Human Ecology WB-BI-36-07
The course of Human Ecology (HE) covers two main topics: (1) the sensitivity of the human organism to environmental factors and appropriate adaptive biological changes and (2) evolutionary processes and biocultural adjustments. The first topic is superior with respect to the second one. In addition to human ecology issues in relation to the general ecology, and history of EC, very important is the methodology used, including monitoring and modeling of the HC phenomena. The most important part concerns the biological adaptational changes (reactivity of the organism, biological strategy towards the environment, types of these changes). Against this background, diversity and geographical distribution of Homo sapiens are considered as well as the environmental physiology phenomena are also considered. The second topic covers issues related to the creation of Homo sapiens and socio-cultural forms of its existence. Detailed analysis concerns the cultural and bio-cultural adaptations.
During the lectures the main methods of monitoring and modeling of the described phenomena based on the equipment and scientific apparatus will be described and shown. Lectures of this type are the basis for conducting tutorials, which include students’ presentations concerning the different ways of biological, bio-cultural and cultural adaptation to various climatic zones of the globe.
These elaborations refer to the problems of the first settlements (the largest cultural centers in the world), to material and immaterial culture, cultural change, migration and nutrition.
Tutorials are based on information provided during lectures. Tutorials take place after completed lectures
Subjects of lectures which are the base for tutorials
• What is human ecology (HE)
• Area of interest in Human Ecology
• Methodology in Human Ecology -the equipment and apparatus for testing in EC
• Organism reactivity – equipment for reactivity assessment
• Adaptation to environment – the way of monitoring, apparatus display
• Ecological problems of human development – display of bones with pathological changes
• Anthropogeography and environmental physiology – methods assessing this phenomenon
• Human differentiation as result of adaptive changes - what study we can lead and what research we cannot do - research equipment that serves this purpose
• Region, human settlement and family as environment of human development - assessment of rural and urban populations - how we measure and assess the differences associated with the chest shape, deformities of lower extremities and spine flexibility.
• Cultural adjustments – methods of assessment using different scientific equipment (1)
• Cultural adjustments to various biomes - methods of assessment using different scientific equipment (2)
• Civilization as adaptive strategy - methods of assessment
• City-industrial civilization and environmental problems – environmental pollution assessment – what kind of studies can be provided.
• Ecology of nutrition, health and disease
• Preparation for tutorials
Exam
(in Polish) E-Learning
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Course coordinators
Bibliography
Basic literature:
1. Campbell B., Ekologia człowieka, Historia naszego miejsca w przyrodzie od prehistorii do czasów współczesnych. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 1995;
2. Mackenzie A., Ball A.S., Virdee S.R., Ekologia. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2000;
3. Moran E.F. Human Adaptability, An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology. Westview Press, Boulder 2008;
4. Siniarska A., Wolański N. (eds). Ecology of Aging. Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Delhi 2000;
5. Wolański N., Ekologia Człowieka. Podstawy Ochrony Środowiska i Zdrowia Człowieka, Tom 1 – Wrażliwość na czynniki środowiska i biologiczne zmiany przystosowawcze. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2006;
6. Wolański N., Ekologia Człowieka. Podstawy Ochrony Środowiska i Zdrowia Człowieka, Tom 2 – Ewolucja i dostosowania biokulturowe. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2006;
7. Wolański N. i B. Bogin (eds), The Family as an Environment for Human Development. Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Delhi 1996;
8.Young G.L., A conceptual framework for an interdisciplinary human ecology. Acta Oecologiae Hominis, 1, Lund 1989.
Supplementary reading:
1. Baker P.T., Human Adaptability. In "Human Biology. An introduction to human evolution, variation, growth, and adaptability" G.H. Harrison et al (eds), 3rd edition, Oxford Science Publications, Oxford, New York, Tokyo 1988. Boothroyd J. People and the Environment. Lerner Publishing Group, 2009;
2. Ellen R., Environment, Subsistence and System: The Ecology of Small-Scale Social Formations, Cambridge University Press, 1982;
3. Fox J., Rindfuss R.R., Walsh S.J., Mishra V., People and Environment. Springer, 2008;
4. Frisancho A.R., Human Adaptation and Accommodation. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor 1993;
5. Moran E.F., The Ecosystem Approach in Anthropology: From Concept to Practice. University of Michigan Press, 1991;
6. Moran E.F., Ostrom E., Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Human-Environment Interactions in Forest Ecosystems. MIT Press, 2005;
7. Siniarska A., Dickinson F., Annotated Bibliography in Human Ecology. Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Delhi1996;
8. Young G.L., Origins of Human Ecology. Benchmark Papers in Ecology, 12, Hutchinson Ross Publ.Comp., Stroudsbourg 1983.
Notes
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Term 2020/21_L:
The scope of high school knowledge, extended with knowledge of Human Development Biology |
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: