Admission requirements
Bachelor degree (completed)
Description
In the Research Seminar Social Technologies students and lecturers together form a research team that studies how technological advancements throughout human evolutionary history have structured our social behaviour and cognition. Technological advancements are taken in the broadest sense: we start around 2 million years ago with our ancestors' stone tools and campfires, and progress towards the forefront of present-day online social networking platforms AI companions. Building on insights from multiple disciplines, including cognitive science, linguistics, archaeology, and computer science/AI, we explore the many creative ways in which evidence can be gathered to learn more about social technologies.
Course objectives
This Research Seminar has both methodlogical/skill-oriented and content-oriented learning objectives.
After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Approach contemporary human traits, behaviours, and technologies using an evolutionary framework;
Identify and list the many creative ways evidence can be gathered to study the origins of human behavioural and cognitive traits that do not fossilise;
Design and implement a computer model to study aspects of language/cultural evolution and evaluate/draw conclusions from computer modeling work;
Evaluate and interpret experimental results that study aspects of the evolution of human behioural traits such as language, the production of art, story-telling, dance, ritualistic behaviours, and the technologies enabling/mediating such behaviours, ultimately providing answers to questions such as: What are the origins of our language and communicative skills? Where do our large brains come from? What is our relationship to technology, from stone tools to smartphones? What kind of mechanisms underlie our cultural evolution? And how did we become highly social beings navigating complex social networks, online and offline?
Generate ideas for future studies and creative use of data in the field of human cognitive and technological evolution;
Write & submit a conference-style abstract and give a conference-style presentation.
Schedule
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Teaching method
Together we form a research team to read, discuss, experiment, model, talk to experts, and organise a one-day scientific Symposium at the end of the semester at which we present our insights and results, and to which we will invite an international keynote speaker of our collective choice. Previous speakers include Dr Bronwyn Tarr (Barcelona/Oxford), Dr Kit Opie (Bristol), and Prof Robin Dunbar (Oxford).
Given the team-oriented nature of the course, attendance is compulsory. Missing two lectures is possible without failing the course; two or more have to be compensated with extra assignments (see below). Attendance at the Symposium is a requirement to pass the course; in case of an emergency we can tailor a solution (like going to an alternative one-day event and presenting elsewhere).
Assesment method
The course is assessed through
written examination with essay questions (30%)
abstract + oral presentation at the Symposium (30%)
research paper or alternative form of output, e.g. podcast or documentary (30%)
active participation/cooperation in class/group (10%)
The final mark for the course is established by (i) the weighted average of the partial grades combined with (ii) the additional requirement of each grade being > 5,0.
Resit, review & feedback
For each of the 30% components there is one resit opportunity of the same nature as the original assignment. Class attendance and participation are graded on a 10-point scale; for each missed lecture 2 points are subtracted. An extra assignment can be requested to make up for missed lectures (and undo subtraction of points).
Reading list
The material will be announced via Brightspace and consists of scientific literature + podcasts + documentaries/films. It is recommended to acquire a copy of this book, as we read it almost cover to cover:
Robin Dunbar, Clive Gamble & John Gowlett. (2014). Thinking Big. How the Evolution of Social Life Shaped the Human Mind. London: Thames & Hudson. https://humanjourney.us/mind/thinking-big-how-the-evolution-of-social-life-shaped-the-human-mind/
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.
Contact
Max van Duijn - m.j.van.duijn@liacs.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Elective; external and exchange Master students (other than Creative Intelligence and Technology and Computer Science master students) need to be admitted to the course before registration due to limited capacity. Contact the programme's coordinator to request admission, include a short description of your course interest, your understanding of the course in your own words; and state your current study programme in your correspondence.
Software
The Faculty of Science uses 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.