Evolution of Language and Music

Course manual 2017/2018

Course content

Most animals produce sounds and communicate, but only humans have music and language. Why do children learn natural language spontaneously and reliably, while other animals fail at even the most basic language tasks? What allows humans to appreciate complex rhythms and melodies, predict from a few notes how a tune will continue, and why has music such profound effects and human emotion? Why do the differences between humans and other animals seem so profound at the level of the music and language system, while we see so many commonalities at the level of perception, pattern recognition and brain functions? In this course we survey different theories of the origins of music and language. We discuss evidence for and against these theories from a variety of sources, including from the archaeological record, linguistic theory, behavioural biology, animal cognition and human and animal genetics. We focus on recent developments in these fields. One such development is a massive effort to gather data on vocal imitation learning in a variety of species, allowing a reconstruction of the evolutionary origins of this ability in birds and mammals. A second development is a series of computational models and experiments revealing a role for cultural evolution in the evolution of language and music. A third is the discovery of the FoxP2-gene, its supposed role in language and speech, and the variants of this gene in the Neanderthal and songbird genome.

Study materials

Literature

• James R. Hurford. Origins of language: A slim guide. Oxford University Press, 2014.

• Musical Cognition: A science of listening, Henkjan Honing (2013), Transaction Publishers (paperback)

Other

• Further study material to be announced

Objectives

The student will be able:

• to describe the key properties of language and music
• to describe the key differences between the predispositions for language and music in humans and non-human animals
• to decribe the main theories about their origins and evolution
• to analyse data from language and music research relevant to these questions
• to perform computational analysis of such data (e.g., phylogenetic tree reconstruction) using existing software (e.g., R)

Teaching methods

• Lectures
• Tutorials
• Self-study
• (Computer)practicum

The course will consists of lectures, tutorials and 3-6 computer labs.

In the final week of the course a mini-conference takes place where all students present a small literature study.  To prepare for this presentation, each student pitches their presentation idea in week 4 and hands in a first version of an extended abstract of their talk at the beginning of week 5, commentaries on the extended abstracts of three fellow students at the end of week 5 (peer review), and a revised final version of the extended abstract in week 6.

Attendance of the tutorials, computer labs and mini-conference is compulsory.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• Participation in all practical (computer) sessions, field work and seminars in the curriculum is obligatory and the student is obliged to prepare thoroughly for these meetings.
  

Additional requirements for this course:

Attending at least 80% of all meetings is essential, and the day before each tutorial (werkgroep), at 5pm, each student submits two questions about the literature of that week on the Blackboard forum: one on the music literature, the other on the language literature.

Failure to meet these requirements leads to the grade 'NAV'.

Assessment

Handing in the two versions of the abstract and the two peer reviews on time. Failure to meet this requirement leads to the grade 'NAV'.

Assignments

Presentation

• In week 7, students present the results of a small individual literature study on a topic of their own choice. The presentation is graded on a 10-point scale, and counts for 40% of the final grade. In preparation of the presentation, students pitch their idea in the Friday sessions of week 4, and submit a first version of an extended abstract of their talk at a date specified in class and on Blackboard.

Peer review

• At the end of week 5, each student submits 2 peer reviews on 2 abstracts of fellow students. Peer reviews are graded on a pass/fail basis.

Revised abstract

• In week 6, students submit a revised version of the abstract, incorporating the comments received. Both versions of the abstract and the peer reviews are graded on a pass/fail basis.

Exam

• In week 8, there is an exam assessing all lectures, readings, labs, tutorials and student presentations. It is graded on a 10-point scale, and counts for 50% of the final grade.

Assignment

• At the end of week 2 / beginning of week 3 students hand in answers to a selection of exam-style questions about the literature, lectures and computerlabs. It will be graded on a 10-point scale, and counts for 10% of the final grade.

Abstract

• An extended abstract of the presentation. Graded on a pass/fail basis.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.uva.nl/plagiarism

Course structure

Timetable

Het rooster van dit vak is in te zien op DataNose.

Additional information

No prior knowledge is assumed, but a real interest in language and music, modern cognitive science and evolutionary biology is required, as well as the willingness to analyse data from various sources using computer tools.

2nd year of Psychobiology.

Max. 40

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Jelle Zuidema