The programme provides an in depth overview of modern methods used in the
phylogenetic analysis of culture. Topics include:
- phylogenetic
tree- and network-building methods and the principles behind them
- comparative
methods used to infer ancestral states and coevolution
- parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian approaches to phylogenetics
These
methods, developed in evolutionary biology, provide a systematic and
quantitative framework for the rigorous study of cultural evolutionary
processes, and are allowing anthropologists, archaeologists,
linguists and other human scientists to test hypotheses about the diversity
of cultural behavior. The topics will be introduced by active researchers
during lecture and discussion sessions, and the practical classes
will
give participants hands-on experience with a variety of software
packages [including MacClade, PAUP and
Bayes
Trait] and methods.
The programme will end with a
'clinic',
where
the tutors
will be on hand to offer advice on participants' own research
projects. A few bursaries are available, please
refer to the Fees
and Bursaries page for full details.
Who is it for?
The programme is primarily aimed at Masters students and those already
engaged in doctoral research. All participants will be expected to
have background knowledge of evolutionary theory. If space permits,
it may be possible to accommodate some undergraduate students who
are committed to pursuing a relevant dissertation topic
in their final year.
Tutors
The following will take classes and/or participate in other academic
and social activities:
Dr Fiona Jordan (http://www.cecd.ucl.ac.uk/people/?go1=64) is
a CECD postdoctoral research fellow based in the Department of Anthropology,
UCL. She recently defended her doctoral thesis, "A Comparative
Phylogenetic Approach to Austronesian Cultural Evolution", and
has given a number of talks about her work across the UK and in New
Zealand.
Dr Mark Lake (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/profiles/lake.htm)
is a member of AHRC CECD and lecturer in the Institute of Archaeology,
UCL. He
is an
expert on the archaeological application of agent-based computer simulation
and geographical information system and has recently also written about
the evolutionary history of the bicycle.
Professor Ruth Mace (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/anthropology/staff/r_mace)
is Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology,
UCL. She researches the evolutionary ecology of human demography and
life history and is a leading proponent of the use of comparative methods
for testing cross-cultural hypotheses about culture and language evolution.
Professor Stephen Shennan (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/profiles/shennan.htm)
is Professor of Theoretical Archaeology and Director of the Institute
of Archaeology. He is internationally renowned for his work pioneering
the application of evolutionary models to the archaeological study
of human culture.
Dr James Steele (http://www.cecd.ucl.ac.uk/people/?go1=24)
is Director of AHRC CECD and Research Reader in he Institute of Archaeology,
UCL. He is well known for his research on the evolution of speech and
tool use, and the modeling of diffusion processes as diverse as the
peopling of the Americas and the introduction of new agricultural machinery.
Dr Jamie Tehrani (http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology/staff/profiles/?id=5388)
holds a prestigious Research Councils UK fellowship in the Department
of
Anthropology at Durham University. He has published widely on the use
of phylogenetic methods to study the evolution and transmission of
tradition and is an authority on the spread of rug-weaving in Western
and Central Asia.
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