De informatie op deze pagina is nog onder voorbehoud. De definitieve informatie volgt zo spoedig mogelijk.
The information on this page is still subject to change. The final information will follow as soon as possible.
Admission requirements
This course is only open for students enrolled in the Minor Human Evolution.
Description
Ageing and disease are both negative traits that could have detrimental effects on an individual. Why would natural selection not act against these traits? Here we answer the questions ‘Why do we age?’ and ‘Why are we susceptible to disease?’; discussing the several evolutionary theories of ageing that have been postulated over the years using the original papers. We look at the epidemiology of ageing in recent history; using evolutionary medicine to differentiate between proximate and ultimate causes of disease. Finally; we address the mismatch between our evolutionary past and modern environment as a cause of the current disease; including diseases of affluence; but also autoimmune diseases and mental disorders. In the last week; you will work on your final essay of the half minor in which you will critically evaluate the scientific evidence behind a popular scientific article on one of the topics: diet and digestive system; ageing and life histories; immune system and the hygiene hypothesis; or brain and evolutionary psychiatry. We will debate about the outcomes of your studies in a final plenary discussion.
Course objectives
At the end of this course; students can
explain why the human evolutionary past and present are mismatched.
explain why ageing is a consequence of the abovementioned evolutionary mismatch.
critically evaluate the hypotheses that diseases of affluence; autoimmune diseases and mental disorders are consequences of evolutionary mismatches
explain why ageing and some diseases; such as cancer; are not distinct phenomena but are different aspects of the same phenomenon.
critically evaluate and discuss primary scientific literature.
Schedule
The timetables are available through My Timetable (see the button in the upper right corner). A detailed schedule will be provided on Brightspace before the start of the course.
Teaching method
Lectures and reading primary literature. In the last week; you will work on your final essay.
Assesment method
Your contribution to the final discussion (pass/fail) and final essay (100% grade) will be judged by teachers from at least two of the disciplines Biology; Archaeology or Medicine.
Feedback on your essay will be provided on Brightspace and upon appointment.
Resit, review & feedback
Reading list
Compulsory book: R. Boyd & J.B. Silk; How Humans Evolved, 10th edition, 2025; Norton Publishers.
Note: earlier editions as well as the loose leaf edition, and e-book are also acceptable.
Primary literature t.b.a.
Registration
As a student; you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video; you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Exchange and Study Abroad students; please see the Prospective students website for information on how to apply.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the course coordinators: Dr. B. Everts and m.van.der.zee@biology.leidenuniv.nl
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc., contact the Education Office
Remarks
Brightspace will be used for communication
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year; the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform; you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software; your laptop must meet certain system requirements; which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.