Brian Palestis

 

 

 

Course Times and Location:            Lecture MWF             10:10-11:10                 Spiro 31

 

 

 

This course meets the following General Education Program Goals of Wagner College:

 

Textbook:          Kardong, K.V. 2008. An Introduction to Biological Evolution. 2^nd edition.

McGraw-Hill, New York.

Exam I                                                              25%

Exam II                                                             25%

Final paper & presentation                              25%

Museum assignment                                        10%

Article summary & presentation                        5%                  

Class participation                                           10%    

 

 

Assignments: 1) Each student will select one paper to read. The student must then write a two-page summary of the paper and informally summarize the paper to the rest of the class. Summaries are due and presentations will take place on Fridays unless otherwise noted. 2) Each student must go to the American Museum of Natural History to see the halls of human evolution and vertebrate evolution. A summary of what was learned on the trip is due at the end of the semester, with ticket stub attached. 3) Each student will select one organism (or groups of organisms) and will write a 5-page paper, with all references cited, on the evolution of this organism/group and connections to what was learned throughout the semester. This paper is due at the final exam period, when each student will summarize their paper to the class and present one or a few images of the organism/group.

 

 

Make-up exams will only be given with a doctor’s note or a letter from Academic Advisement.

 

Incompletes require completion of at least 70% of the work at a passing level.

 

Wagner College Honor Code: As a member of the Wagner College Community, you are expected to adhere to the terms of the Wagner College Honor Code. The Honor Code was created and passed by the Student Government Association (SGA) in the spring semester of 2007. Its institution benefits the college in a number of ways including an increased level of trust between students and faculty, the fostering of an environment where we hold each other accountable both inside and outside the classroom, and ultimately, an increase in the value of a Wagner College degree.

 

A copy of the Wagner College Honor Code can be found in your Student Handbook as well as on the SGA Web Page. It is your responsibility to be aware of and follow the terms of the Honor Code.   You will also be expected to sign the Honesty Statement and attach it to every test and paper handed in for this class. If you have any questions regarding the Honor Code, please feel free to contact a member of SGA either by phone (718.390.3276) or by email (sga@wagner.edu).

 

Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Dina Assante in the Academic Advisement Center, 390-3278, as early as possible in the term.

 

 

 

Introduction (Darwin, natural selection)                                            Chpt 1

Evolutionary thought before Darwin and Wallace                             Chpt 1

Video “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea”

 

Fossils, geologic time   (in lab room)                                                  Parts of Chpt 2, Fig 4.2

Evidence of evolution                                                                         pp. 10-12, 124-130, Chpt 6

Intelligent design                                                                                Chpt 17          

Heredity                                                                                              Chpt 3

DNA, genetic variation                                                                       pp 69-71, 145-151

 

Natural selection                                                                                 Chpt 7

Computer simulations of natural and artificial selection

Sexual selection                                                                                  pp 134-140

Constraints on adaptation                                                                  

Lecture exam I – Monday 10/3

Levels of selection, altruism                                                               pp 207-214

Genetic drift                                                                                       p 219

 

Molecular evolution                                                                            Appendix 3

Selfish genetic elements

Speciation                                                                                           p 117, Chpt 9

Classification & phylogeny                                                                 Appendix 2

 

Macroevolution                                                                                   pp 214-225, 151-155

Major events in the history of life                                                       Chpt 4, parts of Chpt 2, 5

Extinction                                                                                           Chpt 13

Human evolution                                                                                Chpts 14-15   

Species interactions, co-evolution                                                       pp 232-233, Chpt 10

 

Lecture exam II – Wednesday 11/9

Scopes trial, Social Darwinism (“Monkey Trial” video)

Sexual reproduction, life history evolution                                         p 211, Chpt 11

Darwinian medicine                                                                            pp 306-316, 111-112, p 79 box

Effects of humans on evolution                                                          pp 129-130, 314-316

 

Student paper presentations (Monday): Domestication                      pp 124-128

Nature/Nurture                                                                                    pp 252-255

Evolutionary psychology                   

Role of Darwin in modern thought (Mayr article)