Discussions in Evolutionary Biology

Course Organization

Format:

The course is a one unit course that meets one hour per week. Grading is on a Pass/Not Passed basis. It is offered each year in the Fall semester on Wednesday afternoons. Enrollment is limited to 18 students.

Information for Spring Semester 2008

Day and Time: Wednesdays from 3-4 pm

Location: 107 MULFORD HALL [Gold Arrow on Map]

Office Hours: Wednesdays, from 12:30 to 2:00 in 219 Mulford Hall

Reading Materials:

Readings for the course are contained in a course reader that is produced locally. The table of contents in the reader is the course schedule and will be found on the first page of the reader. The reader will be available from the Copy Central oulet that is located one block west of campus at 48 Shattuck Square. (See the maroon arrow on map.)

Weekly Assignments:

Each week's class is based on an assigned reading, which is listed in the course schedule. For each reading assignment a short written assignment is required:

The assignment is to:

1. Write a brief essay (one page) describing what you learned from the assigned article and the conclusions you draw from the article.

2. Cite a "favorite" quote from the article and describe its context in the article and the reason why you chose it.

Written assignments may be submitted by e-mail to pts@Nature.Berkeley.Edu, preferably on the day before each class meeting; however typed or (legible) hand written copies turned in at the start of each class are acceptable.

Come to class prepared to state and discuss something in the reading that caught your attention because it was a new idea or fact that you found to be particularly significant or surprising or interesting or disagreeable or unintelligible.

Instructor:

Philip T. Spieth is an emeritus professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management who worked with computer models of evolution and studied genetic variation in natural populations of fungi.

He joined the faculty of the former Department of Genetics in 1971 and taught population genetics for thirty years at Berkeley in both introductory genetics courses and in courses for advanced undergraduates and graduate students and has been a co-author of a general genetics textbook. He created and has taught "Discussions on Evolutionary Biology" since the inception of the freshman seminar program in the early 1990's. For nine years he served as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Natural Resources. In 1995-96 he was the Acting Director of the University of California Botanical Garden.

He has a long-standing interest in the relationship between religion and evolutionary biology. Currently he works with the National Center for Science Education, a nonprofit organization devoted to the teaching of evolutionary biology in public schools.

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	ESPM 24__________ Discussions on Evolutionary Biology ____________________________________________________________________________________________
	Course Organization Format: The course is a one unit course that meets one hour per week. Grading is on a Pass/Not Passed basis. It is offered each year in the Fall semester on Wednesday afternoons. Enrollment is limited to 18 students. Information for Spring Semester 2008 Day and Time: Wednesdays from 3-4 pm Location: 107 MULFORD HALL [Gold Arrow on Map] Office Hours: Wednesdays, from 12:30 to 2:00 in 219 Mulford Hall Reading Materials: Readings for the course are contained in a course reader that is produced locally. The table of contents in the reader is the course schedule and will be found on the first page of the reader. The reader will be available from the Copy Central oulet that is located one block west of campus at 48 Shattuck Square. (See the maroon arrow on map.) Weekly Assignments: Each week's class is based on an assigned reading, which is listed in the course schedule. For each reading assignment a short written assignment is required: The assignment is to: 1. Write a brief essay (one page) describing what you learned from the assigned article and the conclusions you draw from the article. 2. Cite a "favorite" quote from the article and describe its context in the article and the reason why you chose it. Written assignments may be submitted by e-mail to pts@Nature.Berkeley.Edu, preferably on the day before each class meeting; however typed or (legible) hand written copies turned in at the start of each class are acceptable. Come to class prepared to state and discuss something in the reading that caught your attention because it was a new idea or fact that you found to be particularly significant or surprising or interesting or disagreeable or unintelligible. Instructor: Philip T. Spieth is an emeritus professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management who worked with computer models of evolution and studied genetic variation in natural populations of fungi. He joined the faculty of the former Department of Genetics in 1971 and taught population genetics for thirty years at Berkeley in both introductory genetics courses and in courses for advanced undergraduates and graduate students and has been a co-author of a general genetics textbook. He created and has taught "Discussions on Evolutionary Biology" since the inception of the freshman seminar program in the early 1990's. For nine years he served as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Natural Resources. In 1995-96 he was the Acting Director of the University of California Botanical Garden. He has a long-standing interest in the relationship between religion and evolutionary biology. Currently he works with the National Center for Science Education, a nonprofit organization devoted to the teaching of evolutionary biology in public schools. Back to Home Page