Textbook

The text for this course is Evolution by Mark Ridley (2nd Edition, Blackwell Science). It is available at the bookstore. There are also many websites that you may find informative, however be careful to evaluate the source of the material before assuming it is correct.

Office Hours

Monday and Friday 1030-1200

If these times are not convenient for you please email me and we can arrange a time to meet. I do not live in my office so please do not expect me to be available to you any time you drop by.

Course Structure

Lectures on Monday and Friday from 9-10 in Kresge 103

Labs on Wednesdays from 9-11 in Kresge 103

Laboratory Sessions (30% of final grade)

The first lab session will be September 15^th. However, this will be an example lab and you will not be responsible for the readings. The first 5 labs consist of the presentation and discussion of relevant journal papers in evolutionary biology. The goal of this exercise is to illustrate and expand on lecture ideas and to give students practice in the critical evaluation of publications. All the papers are available from the Internet; web addresses are included in the list. Some of these addresses are only available either from on-campus computers or via the proxy server from off-campus. If you are having problems accessing the papers please get in touch with me ASAP. Abstracts are to be handed in at the beginning of lab for each paper discussed. These should be very short (~half a page) and are mostly to demonstrate that you actually read the paper prior to class. Abstracts will be marked as pass/fail and will count towards 5% of your final mark.

One student will present papers and then two facilitators will lead a discussion. The presenter should prepare a brief overview of the main points of the paper. Additionally, presenters should define/explain key terms. Facilitators should read the papers with a critical eye and be prepared to initiate discussion, raise questions and keep the discussion moving. Each student will be responsible for 1 session as either a facilitator or presenter for a total of 5% of your final grade.

For the last 6 weeks of lab sessions, students will present a paper that is directly related to their term paper topic. The papers must be available to other students in the class. Thus, references and a hard copy of the paper must be in to me by the Friday before you are to present. If the paper is available through the Internet, please include the web address with the reference. These presentations should be ~10 minutes long, followed by 5 minutes of questions. Presenters should start with a brief introduction to their topic (2-3 minutes) before discussing their paper and the importance of their paper to our understanding of their topic. Presentations will be worth 15% of the final grade. Students are expected to read papers before class and be prepared to ask questions, however, abstracts will not be required for these labs.

Students will be marked on their participation in class discussions, which will account for 5% of their final grade.

Things to consider when reading a paper:

Central hypothesis

Study design – what is it and did it actually address the hypothesis?

Was the study design appropriate and adequate for the conclusions drawn?

(especially watch for sample size, bias in design, appropriate species)

Were the data analyzed appropriately?

Are conclusions supported by the results?

How does the paper relate to the general theory of this subject matter?

Clarity of ideas and conclusions

Term Papers (35% of final grade)

Students must choose topics. This means you will have to spend some time digging around for something you find interesting. Try starting with basic evolutionary biology textbooks including the course text. You might also like to try some of the more general evolutionary biology journals such as Trends in Evolution and Ecology or the Compass section of Science. Both of these journals are available online through the library website.

Please okay topics with me by September 27^th.
Do some reading, concentrating on primary sources (journal articles) and have an outline to me by October 15^th. I will have these back to you by October 18^th with comments and suggestions.

The final paper is due on November 15^th by 6 pm. The paper should be 8-10 pages long but no longer (this is exclusive of figures and tables etc.). Please put your name on the title page but nowhere else on the paper. References should be cited in the Author Year format. More detailed instructions will follow.

Plagiarism is unacceptable and is considered a major offence by both the university and myself. There will be little, if any, sympathy for a student caught plagiarizing. If you are unsure what plagiarizing is please familiarize yourself with the University guidelines. If you are still unsure please talk to me.

Final Exam (35% of final grade)

The exam will be a 3-hour exam during the regular exam period.

It will most likely consist of a short answer section and an essay section. More details will be forthcoming closer to the actual date of the exam.

Lecture Topics and Important Dates

Week	Date	Readings	Notes
1	September 13-17	Analysis of Adaptation Chapter 11 (1-6)
2	September 20-24	Units of Selection Chapter 12
3	September 27- October 1	Adaptive Explanation Chapter 13	Essay Topic Due September 27th
4	October 4-8	Evolution and Classification Chapter 14
5	October 11-15	The Idea of Species Chapter 15	No classes October 11^th Essay outline due October 15^th
6	October 18-22	The Idea of Species Chapter 15
7	October 25-29	Speciation Chapter 16 (ignore 7, 9, 10)
8	November 1-5	The Reconstruction of Phylogenies Chapter 17 (1-7, 10, 16, 17)
9	November 8-12	Evolutionary Biogeography Chapter 18 (ignore 6)	Essay due November 15th
10	November 15-19	Rates of Evolution Chapter 19 (1-8)
11	November 22-26	Macroevolutionary Change Chapter 21
12	November 29- December 3	Coevolution Chapter 22 (1-4, 6-13) Extinction Chapter 23 (1-10)
13	December 6	Probably a review class