Animal Behavior (Biol 242)
This course will introduce students to the key concepts, theories, and models in the field of behavioral ecology and will apply evolutionary theory as a rigorous framework for studying how and why animals behave the way they do. We will explore both proximate questions (i.e., the mechanistic causes of behavior), including genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences on the development and expression of behavior, as well as ultimate questions (i.e., the fitness consequences of a behavior), including how behaviors have been shaped by ecology and evolutionary history. Students will analyze primary scientific articles on animal behavior and will develop an independent research proposal.
Offered every fall semester
Evolution (Biol 105)
Evolution is the central organizing principle of biology. The renowned geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky famously wrote, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” (1973). Evolutionary theory has the power to explain biological phenomena over many scales and situations using the same set of relatively simple mechanisms. This course is an introduction to those mechanisms, how they drive evolutionary change in populations, how they lead to patterns of large-scale diversity among species, and how they help us understand the history of life on Earth. Evolution is a modern and practical discipline that will help you navigate the dynamic world around you – from understanding the spread of pandemic viruses, to developing new cancer therapies, to engineering crops with increased drought tolerance to cope with climate change, to grappling with the bioethical issues of gene editing. This course will help prepare you for tackling these real-world challenges.
Offered every spring semester