LSA Course Guide

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Class Detail:
WN 2013 Anthropology, Biological ANTHRBIO 169 - Natural Selection Section 001
Credits:	3
Requirements & Distribution:	BS, NS
Other:	FYSem, Theme
Waitlist Capacity:	unlimited
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:	Strassmann,Beverly I
	(real time availability for all sections)

This course is about the exciting progress in natural selection theory after Darwin. Students will read such books as: The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins), Why Evolution is True (Jerry Coyne) and Before the Dawn (Nicholas Wade). We will ask: Why is natural selection considered the principle guiding force of evolution? What is the evidence for natural selection? In humans? In nonhumans? At what level(s) does selection act? The group? The individual? The gene? Which of these evels is most potent and why? In the life sciences, what relevance does natural selection theory have for pesticide resistance and the development of effective vaccines? Why did sexual reproduction evolve? Why do we grow old and die? In the social sciences, how has natural selection theory been invoked in psychology, economics, and anthropology? Does the notion of selfish genes have any relevance to human behavior? How can behavior be adaptive yet not have any basis in genetic differences among individuals? Why does natural selection often favor flexible as opposed to "innate" responses? What roles are played by culture, learning, and development? What is the naturalistic fallacy?

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