Evolutionary Biology

Catalog description

The course begins with an examination of the intellectual origins of biological thought and includes a study of the historical factors that contributed to Charles Darwin's development of the theory of evolution. Topics include the evidence for evolution, the forces affecting evolution (e.g., mutation, migration, genetic drift, and selection), and natural selection as the basis of adaptation, as well as the philosophical and practical aspects of defining species and reconstructing phylogenetic relationships. Students critique (individually and in groups) current papers in evolutionary biology on topics such as punctuated equilibrium theory, Darwinian medicine, human origins, co-evolutionary arms races, systematics and biodiversity, and the evolution of sex.