Zool 510
Seminar on Evolution

Department of Zoology
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

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ZOOL 510     Seminar on Evolution

COURSE DESCRIPTION and OBJECTIVES   This seminar is intended to provide life-sciences graduate students with an overview of the basic conceptual issues in modern evolutionary theory.  By the end of the course, successful students should be able to recognize and define concepts, hypotheses, problems and scientific controversies associated with the biological processes of evolution, to understand how these issues affect critical analysis of biological structures, functions, and patterns of organization in other disciplines of biology, and to apply this knowledge to their own research.
        The seminar begins by reviewing the history of the idea of biological evolution, including some discussion of the nature of science itself.  It then introduces fundamental principles that form the basis for evolutionary processes, including population growth, population genetics, mutation, genetic drift and selection.  The remainder of the course shall present several areas of active research within evolutionary biology, including molecular evolution and neutral theory, units of selection, adaptation, speciation, and systematics.  (The history of life on earth will not be a major topic in this course; for that, see ZOOL 585.)
       Course prerequisites include familiarity with animal biology (e.g., ZOOL 220a,b); basic knowledge of Mendelian genetics, including both molecular genetics and population genetics (e.g., A or B grade in BIOL 305); and facility with basic algebra.  Evaluation will be based on written examinations of text-book content (including essay, problem-solving, and multiple-choice formats), on informed critique of published literature (such as synopses of current journal articles or books as related to course content), and on class participation.
        This seminar is textbook-based.  Class meetings (three times per week in Spring semester) will provide orientation to the text readings through lecture and discussion.  Additional class meetings may be arranged at the initiative of class members, whether for in-depth exploration of topics of interest or for extra assistance with difficult concepts.  Past experience indicates that active learning -- including thoughtful reading, regular attendance, and participation in class discussion -- is essential for satisfactory grade.

Prerequisites:   ZOOL 220a,b (Diversity of Animal Life) or equivalent, BIOL 305 (Genetics) or equivalent.

Instructor: Associate Professor David G. King, Ph.D.
Office: LSIII 2084
Telephone: 453-1509
E-mail: dgking@siu.edu
Office hours:    2:00p.m. (after class) or by appointment.

Text: Mark Ridley, EVOLUTION, 2nd ed., 1996
Blackwell Science, Inc., Cambridge MA.  ISBN 0-86542-495-0
This text should come with a CD ROM containing chapter tutorials, virtual experiments, classic texts, and video interviews with leading figures in evolutionary biology.

For guidance with written assignments, see The Writing Handbook.

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[Tentative] Syllabus

ZOOL 510         SEMINAR ON EVOLUTION         SPRING 2000
MWF 1:00p.m.
Room 367 LSII

SCHEDULE for class meetings and exams.  
Topics listed are tentative and may be adjusted to accommodate class progress.  

Week  Day   Date  Chapter  Lecture/Discussion Topic (partial listing)

  1   Mon.  1/17 ......... HOLIDAY
      Wed.  1/19   1-4 ... Course policies, introductory comments  
      Fri.  1/21   1-4 ... Definitions of evolution

  2   Mon.  1/24 ... 5 ... Modelling population genetics
      Wed.  1/26 ... 5 ... Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
      Fri.  1/28 ... 5 ... Single-locus selection

  3   Mon.  1/31 ... 5 ... Heterozygote advantage
      Wed.  2/2  ... 6 ... Polymorphism
      Fri.  2/4  ... 6 ... Randomness and statistical sampling

  4   Mon.  2/7  ... 6 ... Genetic drift
      Wed.  2/9  ... 6 ... Allele substitution by drift
      Fri.  2/11 ... 6 ... Effective population size

  5   Mon.  2/14 ... 7 ... Rates of molecular evolution
      Wed.  2/16 ... 7 ... Genetic load
      Fri.  2/18 ... 7 ... Neutral theory

  6   Mon.  2/21 ... 8 ... Selection at multiple loci; 
      Wed.  2/23 ... 8 ... Adaptive landscape and shifting balance
      Fri.  2/25 ... 9 ... Selection of quantitative traits

  7   Mon.  2/28 ... 9 ... Variance
      Wed.  3/1  ... 9 ... Heritability
      Fri.  3/3  .. 10 ... Gene families

  8   Mon.  3/6  .. 10 ... Non-coding and repetitive DNA
      Wed.  3/8  .. 10 ... Genome evolution
      Fri.  3/10 ......... MIDTERM EXAM  (Chapters 1 - 10)

  SPRING BREAK  **NOTE: Last day to drop is 3/20.

