Human Ecology

advanced

BI1_W01

BI1_W04

BI1_W05

BI1_U02

BI1_U03

BI1_U10

BI1_U11

BI1_K02

BI1_K05

BI1_K07

To train students with the assessment of the human body's sensitivity to environmental factors (methods of assessment of human reactivity using research equipment)

To present HE as transdisciplinary science about Man and his culture as a dynamic component of ecosystems.

To present methods of monitoring and assessment based on research equipment.

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

Colloquium and exam

Basic literature:

1. Campbell B., Ekologia człowieka, Historia naszego miejsca w przyrodzie od prehistorii do czasów współczesnych. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 1995;

2. Dyball R and Newell B., 2014. Understanding Human Ecology: A System Approach to Sustainability, Routledge, London and New York;

3. Mackenzie A., Ball A.S., Virdee S.R., Ekologia. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2000;

4. Moran E.F. Human Adaptability, An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology. Westview Press, Boulder 2008;

5. Siniarska A., 2016. Human ecology in higher education in Poland. In: Human Ecology Studies and Higher Education for Sustainable Development. European Experiences and Examples, A. Franz-Balsen and L. Kruse (eds.), Edition Humanökologie: Volume 10, 142-151, Oekom Verlag, München

6. Siniarska A., Wolański N. (eds). Ecology of Aging. Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Delhi 2000;

7. 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;

8. Wolański N., Ekologia Człowieka. Podstawy Ochrony Środowiska i Zdrowia Człowieka, Tom 2 – Ewolucja i dostosowania biokulturowe. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2006;

9. Wolański N. i B. Bogin (eds), The Family as an Environment for Human Development. Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Delhi 1996;

10. 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, Delhi 1996;

8. Young G.L., Origins of Human Ecology. Benchmark Papers in Ecology, 12, Hutchinson Ross Publ.Comp., Stroudsbourg 1983.

Subject effects in terms of knowledge:

Subject effect 1. The student understands and lists the basic biological phenomena and processes in the field of human ecology

Subject effect 2. The student has knowledge of the most important problems in the field of various departments in human ecology and knows the methods of their assessment

Subject effect 3. The student has knowledge of the basic conceptual categories and terminology in human ecology and is familiar with the development of this discipline of science and relevant research methods

Subject effects in terms of skills:

Subject effect 4. The student understands literature in the field of human ecology in Polish and reads with understanding uncomplicated scientific texts in English

Subject effect 5. The student uses available information sources, including electronic sources in the framework of human ecology

Subject effect 6. The student has the ability to oral presentations on specific issues in the field of human ecology

Subject effect 7. The student learns independently and in a targeted manner in the framework of human ecology

Subject effects within social competences:

Subject effect 8. The student is able to interact and work in a group, assuming different roles in it

Subject effect 9. The student understands the need to improve professional and personal competences within human ecology

Subject effect 10. The student demonstrates the need for constant updating of knowledge in human ecology

ECTS - lectures

ECTS [1 ECTS = 30 hours]

Participation in the lecture: 30 hours

Preparation for the exam: 30 hours

Total: 60 hours

Number of ECTS: 60/30 = 2

Colloquium ends the lecture cycle and prepares for classes

The exam is conducted in a summer session.

ECTS - tutorials

Participation in the discussion based on an earlier colloquium: 30 hours

Preparation of own presentations: 30 hours

Total: 60 hours

Number of ECTS: 60/30 = 2

Student may leave 3 tutorials, including sick leave

Subject learning outcomes assigned to lectures (1-3).

Subject learning outcomes attributed to exercises (4-10)

Lectures are based on multimedia presentations.

Verification method:

Colloquium - checking knowledge of lectures before starting the exercises.

Four sets of questions, five in each.

A pass is a good answer to at least 3 questions.

Final exam - test; About 80 questions, for each question there are 3 answers and only one is correct. The material provided during lectures applies.

Final grade:

50% - 2

51-60% - 3

61-70% - 3+

71-80% - 4

81-90% - 4+

91-100% - 5

Tutorials

The exam is based on lectures and must be passed before starting tutorials.

