BIO 440: Population Genetics and Evolution
Fall 2016

Dr. Wade B. Worthen
Lecture: 10:00-11:15, Plyler 143
Laboratory: Thurs: 2:30-5:20, Plyler 024
Texts: Evolution: Making Sense of Life, Second Edition, Zimmer and Emlen.
The Vital Question, Second Edition, Lane.

As Theodosius Dobzhansky, one of the founder's of the Modern Synthetic Theory of Evolution, once said, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Nothing: not anatomy, not cell physiology, not organismal physiology, not ecology, not disease, not aging, not sex ... nothing. In this course, we will take a deeper look at this foundational theory in biology - we will examine it as a process, and we will see the myriad ways that it affects the structure, physiology, behavior, and ecology of living things.

The structure of the class is described below, but I'll say one thing as an 'overview'. There is nothing as awesome or as interesting as the extraordinary diversity and complexity of life on this planet. This extraordinary diversity and complexity has been produced--and continues to change--through this process of evolution. I hope that this course will expand your interest in this topic, and that you will begin or continue a lifelong fascination with the evolving living world.

The best way to foster this interest, and to succeed in this class, is to teach yourself. I will begin a discussion in lecture. You need to continue that discussion on your own--with classmates, with the text, and with the web--to flesh it out in all it's complexity. Only then will it become personally interesting to you. When that happens, you won't be "studying", you will be "learning". To that end, there is a topical paper assignment. This is not a task, it is an opportunity. It is an opportunity for you to step away from MY learning objectives for you, and define one of your own. What do you want to learn more about? Think about the classes you had last year. Do you remember any particular lectures? Not likely. But do you remember a paper you wrote? I bet you do - and I bet that you remember what it was about. You still remember the major thesis, and maybe the primary points you made. You learned that on your own, because it was interesting to you. You created that knowledge for yourself. Try to do that as often as you can, about everything. That's my overview about this course and every course.

LECTURE SYLLABUS:

*Plus additional readings from the primary literature.

Attendance and Grading Policy:
I expect you to attend all lectures and laboratories. Notification that you will need to miss a lab needs to be given to me a week in advance. If you have a disability and you need academic accomodations, you should contact Gina Parris at the Student Office for Accessibility Resources in Earle Infirmary Basement (x-2320). Do this in a timely manner, early in the term. Then, you should bring this request to me. I will assign grades in accordance with the following criteria: There are 800 available points, and letter grades will be assigned such that grades of 90% or above earn at least an "A range" grade, 80%-89% at least a "B range" grade, and so forth. +/- grades will be assigned based on total percentage of points earned, as well as more subjective criteria such as performance through the term and performance on the final that is significantly better than the corresponding unit test. Any "curving", if warranted, will be done on total point distributions and not individual assignments.

Assignments:
1. There will be 4 hourly exams, given in class, covering the material in that unit. These will be fill-in, short answer, and mathematical problems as appropriate.
2. The final exam is comprehensive, with 25 pts from each unit. This will have the same structure as the hourly exams.
3. You will each write a short experimental lab report on the selection experiment. This will be done in the same structure as an R&A paper, with at least 10 references from the primary literature. The paper should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, using CSE citation format. The length will be 5-7 pages of prose (excluding citations and figures/tables).
4. The other laboratories will have "lab assignments", which will be question sets for you to answer. The "population genetics" and "phylogenies" assignments will be worth 100 points each, and the biomechanics will be worth 50 points.
5. You will also each write a paper (6-10 pages) on a topic of your choosing, and give a short 12-15 ppt presentation on your topic at the end of the term.