EVOLUTION (BIOL 415/615)
NEW: Click
here to download pdf version of final review
NEW: Click
here to view PowerPoint version of final review
Click here
for information on critiques
updated with additional instructions (13 October
2003)
Revised Critique Schedule
24 October: 1st draft was due
20 November: 1st draft to be returned
Final draft deadline extended to Friday, Dec. 5 at 5:00 pm
You must turn in the graded copy of your
first draft together with your critique final draft
If your critique was graded by Yair Chaver and you
would like to discuss it with him, his email address is: ychaver@unr.edu
Additions to lectures 14
through 21 (click to download pdf)
Link to
National Public Radio’s Story on Sequencing the Human Y Chromosome
LECTURE: Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00 to 12:15, William J. Raggio
Bldg., College of Education (WRB), Room 2030
DISCUSSION SECTIONS:
· Section 001: Tuesday, 1:00 to 1:50 p.m., FA 253 (TA: Maurie Beck)
· Section 002: Wednesday, 9:00 to 9:50 a.m., FA 109 (TA: Maurie Beck)
· Section 003: Tuesday, 3:00 to 3:50 p.m., FA 109 (TA: Patrick Lemons)
·
Section 004: Wednesday, 1:00 to 1:50 a.m., KRC 105 (TA:
Patrick Lemons)
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. David W. Zeh, FA 326; Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00 to 2:30, or by appointment, Tel: 784-1648, email: zehd@unr.edu
TEACHING
ASSISTANTS:
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Name |
Tel: |
Office Hours |
Email |
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Maurie Beck |
784-1443 |
Tues., 2-4 p.m. in FA 140 |
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Patrick Lemons |
784-6393 |
Tues., 9-11 a.m. in KRC 137 |
lemonsp@unr.nevada.edu |
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PREREQUISITES:
· BIOL 190, 191 (Gen. Bio. I & II), 313 (Genetics), and 314 (Ecol. & Pop. Biol.) OR 315 (Cell Biol.)
· CHEM 142 (Intro. Organ. Chem.) OR 344 (Organ. Chem.)
TEXTBOOK: Scott Freeman & Jon C. Herron. 2004. Evolutionary Analysis, 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall (ISBN 0-13-101859-0); Textbook web site: www.prenhall.com/freeman/evolution
COURSE WEB
SITE:
http://med.unr.edu/homepage/zehd/courses/evolution/syllabus.html
Modern academic life increasingly demands familiarity with the internet and in this course you will be expected to make extensive use of the course web site. PowerPoint versions of each lecture, including text, figures, tables and illustrations, will be posted on the world wide web and will be linked to the course syllabus web site listed above. In addition, lecture notes will be made available as pdf (portable document format) files for greater ease of downloading and printing. The pdf files can be opened and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe's web site (www.adobe.com).
COURSE OVERVIEW:
This is a 4-unit, senior (BIOL 415) or graduate (BIOL 615) level course aimed at providing a comprehensive introduction to modern evolutionary biology, an exciting, dynamic and important field of scientific investigation. It is the Department of Biology's capstone course for majors and its underlying philosophy is to encourage critical thinking rather than rote memorization. Students are expected to demonstrate an advanced-level understanding of evolutionary biology by integrating information presented in lectures, discussion sections, the text book and the course web site. An emphasis will be placed on the student's ability to communicate scientific information effectively in both written and oral formats.
EXPECTATIONS/GRADING
· All students, whether registered for undergraduate or graduate credit, are required to attend lecture. Undergraduate students must also attend one of the four discussion sections listed above. Graduate students are required to attend a separate discussion section at a time to be arranged with the instructor during the first week of classes (see below).
· Each student's grade for the course will be based on the total number of points he/she earns from: 1) lecture exams (600 points); 2) discussion section activities (200 points), and 3) a written critique of a scientific article on evolutionary biology (200 points).
· The lecture component of the course grade will be determined by three exams (500 points) and the cumulative score from weekly quizzes (100 points). There will be two midterm exams (150 points each) and a final exam (200 points). To encourage the development of effective writing skills, lecture exams will include several long-essay format questions. Essay questions will be based on material that is presented in lectures, discussed in the textbook or posted on the web site. To encourage attendance and to aid students in preparing for the exams, there will usually be one short quiz per week on material covered in the previous lecture. The precise date and time of weekly quizzes will be unannounced. There will be no make-up quizzes but students will be allowed to drop their two lowest quiz scores.
· The total discussion section grade will consist of 200 points and will be based on three components (teaching assistants will provide a more detailed description of discussion section grading procedures during the first week of discussion):
1) Performance on question and essay writing: 65 points (5 points per discussion meeting x 13 meetings). Discussion sections provide students with an open forum for detailed discussion of the topics covered in the textbook, and, in some cases, in outside reading assignments. In advance of each discussion meeting, students are required to compose 2 questions from the weekly reading and a one-paragraph essay/answer to ONE of the questions. The essays must be typewritten and are due at the start of the discussion section meeting.
2) Participation in oral discussion: 70 points (5 points per discussion meeting x 14 meetings). The quality of the discussion section experience will depend in large part on the level of student preparation and participation. Each student is expected to make critical comments, ask informed questions and aid in the flow of the discussion.
3) Quizzes: 65 points (5 points per discussion meeting x 13 meetings).
· A typewritten critique of an instructor-approved journal article on a major topic in evolutionary biology: 200 points (5 double-spaced pages maximum). Students are required to turn in both a draft version (60 points) and a final version (140 points) of their critique. A TA or instructor will read the draft version, make comments, and return it to the student for corrections and improvement.
· For graduate students enrolled in BIOL 615, the expectations for depth of discussion and performance on the written assignments are higher than those for undergraduates. As indicated above, graduate students will have their own discussion section, which will explore selected topics at a more advanced level. Each graduate student is required to give one or more presentations, depending on the number in the group. Graduate discussion group grades will be based on both the quality of the presentations and the level of participation in discussion.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION STATEMENT
The Department of Biology is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities. University policy states that it is the responsibility of students with documented disabilities to contact instructors during the first week of each semester to discuss appropriate accommodations for ensuring equity in grading, classroom experiences and outside assignments. The instructor will meet with the student and staff members of the Student Services Center to formulate a written plan for appropriate accommodations, if necessary.
SCHEDULE OF
LECTURES & DISCUSSION SECTION TOPICS