Biology 332: Evolutionary Biology

George M. Diggs, Jr.
Department of Biology and Center for Environmental Studies
Austin College, Sherman, Texas
& Research Associate, Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), Fort Worth

         


Biology 332 - Evolutionary Biology Spring 2015 - Class Schedule and Readings

    Lecture Topic Partial Reading List (additional reading list will be handed out or assigned in class)
       
Feb 3 Introduction; Science as a Way of Knowing; Why Study Biol. Evol.?; Hist. & Dev. of Evolution Naturalism; An Introduction to Science; Nothing makes sense....; The Nature of Science
Feb 5 Hist. & Dev. of Evol. Biol. (cont.).; Genetics & Evol. The Power of This View of Life (class handout); Neither Intelligent nor Designed; The New Creationism; Sadly, An Honest Creationist; Introduction to "Origin of Species"Was Darwin Wrong?; Darwin's First Clues
  10 Genetics & Epigenetics  
  12 Selection, Adaptation  
  17 Selection, Adaptation (cont.); Case Study: Evolution of Whales

Introduction to the Cetacea, Whale and Hippo "Close Cousins", New Fossils Resolve Whale's Origin, Evidence of feet in Whales (Go through JSTOR on AC Library Webpage); Origin of Whales from Early Artiodactyls; Earliest Whales Gave Birth on Land

  19 Preadaptations, Functional Shifts, Multiple Solutions
  24 Kin Selection; Sexual Selection
  26 Evolution of Human Sexuality Why is the penis shaped like that?; Pas de Deux of Sexuality Is Written in the Genes; What were the real reasons behind David Reimer's suicide?
Mar 3 Speciation; Biogeography  
  5 EXAM 1  
  9-13 Spring Break  
  17 Evolution & Human Health Begin reading the Hunter-Gatherer Within
19 Evolution & Human Health; Res. Sum. Title, Etc. Due Hygiene Hypothesis; The Hygiene Hypothesis; Old Friends Hypothesis (Hygeine Hypothesis Updated)
  24 Evolution & Human Health  
  26 Evolution & Human Health  
  31 Coevolution  
 Apr 2 Coevolution Beetle Larvae That Cooperate To Mimic Bees
  7 Coevolution; RESEARCH SUMM. DUE  
  9 Coevolution  
  14 EXAM 2  
  16 Classification; Molecular Evolution  
  21 Molecular Evolution (continued) The Real Life of Pseudogenes (download pdf), Tuatara, the Fastest Evolving Animal, This Week's Citation Classic
  23 Diversity  
  28 Diversity (continued)  
  30 Extinction
May 5 Mass Extinction
  7 Human Evolution Fossil Skull Offers New Clues on Human Journey
  14 FINAL EXAM – 3:00 - 5:00 pm Thursday  

 

For further information about this course, please contact:

Dr. George Diggs, Professor
Department of Biology
Austin College
900 N. Grand Ave.
Sherman, TX 75090
903-813-2246
Fax: 903-813-3199
gdiggs@austincollege.edu


All text and images on this page copyright 2015, George M. Diggs, Jr.


Austin College