Janet Norcross Bruce S. Cushing

3 Credits

The goal of this course is to provide a basic understanding of the concepts and effects of evolution, the unifying theme of biology. Following completion of the course you should be able to effectively discuss the scientific foundations of evolution within a secondary classroom environment or an introductory science course at the college level.   Basic ideas to be addressed include understanding what a scientific theory is, and how this applies to evolution, genetics, and mutations.  Mechanisms of evolution that will be discussed include natural selection, individual and group selection, sexual selection, the role of non-genomic influences in gene expression, and speciation. While the concepts of evolution are straightforward and logical, evolution can be a controversial topic within society and secondary education programs.  Therefore, whenever possible, misrepresentation of evolutionary concepts will be presented and discussed to better enable you to address these issues as a teacher.