ARCH07060 2023 Prehistory of Sex, Drugs and Music
Full Title
Prehistory of Sex, Drugs and Music
Transcript Title
Prehistory of Sex, Drugs and M
Code
ARCH07060
Attendance
N/A %
Subject Area
ARCH - Archaeology
Department
ESCI - Environmental Science
Level
07 - NFQ Level 7
Credit
05 - 05 Credits
Duration
Semester
Fee
€
Start Term
2023 - Full Academic Year 2023-24
End Term
9999 - The End of Time
Author(s)
Chris Read
Programme Membership
SG_SARCH_E06 202300 Level 6 Special Purpose Award in Archaeology
SG_SRITU_S07 202300 Certificate in Ritual and Meaning in Archaeology
Description
This module will bring the learner on a journey of discovery, exploring past human behaviour through three universal elements of human culture. Sex includes human sexuality, gender, marriage, reproduction and parenting. Drugs covers both the use of mind altering substances in the past and the pursuit of altered states of consciousness through other means. Music will entail the examination of the evidence for prehistoric instruments, singing and dancing. This journey will cover all parts of the world and time periods from earliest prehistory to the recent past, including evidence from modern societies in a cross cultural perspective. Current scientific research on these topics will help better inform the learner as we apply this new knowledge to the past. This module will include a combination of lectures, directed readings and organised discussions on selected topics.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;
1.
Concisely summarise, appraise and critique archaeological texts from a theoretical perspective
2.
Evaluate the roles played by sex and sexuality, altered states of consciousness and music in human cultures, past and present
3.
Effectively communicate theoretical concepts through both written and oral means
Teaching and Learning Strategies
This module will be delivered through a combination of lectures and discussions based on assigned readings. Students will prepare summaries of the readings and each student will present 1/2 of their summaries during class and lead the discussion. Discussion and debate of readings and lecture material will be continued on Moodle. Each class will be recorded and stored on Moodle for students to access. Moodle wil also be a repository for PDFs of readings not available in the library.
Module Assessment Strategies
Students will be assessed through weekly discussion on selected readings, with each student giving 1 to 2 (depending on student numbers) short presentations/summaries to initiate the discussion. Due in the last week of class will be a 3000 word essay on a topic chosen by the student and agreed with the lecturer.
Assessments will be designed to minimise opportunities for plagiarism and for inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence. Where appropriate, suitable detection software will be used.
Repeat Assessments
Students will have the opportunity to submit written summaries of selected readings as a repeat for missing/failing presentations. Students will also be able to repeat the essay.
Indicative Syllabus
1. Concisely summarise, appraise and critique archaeological texts from a theoretical perspective: through presentations and final essay.
2. Evaluate the roles played by sex and sexuality, altered states of consciousness and music in human cultures, past and present: through reading, discussions, presentations and final essay
3. Effectively communicate theoretical concepts through both written and oral means: through presentations, discussions and the final essay
Topics to be covered include:
The human brain and body
Evolutionary psychology, primatology and pre human sexuality
Sex and gender in hunter gatherer societies
Sex and gender in early agricultural societies
Sex and religion in early civilisations
Human evolution, the serotonin system and psychedelics
Religion and altered states of consciousness
Evidence for drug/intoxicant use in prehistory
Alcohol and civilisation
Music, neurobiology and human evolution
Evidence for prehistoric musical instruments
Processions, parties and dancing
Music and memory
Coursework & Assessment Breakdown
Coursework & Continuous Assessment
100 %
Coursework Assessment
| Title | Type | Form | Percent | Week | Learning Outcomes Assessed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | short presentation/discussion | Coursework Assessment | Oral Exam/Presentation | 50 % | OnGoing | 2,3 |
| 2 | 3000 word Essay | Coursework Assessment | Written Report/Essay | 50 % | Week 15 | 1,2,3 |
Online Learning Mode Workload
| Type | Location | Description | Hours | Frequency | Avg Workload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | Online | Weekly Lecture/Discussions | 2 | Weekly | 2.00 |
| Independent Learning | Online | Assigned Reading | 5 | Weekly | 5.00 |
Total Online Learning Average Weekly Learner Contact Time 2.00 Hours
Required & Recommended Book List
Required Reading
2019-07-04 This Is Your Brain on Music Penguin Press
ISBN 0241987350 ISBN-13 9780241987353
2019-07-04 This Is Your Brain on Music Penguin Press
ISBN 0241987350 ISBN-13 9780241987353
This is the first book to offer a comprehensive explanation of how humans experience music and to unravel the mystery of our perennial love affair with it. Using musical examples from Bach to the Beatles, Levitin reveals the role of music in human evolution, shows how our musical preferences begin to form even before we are born and explains why music can offer such an emotional experience. Music is an obsession at the heart of human nature, even more fundamental to our species than language.
Recommended Reading
2020-01-05 Alcohol and Humans Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 9780198842460 ISBN-13 0198842465
2020-01-05 Alcohol and Humans Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 9780198842460 ISBN-13 0198842465
Alcohol use has a long and ubiquitous history. The prevailing tendency to view alcohol merely as a 'social problem' or the popular notion that alcohol only serves to provide us with a 'hedonic' high, masks its importance in the social fabric of many human societies both past and present. To understand alcohol use, as a complex social practice that has been exploited by humans for thousands of years, requires cross-disciplinary insight from social/cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, psychologists, primatologists, and biologists. This multi-disciplinary volume examines the broad use of alcohol in the human lineage and its wider relationship to social contexts such as feasting, sacred rituals, and social bonding. Alcohol abuse is a small part of a much more complex and social pattern of widespread alcohol use by humans. This alone should prompt us to explore the evolutionary origins of this ancient practice and the socially functional reasons for its continued popularity. The objectives of this volume are: (1) to understand how and why nonhuman primates and other animals use alcohol in the wild, and its relevance to understanding the social consumption of alcohol in humans; (2) to understand the social function of alcohol in human prehistory; (3) to understand the sociocultural significance of alcohol across human societies; and (4) to explore the social functions of alcohol consumption in contemporary society. 'Alcohol in Humans' will be fascinating reading for those in the fields of biology, psychology, anthropology, archaeology, as well as those with a broader interest in addiction.
Module Resources
Non ISBN Literary Resources
Updated Literary Resources
Journal Resources
Reading List:
Psychedelics, Sociality, and Human
Evolution
José Manuel Rodríguez Arce* and Michael James Winkelman
Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org September 2021 | Volume 12 | Article 729425
Towards an understanding of psychedelic-induced
neuroplasticity
Abigail E. Calder and Gregor Hasler
Neuropsychopharmacology (2023) 48:104–112;
The Origins of Inebriation: Archaeological Evidence
of the Consumption of Fermented Beverages and Drugs
in Prehistoric Eurasia
Elisa Guerra-Doce
J Archaeol Method Theory (2015) 22:751–782
The Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences: Hypotheses from Evolutionary Psychology
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- Front. Neurosci., 28 September 2017
Sec. Neuropharmacology - Volume 11 - 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2017.00539
The “Kamasutra” temples of India: A case for the encoding of psychedelically
induced spirituality
MEENA MAILLART-GARG1 and MICHAEL WINKELMAN
Journal of Psychedelic Studies 3(2), pp. 81–103 (2019)
URL Resources
Other Resources
Additional Information