SOCI 102122 DIVERSITY OF PEOPLES AND CULTURES Session

SOCI 102/122 DIVERSITY OF PEOPLES AND CULTURES Session 1 – EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY OF HUMANITY Lecturer: Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, UG Contact Information: ddzorgbo@ug. edu. gh/ddzorgbo@yahoo. com College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

Session Overview Introduction This session gives an account how the human race has evolved throughout history to the preset times and in the evolutionary process, how humans got adapted physically and environmentally and diversified as a human race. Objectives At the end of the session, the student will be able to: • Trace the origin and evolution of humans over time Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 2

Session outline The topic discussed in this session is: • The origin and evolution of humans over time Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 3

Reading list • Assimeng, M. (1999), Social Structure of Ghana, Tema, Ghana Publishing Corporation. • • Kottak, C. P. (2004), Cultural Anthropology, Boston, Mc. Graw Hill Corporation. • • • Kottak, C. P. (2004), Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity, Boston, Mc. Graw Hill Corporation. Nolan, P. & G. Lenski, (2004 or any of the newer editions), Human Societies: An introduction to macrosociology, Boulder Paradigm Publishers. Nukunya, G. K. (2006), Tradition and change in Ghana: An introduction to sociology, Accra, Ghana University Press. Sanderson, S. K. & A. S. Alderson (2005 or its newer editions), World societies: the evolution of human life, Boston, Pearson Education Inc. Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 4

Topic One The Origin and Evolution of Humans Over Time • Imagine that you have a photo album that contains 100 pages of photos from the beginning humans’ existence on earth • You flip through the pages and see that for almost 50 pages you see photos of people who are physically like us but “primitive”, naked or almost naked and clad in leaves, animal skins, carrying simple tools such as sticks, wooden spears, bones, stones, etc. foraging for edible plants, roots, fruits, hunting animals, or sometimes banding together to hunt animals also animals hunting them. You may ask why have they been like this all these 50 years • In the next 30 pages you see occasional innovations and change. Some new kinds of tools would appear such iron spears, better clothing, paintings in cages, needles, crude dugout canoes, Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 5

Topic One: The Origin and Evolution of Humans Over Time (cont’d) • The next 10 years you will see domestication of animals and animals rearing , some minor permanent settlements, some people seriously beginning farming first in todays Middles East , etc. • The next 8 years, major scientific breakthroughs and inventions occurring first in Western Europe (Britain, France and Germany in particular) leading to technological and industrial revolution and people moving from rural settlements to larges industrials cities, the development of the clock, trains, airplanes, ships, mega cities, etc. • Then in the next one and a half years, there was the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonialism and independence in Africa • And in the last six months, there is ICT revolution and people siting in front of desk and lap top computers, people communicating through the internet, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, i-phones, through Skype, videoconferencing, social media platforms such as, facebook, whatsapp, viber, etc. Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 6

Topic One: Origin and Evolution of Humans Over Time (cont’d) • • This synopsis of the human condition and its material transformation presented above indicates that humans have been on earth for a very long time. Historians, archaeologists and anthropologists reckon that the world took shape some five (5) billions years ago and some 60 million years ago early primates emerged on earth, 10 million years ago early humans developed larger brains, • 5 millions ago, humans having our present form emerged and began roaming the earth’s surface so that about 10, 000 years humans everywhere humans were foragers or hunter-gatherers. • Since then we have come along way in terms of human adaptation and socio-cultural transformation. • Unlike other animals and primates, our ability to develop large brains, language and culture: both non-material and material culture has increased and improved such that we are not only able to build viable human associations, communities and societies • But also to develop and modernize these societies such that some parts of humanity are now in modern technologically advanced stages and others in varying degrees are also on the way of modernity. Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 7

Topic One: The Origin and Evolution of Humans Over Time (cont’d) • What is interesting about our historical photos and accounts is that modernity is a recent phenomenon in our entire human history but what is interesting about modernity is that it is the era that has brought the greatest change to our lives compared to other earlier civilizations • Auguste Comte would say that humanity has moved from theological stage to the metaphysical and then to the positivistic or the scientific stage • Some scholars see this transformation as a movement from traditional to modern society • Others will dub it, a movement away from the Stone Age to Bronze Age and to the Industrial and Post-industrial Age and now we are in the Digital and increasingly paperless Age Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 8

Summary of the Session In this session you have learnt that: • The earth took shape several billions years ago • Humans appeared on earth about (5) billions years ago and • Some 60 million years ago early primates emerged on earth, • 10 million years ago early humans developed larger brains, • 5 millions ago, humans developed into our present forms and began roaming the earth so that • About 10, 000 years ago humans everywhere were foragers or huntergatherers. • Since then, we have come along way in terms of human adaptation and socio-cultural transformation, developing science and industries, modern cities, and moved recently into the computer and digital age Dr. Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Sociology Dept. UG Slide 9