Master of Science by Coursework in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology

• 1. The course shall be under the supervision of the Teaching Committee of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography. 

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• 2. Candidates mustwill be required to follow a course of instruction in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, including training in research, for at least three terms, and will, when entering for the examination, be required to produce a certificate from their supervisor to this effect.

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• 3. Candidates will be required to present themselves for written and (if requested bycomplete the examiners)following oralfour examinationscore and to submit three copies of a dissertation in a prescribed form on an approved topic as defined in (6) and (7) below.
  courses: 

• 3. The written examination will consist of four papers, one in each of the subjects listed in the Schedule.

• 4.(a) ForPractical Quantitative Methods (Paper 1,) candidatesassessed will be required to submit three assignments (chosen fromby a listtake-home providedpaper by the course convener not later than the Friday of eighth week of Hilary Term). The assignments mustto be submitted by thenoon Fridayon beforeThursday theof startweek 0 of Hilary term.

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• (b) Principles of Evolution and Behaviour (Paper 2) assessed by two essays of no more than 2,500 words each, to be submitted by noon on Monday of week 4 of Trinity Termterm. 
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• (c) Evolution and Human Behaviour (Paper 3) assessed by two essays of no more than 2,500 words each, to thebe Chairsubmitted by noon on Thursday of Examiners,week M5 of Trinity term.Sc.
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• (d) in CognitiveMind and EvolutionaryCulture Anthropology(Paper 4) assessed by two essays of no more than 2,500 words each, c/oto Examinationbe Schools,submitted Highby Street,noon Oxfordon Monday of week 7 of Trinity term.

• 5. For each of Papers 2, 3 and 4, candidates will be required to sit an examination.

   

• 64. Candidates will be required to submitcomplete a dissertation of no more than 15,000 words in length, onand aan topicabstract agreedof withup theirto supervisors250 words. The proposed title of the dissertation, together with a paragraph describing its scope and the supervisor’s written endorsement,abstract must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners by Tuesday of the second week of Trinity Term. Three typewritten copies of the dissertation must be delivered not later than noon on the last Wednesday in August.

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• 5. All assessments must be submitted using the University approved online submission system. Technical information on the requirements for online submissions is provided in the yearCourse inHandbook.
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• 6. whichCandidates may be requested to attend on oral examination on any of the examination is taken, to the Chair of Examiners, M.Sc. in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford. The dissertation shall be provided with an abstract of up to 250 words, to be placed immediately after the title page. The word count shall be stated on the outside front cover of the thesis.

• 7. The four papers will be taken to constitute Part I of the degree and the dissertation to constitute Part II. At the close of the written examinations, the examiners will issue a list of those who have satisfied them in Part I.

• 8. The oral examination, if held, may be on any or all of the candidate’s assessed essays, and/or the dissertation.

• 9.  The examiners may award a distinction for excellence in the whole examination.

• 10. In order to pass the degree, a student must pass all its assessed components. Where one or more components are failed, the student will be given the opportunity to re-sit or re-submit them once, as the case may be. Any subsequent award of the degree on successful completion of all the assessed components may be delayed by up to three terms, i.e. until the Examination Board next meets.

Schedule

• Paper 1. Quantitative Methods in the Human Sciences

  • (a) Hypothesis testing

  • (b) Statistical analysis

  • (c) Research design

• Paper 2. Primates, Evolution and Behaviour 
  

  • (a) Primate and hominin phylogeny and evolution

  • (b) Primate and hominin physiology

  • (c) Primate and human diet and substance

  • (d) Reconstructing past behaviour from primatology and archaeology

• Paper 3. Evolution and Human Behaviour

  • (a) Hominid evolutionary history

  • (b) Human evolutionary psychology

  • (c) Kinship and inheritance

  • (d) Cultural evolutionary processes

• Paper 4. Mind and Culture

  • (a) Cognitive and evolutionary explanations in anthropology

  • (b) Pan-human cognition: developmental and evolutionary perspectives

  • (c) Cognitive origins of culture

  • (d) Communication and transmission of culture.