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 2016 - Class Schedule and Readings

    Lecture Topic Partial Reading List (additional reading list will be handed out or assigned in class)
       
Feb 2 Introduction; Science as a Way of Knowing; Why Study Biol. Evol.?; Hist. & Dev. of Evolution Naturalism; Nothing makes sense....; The Nature of Science
Feb 4 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
  9 Genetics & Epigenetics  
  11 Selection, Adaptation  
  16 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
  18 Preadaptations, Functional Shifts, Multiple Solutions
  23 Kin Selection; Sexual Selection
  25 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 1 Speciation; Biogeography  
  3 EXAM 1  
  7-11 Spring Break  
  15 Evolution & Human Health Begin reading the Hunter-Gatherer Within
17 Evolution & Human Health; Res. Sum. Title, Etc. Due Old Friends (1 page book review); The Old Friends Hypothesis: Are We Too Clean For Our Own Good?; Microbial ‘old friends’, immunoregulation and socioeconomic status; Increase in allergies is not from being too clean, just losing touch with 'old friends';The “Old Friends” hypothesis: Reopening a can of worms; Opinion: A Mother’s Microbes  
  22 Evolution & Human Health  
  24 Evolution & Human Health  
  29 Coevolution  
  31 Coevolution Beetle Larvae That Cooperate To Mimic Bees
Apr 5 Coevolution; RESEARCH SUMM. DUE  
  7 Coevolution  
  12 EXAM 2  
  14 Classification; Molecular Evolution  
  19 Molecular Evolution (continued) The Real Life of Pseudogenes (download pdf), Tuatara, the Fastest Evolving Animal, This Week's Citation Classic
  21 Diversity  
  26 Diversity (continued)  
  28 Extinction
May 3 Mass Extinction
  5 Human Evolution Fossil Skull Offers New Clues on Human Journey
  10 FINAL EXAM – 12:00 - 2:00 pm Tuesday  

 

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 2016, George M. Diggs, Jr.

Austin College