Tutorials are based on discussions about the basic problems of human ecology and multimedia presentations prepared by students.

The assessment concerns participation in the discussion and the quality of prepared presentations.

Knowledge:

For grade 2 (insufficient): The student does not understand and does not list the basic biological phenomena in the field of human ecology and the mechanisms associated with it, the student has no knowledge of the most important problems in the field of various departments in human ecology and does not know the method of their assessment, student has no knowledge of basic conceptual categories and terminology in human ecology, and has no knowledge of the development of this science discipline and the relevant research methods

On the grade 3 (sufficient): The student understands and lists the basic biological phenomena in the field of human ecology and the mechanisms associated with it, the student at the basic level has knowledge of the most important problems in the field of various departments in human ecology and at the basic level knows methods of their assessment, the student at the basic level has knowledge of basic conceptual categories and terminology in human ecology and at the basic level has knowledge of the development of this discipline of science and relevant research methods

Grade 4 (good): A student understands and lists basic biological phenomena in the field of human ecology and mechanisms related to it, the student has a good knowledge of the most important problems in the field of various departments in human ecology and knows a good level methods of their assessment, the student has a good level of knowledge in basic conceptual categories and terminology in human ecology, and a good level of knowledge of the development of this discipline of science and relevant research methods.

5 (very good): The student understands and lists the basic biological phenomena in the field of human ecology and mechanisms related to it, the student has a very good level has knowledge of the most important problems in various departments in human ecology and good knows the methods of their assessment, the student has a very good level knowledge of basic conceptual categories and terminology in human ecology, and a very good level has knowledge of the development of this science discipline and the relevant research methods.

Skills:

For grade 2 (insufficient): The student does not understand literature on human ecology in Polish and does not read with understanding uncomplicated scientific texts in English, the student does not use available sources of information, including electronic sources as part of human ecology, the student does not have the ability to make oral presentations on specific issues in the field of human ecology, the student does not learn independently and in a targeted manner within human ecology.

Grade 3 (sufficient): A student at the basic level understands literature on human ecology in Polish and at the basic level reads uncomplicated scientific texts in English, a student at the basic level uses available sources of information, including electronic sources as part of human ecology , a student at the basic level has the ability to make oral presentations on specific issues in the field of human ecology, a student at the basic level learns independently and in a targeted manner within human ecology.

Grade 4 (good): The student understands literature on human ecology at a good level in Polish and reads uncomplicated scientific texts in English at a good level, the student uses a good level of information sources available, including electronic sources as part of human ecology , a good-level student has the ability to make oral presentations on specific issues in the field of human ecology, a good-quality student learns independently and in a targeted manner within human ecology.

Grade 5 (very good): A student understands literature on human ecology at a very good level in Polish and reads uncomplicated scientific texts in English at a good level, a student at a very good level uses available sources of information, including electronic sources human ecology, a student at a very good level has the skill of oral presentations on specific issues in the field of human ecology, a student at a very good level learns independently and in a targeted manner within human ecology.

Social competence:

On the grade 2 (insufficient): The student is not able to interact and work in a group, assuming different roles, the student does not understand the need to improve professional and personal competences within human ecology, the student does not show the need to constantly update knowledge within human ecology.

On the grade 3 (sufficient): A student at the basic level is able to interact and work in a group, assuming different roles, a student at the basic level understands the need to improve professional and personal competences within human ecology, a student at the basic level shows the need for constant updating of knowledge as part of human ecology.

Grade 4 (good): A student at the good level is able to interact and work in a group, assuming different roles, a good level student understands the need to improve professional and personal competences within human ecology, a good level student needs the need to constantly update knowledge as part of human ecology.

On the grade 5 (very good): A student at a very good level is able to interact and work in a group, taking different roles in it, a student at a very good level understands the needs of raising professional and personal competences within human ecology, a student at a very good level shows the needs constant updating of knowledge within human ecology.