  9   Mon.  3/20 .. 11 ... Adaptation
      Wed.  3/22 .. 11 ... Evolution of sex 
      Fri.  3/24 .. 11 ... Evolution of sex-related characteristics

 10   Mon.  3/27 .. 12 ... Hierarchy of biological organization
      Wed.  3/29 .. 12 ... Units of selection
      Fri.  3/31 .. 13 ... Definitions of adaptation

 11   Mon.  4/3  .. 13 ... Limits to adaptationist explanation
      Wed.  4/5  .. 14 ... Evolution and classification
      Fri.  4/7  .. 14 ... Schools of classification

 12   Mon.  4/10 .. 15 ... Concepts of species 
      Wed.  4/12 .. 15 ... Concepts of species 
      Fri.  4/14 .. 16 ... Mechanisms of speciation

 13   Mon.  4/17 .. 16 ... Mechanisms of speciation
      Wed.  4/19 .. 17 ... Inferring phylogeny
      Fri.  4/21 .. 17 ... Inferring phylogeny

 14   Mon.  4/24 .. 18 ... Biography
      Wed.  4/26 .. 19 ... Fossil record
      Fri.  4/28 .. 20 ... Rates of evolution

 15   Mon.  5/1  .. 21 ... Macroevolution
      Wed.  5/3  .. 22 ... Coevolution
      Fri.  5/5  .. 23 ... Extinction

 16   Tue.  5/9  ......... FINAL EXAM (Chapters 11 -23)
                           05:50 - 7:50p.m., LSII Room 367

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ZOOL 510  SEMINAR ON EVOLUTION

Class Policies:   GRADING
ABSENCES
WITHDRAWAL
EXAMINATIONS
PAPERS
INDEPENDENT WORK
RETURN TO TOP

Grading
Midterm Exam 100 points
Final Exam 100 points
Paper 1 100 points
Paper 2 100 points
COURSE TOTAL     400 points

     Additional credit may be given, at the discretion of the instructor, for regular attendance and for participation in class discussion.
     Independent work may be substituted for exams or papers, as described below.

Letter Grades: 360 - 400 points = A
320 - 359 points = B
280 - 319 points = C
240 - 279 points = D
    0 - 239 points = F

Absences:   Class attendance is expected, and regular class participation can contribute significantly to performance.   Attendance for exams is required.   A grade of 0 will be recorded for any examinations missed due to unexcused absence.   For excused absence from one exam, a make-up exam or alternative work must be scheduled with the instructor.  Valid excuses include previously approved official University trips or illnesses attested to in writing by the Health Service.   Any other excuses must be validated by the Dean of your College.

Withdrawal from the course:   A student may withdraw from ZOOL 510 without receiving a grade until 1/28.   Students withdrawing between 1/28 and 3/20 will receive a grade of W.   March 20 is the last day to drop the course.   To officially withdraw, a student MUST process a program change through his/her advisor and the registration center.   Merely stopping attendance will result in a grade of F, even if an instructor has been informed of your intent.

Examinations:   The Midterm Exam will be held during regularly scheduled lecture hours.   The final exam will be scheduled during finals week (see class schedule).   Each exam will represent 100 points (see grade scale above).   Questions may be multiple choice, short answer or essay and will be based primarily on information and ideas presented in textbook and lecture.   Personal identification with photo (student ID or driver's license) may be required and should be brought to each exam.

Papers:   In addition to midterm and final exams, at least two brief papers (1000 to 2000 words) are required.  Each of these papers should provide a synopsis of an article in the current literature (published within the last two years) together with a discussion relating this article to course content.  This discussion should explain BOTH how this article is relevant to evolutionary biology AND how course content is relevant to understanding the paper; it should also include specific references to the course textbook.
     The first paper is due no later than the starting time for the midterm exam.  The second paper is due no later than the starting time for the final exam.  Papers turned in at least one week before deadline may be returned with comments for revision prior to grading.
     In writing, do NOT try to impress through use of jargon, and do NOT presume that any evolutionary ideas or terminology will be understood without explanation.  Recommendation:  Write as if your intended reader were an undergraduate biology major who had not yet studied evolution, and your job were to explain and interpret all the relevant concepts and vocabulary to that reader.

Independent work.  Exams and papers are the default basis for grade.  However, any substantial evidence that the student is thoughtfully engaging with the broad content of evolutionary biology may be substituted for exams and/or papers.  Students are invited to demonstrate their appreciation of important ideas in evolution by submitting independent work in the form of essays, book reviews, web-site reviews, computer simulations, or other projects, or by volunteering to lead classroom discussion.   Guidelines for such work are available from the instructor.  For additional guidance with written work, see The Writing Handbook.
        Credit will be given for such work ONLY IF, in the judgment of the instructor, the work demonstrates a significant understanding of biological facts and concepts, comparable to exam performance (i.e., superficial effort will not be treated favorably).

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Prof. King's home page
Department of Zoology home page

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Comments and questions: dgking@siu.edu
Department of Zoology e-mail: zoology@zoology.siu.edu
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SIUC / College of Science / Zoology / Faculty / David King / ZOOL 510
URL: http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/king/510/510syl.htm
Last updated: 7-Jan-2000 / dgk