FIRST YEAR SEMINAR

BIOL 47 Evolution (4 Credits)      Fall 2002
Professor Mark Davis        Macalester College
Office: OlinRice 219; 696-6102
Office Hours M: 2:00-3:30
  Th: 2:45-4:15
Writing Assistants: Ethan Bushelle
         Louise Bier

GENERAL INFORMATION

Biology 47 (Evolution)   In this class, we will investigate the central organizing idea of modern biology, that is, evolution.  This course will be taught in a seminar format.  Through readings, research, discussions, student presentations, and occasional lectures, we will explore both historical and current scientific views of macro and microevolution. Topics that will be covered include speciation, extinction, population genetics, hierarchical evolution (evolution at different levels including the gene, organism, kin group, population, and species), sexual selection, evolution and disease, factors influencing evolution today, and others. The course will consist of lectures, discussions, and student presentations based on readings from the scientific literature. Students will do considerable reading, writing, and discussing in this course and special attention will be devoted to critical reasoning and communication skills, both oral and written.   Note: a copy of this syllabus and other materials can be found on the instructor’s website: http://www.macalester.edu/~davis/evolution.htm

REQUIREMENTS SATISFIED:  This class meets course requirements for a Biology Major, Core, and Minor, and one of the college’s Natural Science Requirement course requirements.

TEXTS:  Weiner, J. 1994. Beak of the Finch
    Darwin, C. 1859. The Origin of Species
    Ridley, M. 1999. Genome.
    Gould, S. 2002.  The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (chapter 1)
    and other readings to be assigned.

CLASS TIME: MWF 10:50-11:50 a.m. in OlinRice 270.   Attendance is required at all class meetings.  Any skipped classes will result in a lower grade.

EVALUATION:  Students will write eight essays during the semester, ranging from 400 to 1500 words in length and essays 3-8 will be graded, based on criteria established in class.  Toward the end of the semester, students will also write a review article (3000-5000 words) in standard scholarly style and format on a particular aspect of evolution.  In this assignment, students will submit a first draft and they will receive comments on the draft from other class members, the writing assistants, and the instructor.  The first draft will not be graded.  After receiving comments back, students will prepare a final revised draft that will be graded.  Students will also present an oral presentation of their report to the class for which they will be evaluated.  Finally, students will write several memos to one another on  issues raised in the course. Memos will not be evaluated although students will compromise their final grade if they do not write one or more of the memos.  This is a seminar course, and seminar courses work best when all members regularly share their ideas with one another.  Thus, students will also be evaluated on the extent to which they contribute to class discussions.  There will be no written exams in the course.  However, at the end of the course, students will meet individually with Professor Davis for approximately 30 minutes for a course debriefing discussion.  These discussions will complement the various written and oral projects completed during the course in helping the instructor determine how well students have mastered the material covered in the course.  A student’s final grade will be based on evaluations of the six essays (30%), the written final project (30%), the oral presentation of the final project (5%), contributions to discussions, both as a leader and a participant (25%), the debriefing discussion (10%), and memos (-5%).

Skipped classes will result in a loss of a student’s cumulative class points.  Types of approved absences are few, and include family deaths and illnesses that require the student to return home (a letter from the dean must accompany such an absence), illness that incapacitates the student to the extent that attending class would put either the student or others at significant health risk (a letter from the dean or health provider testifying to this effect must accompany such an absence), or participation in an off-campus college designated extra-curricular activity, e.g., a debate or athletic competition, or a music or dramatic performance (a letter from the coach or faculty member directing this activity must accompany such an absence).

 SCHEDULE OF TOPICS

September  1 Course introduction and orientation to college academics

4 Discussion (Origin of Species, Chapter 4)
 
 6 1st Essay due/essay discussion

9 Discussion (Reading to be assigned) /  Evolution:  Some Basics

11 Discussion (Beak of the Finch, Part I)
 
13 2nd Essay due/ essay discussion
 
16 Discussion (Beak of the Finch, Part II)

18 Population Genetics and Speciation (1st Memo Due)

20 3rd Essay due; Population Genetics and Speciation (continued)

23 Discussion (Beak of the Finch, Part III)

25 4th Essay due/ History of Evolutionary Thought
 
27 Discussion (Genome, foreword thru chapter 7)

30 Library

October  2 Library

4 5th Essay due/ History of Evolutionary Thought (continued)

7 Discussion (Genome, chapters x and y thru 15)

 9 Group Selection (2nd Memo Due)

11 No Class (International Roundtable)

14 6th Essay due/ Discussion of International Roundtable

16 Discussion (Genome, chapters 16 to end)

17 Final Project Overview

21 Discussion (Origin of Species, chapters to be assigned)

23 7th Essay due/ Evolution of Behavior

 Fall Break

28 Macroevolution

30 Discussion (The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, 1st half of chapter 1)

November  1 8th Essay due/essay discussion
 
4 Macroevolution (continued)

 6 Discussion (The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, 2nd half of chapter 1)
 
8 Final project topics presented by students

11 Evo-Devo

13 Discussion (readings to be assigned) (3rd Memo due)

15 Coevolution

18 Evolution of Behavior

20 Evolution of Diversity (1st drafts of final project due)
 
22 Review Panels

24 Workshop on Oral Presentations

27 Biological Invasions: Evolutionary Implications
 
Thanksgiving Break

December  2 Oral Presentations of Final Projects (Final drafts of final projects due)

4 Oral Presentations
 
 6 Oral Presentations
 
9 Oral Presentations

11 Oral Presentations

13 Wrap-up (4th Memo due)

Individual final class debriefing discussions will be scheduled from December 4th through December 13th at times that are convenient for both the student and the instructor.

 Congratulations!!  You have completed your first college semester!
 

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