental concepts in general human, population and anthropological genetics

          ·        Apply basic genetic principles to the solution of simple problems in the analysis of pedigrees, disease risk assessment and ratios of variants in populations

          ·        Use a selective case study approach to explain a topic or argument in the field orally to your peers, in a clear, concise, analytical and evidence-based manner, couched so as to elicit discussion; and respond thoughtfully to the substance of peers' similar contributions

          ·        Draw together material from a range of scholarly sources relevant to a topic or proposition in the field, to form a unified text which sets out your own independent, where appropriate critical, assessment of that material, balancing general argument and supporting evidence

Tutorial presentation (10%), two essays (2,500 words, 30% each), examination (30%).

Normally offered in odd-numbered years
Up to 2 hours of lectures, 1 hour of tutorial and 1 hour of film/videos per week

Harrison, G.A., Tanner, J.M., Pilbeam, D.R. and Baker, P.T. Human Biology, Part II, 3rd edn, Oxford UP, 1988.
Cavalli-Sforza, L.L. & F. The great human diasporas, Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley, 1995.
Jones, S. In the blood, London, HarperCollins, 1996.
Ridley, M, Genome, London, Harper Collins, 2000.
Wells, S, Journey of Man, London, Penguin, 2003.