121-067 Cooperation and Conflict

This subject draws on evolutionary theory to see how cooperation and conflict can be seen as two sides of the same coin. And it draws on ecological thought to see how availability and accessibility of material, social and cultural resources shapes the strategies that people can be expected to use at different times and in different places. The subject will introduce students to the logic of evolutionary ecology and to the ways it contributes to a broader understanding of human behaviour. Through the use of ethnographic examples students should become familiar with: the application of evolutionary ecology to understanding patterns of resource procurement, the organisation of access to material and social resources, life history strategies and reproductive behaviour, gender roles, formation and maintenance of groups for production and consumption, alliance formation and the emergence of social complexity.

• have practice in conducting research and speaking articulately;

• have practice in writing clearly in a variety of formats and reading with attention to detail;

• have experience of systematically evaluating a body of empirical data and identifying its theoretical context;

• have experience of methods of critical inquiry and argument leading to improved analytical skills;

• have acquired awareness of issues relating to cross-cultural communication.

Three 500 word class papers 10% each (due during the semester), an essay outline 5% (due in week 11), and a 2500 word essay 65% (due at the end of the semester).