| Course Title: Evolution: Making Sense of Life |
| Start Date: 01/28/2025 End Date: 05/13/2025 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2025 |
| Description: Evolution is central to our understanding of Biology; it helps us explain both the diversity and commonality in organismal form, function and behavior that have been generated over 3 billion years of life on Earth. We will discuss the mechanisms of evolution within populations and between species, examine some branches of the tree of life and learn how the tree is generated, discuss how phenotypes arise from genotypes and interactions with the environment, and how development is central to understanding evolution. Some themes include the evolution of symbiosis, sex, and human evolution, as well as the crucial role that evolutionary principles play in society including agriculture, medicine, and even the judicial system. |
| Distribution(s): II - Math & Sciences |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Patricia Brennan | pbrennan@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/28/2025 - 05/13/2025 | Lecture | Monday and Wednesday | 11:30AM - 12:45PM | KNDD - Kendade | 305 | Weekly |
| 01/28/2025 - 05/13/2025 | Fourth Hour of Class | Friday | 11:30AM - 12:20PM | KNDD - Kendade | 305 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: BIOL-200, BIOL-210, BIOL-220, BIOL-223 or BIOL-230. | Take previously | Required |
| Coreq: BIOL-226L. | Take concurrently | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| BIOL-223 and/or BIOL-226 must be taken for the Biology major. Instruction is a flipped classroom style. Students will be expected to watch videos before class and do active learning in the classroom. Students are expected to work in groups, as well as view about half the lectures before class. |
| Course Tags | ||
| ENVST-NS | ENVST-NS: Env Studies pre-2024 Minor - Natural Science | This course has been approved to count towards the Environmental Studies minor Natural Science area. |
| ENVST-CRSE | ENVST-EL: Env Studies Electives | This course is an approved elective for the Environmental Studies major and minor. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 48 | Enrollment: 43 | Available: 5 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |