Living in the North: How Our Species Coped with an Ice Age



Overview

It was during the last ice age (c. 11,6000-11,700 years ago) that modern human populations dispersed widely around the globe, reaching regions, such as Arctic Siberia, and continents, including the Americas, that had never previously been inhabited by any other hominin species. Modern humans began arriving in Europe and northern regions of Asia after around 50,000 years ago and had arrived in North America by 15,000 years ago. The last ice age saw many climatic fluctuations, but the northern latitudes of Eurasia and North America were dominated by some extremely harsh environments.

This course explores how hunter-gatherers survived in these northerly realms. What kinds of shelters did they construct? How did they keep warm? What did they eat? We’ll be considering the nature of their societies and the importance of maintaining social networks. We’ll also examine the evidence for the domestication of wolves. Domestic dogs were kept by many societies by the end of the Palaeolithic. We’ll be looking at archaeological evidence from various northerly regions, including Europe, Siberia, the Arctic, Japan, and North America. 

Programme details

Courses starts: 24 Apr 2024

Week 1: The dispersal of modern humans to northern Eurasia and North America

Week 2: Ice age diets

Week 3: Hunting equipment

Week 4: Shelters, hearths, and food storage

Week 5: Clothing and its production

Week 6: The first domestic dogs

Week 7: Ice age societies and social networks

Week 8: Communication and cave art

Week 9: Case study 1: Living in Siberia

Week 10: Case study 2: Pre-Clovis North America

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Diane Holmes

Diane Holmes has been teaching courses on human evolution and Palaeolithic archaeology for OUDCE for many years. Her main interests are Palaeolithic technology and early African prehistory, but she has also participated in excavations at Upper Palaeolithic sites in France and Belgium.

Course aims

To explore how modern humans survived in northern latitudes in Eurasia and North America during the last ice age. We will be considering practical technologies and know-how as well as the nature of the hunter-gatherer societies who endured some extremely cold environments.     

Course objectives

The objectives of the course are:

  • to explore the later Palaeolithic archaeology of northern Eurasia and North America to gain an understanding of how modern humans survived in these northerly regions during the last ice age;
  • to show that our understanding of the human settlement of northern latitudes is based on a broad range of sources, not only on archaeological evidence but also, for example, palaeoenvironmental data, ethnographic comparisons, and genetics; and
  • to introduce students to the results of recent research, and key issues and current debates.

Teaching methods

Teaching will be mainly in the form of illustrated lectures along with questions and discussion in class. Students are also encouraged to undertake independent study and coursework.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have a general knowledge of the later Palaeolithic archaeology of northern Eurasia and North America, including the range of technologies that enabled modern humans to survive in these regions during the last ice age;
  • have an appreciation of the various sources of evidence used to investigate the later Palaeolithic of northern latitudes, and some of the problems, limitations, and challenges of the evidence; and
  • have an awareness of recent research and current areas of debate.

 

Assessment methods

Students will have the choice of preparing either several shorter pieces of coursework totalling approximately 1500 words (Option A), or a single 1500-word assignment (Option B). There will be a variety of topics and questions to choose from. Advice on producing coursework will be given by the tutor during the course.      

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

This is an introductory course suitable for anyone with an interest in early prehistory. No previous knowledge is assumed. The course will also be of interest to anyone wanting a more in-depth consideration of later Palaeolithic technology that goes beyond looking at stone tools.

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support