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The Open University

Studying mammals: Food for thought

The Open University via OpenLearn

Overview

Who were our ancestors? How are apes and humans related? And where does the extinct Homo erectus fit into the puzzle? In this free course, Studying mammals: Food for thought, we will examine culture, tool use and social structure in both apes and humans to gain an understanding of where we come from and why we behave as we do. This is the tenth course in the Studying mammals series.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 The apes and their relationship to humans
  • 1 The apes and their relationship to humans
  • 2 Variable structure of ape societies
  • 2 Variable structure of ape societies
  • 3 Tool use and culture in ape and human societies
  • 3 Tool use and culture in ape and human societies
  • 4 Who were the ancestors of Homo?
  • 4 Who were the ancestors of Homo?
  • 5 Who were the ancestors of Homo sapiens?
  • 5 Who were the ancestors of Homo sapiens?
  • 6 Modern Homo sapiens
  • 6 Modern Homo sapiens
  • 7 The threat of extinction
  • 7 The threat of extinction
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements

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