INTRODUCTION
1/22 (Wed): Course Overview & Episode of “The Day the Universe Changed”
READING: None
SITUATING EVOLUTION
1/27 (Mon): Philosophy & Evolution
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Anthropomorphism, Primatomorphism…” (Keeley)
- “Can Animals be gay?” (Moolallem)
On the Web:
- NYTimes piece on Chimpanzee personhood (with video): http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/science/rights-group-sues-to-have-chimp-recognized-as-legal-person.html
- Fresh Air interview about Evolutionary Medicine: “http://www.npr.org/2013/09/30/227777434/how-our-stone-age-bodies-struggle-to-stay-healthy-in-modern-times”
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1/29 (Wed): Psychology & Evolution
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 409-414 (Wilson)
- pp. 415-419 (Gould)
- pp. 465-477 (Pinker)
- pp. 477-480 (Jones)
DARWIN & DARWINISM
2/3 (Mon): Evolution in Gestation: E. Darwin, Lamarck, Malthus, & Co.
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 33-39 (De Beer)
- pp. 39-40 (Malthus, 1798)
- pp. 44-49 (Lamarck, 1809)
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2/5 (Wed): Introducing C. Darwin
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 61-64 (Wallace, 1858)
- pp. 23-29 (Mayr)
- pp. 67-81 (Darwin)
- pp. 85-87 (Darwin)
On Sakai:
- "Darwin's Delay" (Gould) (There's also an extra Gould piece in this PDF, which you're welcome to read)
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2/10 (Mon): Darwin Breaks Through
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 95-115 (Darwin)
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2/12 (Wed) DARWIN DAY!: The Origin of Species
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 133-147 (Darwin)
In BB:
- "The Panda's Thumb of Technology"
- “Glow, Big Glowworm"
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2/17 (Mon): The Descent of Man
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 175 - 213 (Darwin)
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FILM NIGHT:
Monday, February 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
Darwin’s Darkest Hour (Burns Lecture Hall)
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2/19 (Wed): Descending Further…
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 213 - 254 (Darwin)
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2/24 (Mon): In Darwin’s Wake
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 287-288 (Wallace)
- pp. 289-300 (N. Acad. Sci.)
- pp. 319-325 (Bowler)
In BB:
- "Kropotkin Was No Crackpot"
APE LANGUAGE?
2/26 (Wed): “Apes have language!”
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Bringing up Kanzi” (Savage-Rumbaugh & Shanker)
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3/3 (Mon): Guest Lecture: Lars Schmitz, Assistant Professor of Biology, on the evolution of eyes
READING: TAKE-HOME MIDTERM EXAMS ARE DUE IN CLASS TODAY
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FILM NIGHT:
Tuesday, March 4 @ 7:30 p.m.
Project Nim & Kanzi video (Burns Lecture Hall)
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3/5 (Wed): “No, they don’t!”
READING:
On Sakai:
- “First Words” (Wade)
- “The Human Paradox” (Deacon)
ADAPTATIONISM
3/10 (Mon): Adaptationism
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Introduction: Evolutionary Psychology and Conceptual Integration” (Cosmides, Tooby, & Barkow)
- “The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme” (Gould & Lewontin)
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3/12 (Wed): More on Adaptationism & Other Challenges
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Evolutionary psychology: The emperor’s new paradigm” (Buller)
- “Essay review: Debunking Adapting Minds” (Machery & Barrett)
- Recommended – “More Things in Heaven and Earth” (Gould)
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3/17 (Mon): SPRING BREAK
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3/19 (Wed): SPRING BREAK
THE MISSING LINK: DEVELOPMENT!!
3/24 (Mon): Evolution ←and→ Development: A bit of history
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Individual Development and Evolution” (Gottlieb)
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3/26 (Wed): Some Mechanics of Heredity
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Dependent Genes” (Moore)
- “Running Noses, Smelling Feet” (Moore)
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FILM NIGHT:
Wednesday, March 26 @ 7:30 p.m.
What Darwin Never Knew (Burns Lecture Hall)
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3/31 (Mon): The Importance of Development
READING:
On Sakai:
- “A Turtle in the Shade” (Moore)
- “The Dutch Hungerwinter and The Cat in the Hat” (Moore)
- “Chicken Shoes and Monkey Foods” (Moore)
In BB:
- “Here Goes Nothing”
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4/2 (Wed): The Mechanics of Heredity
READING:
On Sakai:
“Developmental Systems and Evolutionary Explanation” (Griffiths & Gray)
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4/7 (Mon): Epigenetics & Developmental Systems Theory
READING: None
THE SPECIES PROBLEM
4/9 (Wed): Problems with the Species Concept
READING:
On Sakai:
- “Species” (Sterelny & Griffiths)
- “On the Impossibility of a Monistic Account of Species” (Dupré)
“On the Plurality of Species: Questioning the Party Line” (Hull)
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4/14 (Mon): Problems with the Species Concept, continued
READING: None
CREATIONISM & INTELLIGENT DESIGN
4/16 (Wed): Creationism, Old School
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 555-557 (I.C.R)
- pp. 557-564 (Morris)
- pp. 564-569 (Wheeler)
- pp. 534-541 (Scott)
In BB:
- "Genesis and Geology"
- “William Jennings Bryan’s Last Campaign"
On Sakai:
- “Believing Scripture but Playing by Science’s Rules” (Dean)
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FILM NIGHT:
Thursday, April 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
Flock of Dodos (Burns Lecture Hall)
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4/21 (Mon): “The Scopes Trial: A Personal Odyssey,” a guest lecture by Judy Grabiner, Professor of Mathematics
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 542-549 (Scopes transcript)
On Sakai:
- “Effects of the Scopes Trial” (Grabiner & Miller)
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4/23 (Wed): Meet the New Boss (same as the old boss): Johnson, meet Paley
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 41-44 (Paley, 1802(!))
- pp. 581-586 (Johnson)
On Sakai:
- "Evolution as Dogma: The Establishment of Naturalism" (Johnson)
- “Naturalism, Evidence, and Creationism: The Case of Phillip Johnson” (Pennock)
- “Response to Pennock” (Johnson)
- Recommended – “Phillip Johnson’s Assault Upon Faith-based Darwinism” (Berton)
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4/28 (Mon): More Intelligent Design
READING:
In NCE:
- pp. 592-601 (Behe)
On Sakai:
- “The Logical Underpinnings of Intelligent Design” (Dembski)
- Recommended – “The Flagellum Unspun: The Collapse of ‘Irreducible Complexity’” (Miller)
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4/30 (Wed): One Philosopher’s Response
READING:
In LD:
- Chapters 1, 2, & 3
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5/5 (Mon): Kitcher, continued
READING:
In LD:
- Chapters 4 & 5
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5/7 (Wed): The broad implications: Why this all matters to non-biologists
READING:
In BB:
- "Justice Scalia's Misunderstanding"
On Sakai:
- "Why Creationism Should not be Taught in the Public Schools" (Pennock)
- “Creation and Evolution: A Modest Proposal" (Plantinga)
- “Testing Darwin’s Teachers” (Simon)
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NCE = Norton Critical Edition
BB = Bully for Brontosaurus
LD = Living with Darwin
Sakai = Course copy of various selections made available on Sakai