Course Schedule

The schedule on this page will be updated to reflect changes throughout the semester. You should check it often to check for changes in the dates of exams.

Please note that the schedule is tentative and the dates of the exams and the chapters that each exam will cover are tentative and subject to change. Exam dates are not set until they are announced in class. The exam date will be announced at least one week in advance. Due dates for assignments may be changed at the instructor's discretion. You are responsible for keeping track of due dates and turning in your work when it is required.

Week of:	Lecture Topic	Reading Assignments/Handouts
January 12	Course introduction Think like a scientist & experimental design	Course syllabus Thinking like a scientist: Experimental Design PPT file Scientific method handout - read on your own
January 19 - MLK Holiday - No classes
January 20	What is evolution and how does it work?	Chapter 2 Lecture outline
January 26	What is evolution? (cont'd) Case study: What is Evolutionary Thinking?	Chapter 2 (cont'd) EvoDots Software - download the appropriate version of the software from this site before class. Tutorial on EvoDots software. Read before class Chapter 1 Lecture outline
February 2	Case study: What is Evolutionary Thinking? Darwinian Natural Selection	Chapter 1 (cont'd) Chapter 3 Lecture outline
February 9	Darwinian Natural Selection (cont'd) Reading and interpreting scientific articles Adaptation	Chapter 3 (cont'd) Links - you should read these over before we cover this topic in class. Library Resources PowerPoint Presentation - this presentation gives guidance for finding information online and in the library that will be suitable for your projects. Read pages 5-20 in the McMillan writing guidebook Flash tutorial at Purdue University Good explanation on reading an evaluating scientific literature Another good explanation - pay special attention to the last part, where it tells you how to take notes on articles you've read Chapter 10 Lecture outline
February 16	Exam 1 (chapters 1-3, experimental design) - 2/16/09 Adaptation (cont'd)	Chapter 10 (cont'd)
February 23	Get instructions for project - assigned to groups, etc. Speciation	See Project page for more details Chapter 16 Lecture outline
March 2	Building evolutionary trees Mutation and variation	Chapter 4 Lecture outline Chapter 5 Lecture outline Read pp. 143-148 on your own. These pages are review, and so they won't be covered in lecture, but you are expected to know and understand the material in that section and this material may be used on the exam. Read pp. 152-160 These pages will not be covered in lecture, but they are valid topics for the exam
Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty - Friday March 6th
March 9-15 - Spring Break - No Classes
March 16	Population genetics I Exam 2 (chapters 4, 10, and 16) - 3/18/09	Chapter 6 Read pp. 169-180 on your own. These pages are review, and so they won't be covered in lecture, but you are expected to know and understand the material in that section and this information may appear on the exam. Lecture outline
March 23	Population genetics I (cont'd)	Chapter 6 (cont'd)
March 30	Population genetics I (cont'd) Population genetics II	Chapter 6 (cont'd) Chapter 7 Lecture outline
April 6	Population genetics II (cont'd)	Chapter 7 (cont'd)
April 13	Quantitative genetics Sexual selection	Chapter 9 (skip section 9.2 - we won't be covering it) Lecture outline Chapter 11 Lecture outline
April 20	Sexual selection (cont'd) Exam 3 (chapters 5-7, 9)	Chapter 11 (cont'd)
April 27	Sexual selection (cont'd) Social interactions Origins of life	Chapter 11 (cont'd) Chapter 12 Lecture outline Chapter 17 Lecture outline
May 4	Origins of life (cont'd) Review for final	Chapter 17 (cont'd)
TBA	Final Exam - TIME TBA	Chapters 11, 12, 17 and comprehensive over material covered on previous exams.