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Evolution of Life (Biology 107)
This course is intended for undergraduate students not concentrating in the sciences and provides an introduction to the concepts and processes of biological evolution. We consider: (1) the history of evolutionary thought; (2) the evidence for evolution; (3) comparative methods for inferring evolutionary history; (4) an overview of the evolution of cells, organisms, and viruses; (5) evolutionary themes such as natural selection, chance, and cooperation; and (6) the consequences of an evolutionary world view for understanding disease, the value of biological diversity, and aspects of human culture.
Evolution (Biology 390)
This is a comprehensive lecture and discussion section course covering the evolution of organisms, genomes and ecosystems for undergraduates concentrating in the sciences.
Molecular Systematics and Evolution (EEB 512) Co-taught with Professor Jianzhi Zhang.
This course is intended for graduate students and introduces and explores in a rigorous fashion the study of molecular evolution and systematics. We examine methods of phylogenetic analysis using molecular characters (such as amino acid sequences, DNA sequences, and features of genome organization), as well as processes, such as natural selection, and patterns of evolution at the molecular level. These evolutionary topics and methods are key components of the developing field of bioinformatics.
The course will include lectures, discussion of published papers, and student projects emphasizing computer-based analyses of molecular data. Assessment of phylogenetic methods includes exploration of maximum-likelihood, distance, and parsimony approaches, with consideration of their relative performance under different conditions of evolutionary change.
Methods of molecular sequence alignment will also be discussed and examined. Molecular analyses will be applied to the broad concerns of systematic biology and evolutionary biology, which include testing hypotheses of genealogical relationship among groups of organisms and groups of genes, and using those hypotheses to: (1) discover patterns of morphological, developmental, and genomic evolution; (2) learn about processes that underlie the origin and maintenance of taxonomic diversity; (3) conduct studies of biogeographical, co-evolutionary, and paleobiological patterns to learn about the diversification, distribution, and extinction of taxa; and (4) learn about the tempo and mode of evolutionary change across all levels of biological organization.
Philosophy and History of Evolutionary Biology (EEB 800, section 005)
This is a reading and discussion seminar meeting for one hour per week, open to both graduates and undergraduates.
EEB 800 fall 2007 flyer
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