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Class Detail:

WN 2011
Biology
BIOLOGY 120 - First Year Seminar in Biology
Section 002
Adaptation and Natural Selection

Course Note: These seminars, which are restricted to first-year students, are small-group classes (approximately 15-25 students) taught by regular and emeritus faculty.
Credits: 3
Requirements & Distribution: BS, NS
Other: FYSem
Credit Exclusions: Credit is granted for a combined total of 17 credits elected in introductory biology.
Consent: With permission of instructor.
Advisory Prerequisites: Enrollment restricted to first-year students, including those with sophomore standing.
BS: This course counts toward the 60 credits of math/science required for a Bachelor of Science degree.
Repeatability: May not be repeated for credit.
Primary Instructor: Werner,Earl E

 
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This seminar will focus on the relation between natural selection and adaptation in organisms, and the practical and philosophical problems that arise in considering this relationship. We will discuss the mechanisms of natural selection and the processes giving rise to adaptations in organisms, the units and levels of selection, and the means by which we can determine when the features of an organism are an adaptation. We also will explore topics such as the tension between adaptation and constraint in evolutionary biology, the varied uses and missuses of the concepts in fields ranging from conservation biology to medicine, and the ethical implications of evolutionary ideas.

Course Requirements:

Students will read extensively, participate in and lead discussions and write 2-3 brief essays.

Intended Audience:

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Class Format:

Seminar
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