Evolutionary Biology – Biol 5250 – Fall 2012
M W F 9:30 - 10:20
BNR 314
Prerequisite: Genetics
CRN: 41042
Instructor: Frank Messina, frank.messina@usu.edu, 7-2528
Office hours: BNR 211, Wednesday 1 – 3 PM & by appointment.
Graduate Assistant: Shab Mohammadi, shab.mohammadi@aggiemail.usu.edu,
Office hours: BNR 26 (basement), Tuesday 10 – 12 AM,
Wednesday 11 – 12 AM & by appointment.
Website: Login to Canvas as usual.
Exams and Essay:
1st Midterm:
Essay Outline:
2nd Midterm:
Final Essay:
Comprehensive Final:
% of Grade
Friday, September 28 (tentative)
Friday, October 5
Friday, November 2 (tentative)
Friday, November 16
Monday, December 10, 9:30-11:20 AM
20%
5%
20%
25%
30%
Detailed instructions and references for the essay are on the website. The
outline and final essay are due at class time. We will not accept late submissions.
Textbook: None. If you wish to buy one on your own, I recommend Bergstrom,
C.T & Dugatkin, L.A. 2012. Evolution. WW Norton & Co., New York.
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Evolution/
Lecture power points are available as PDF files on the website. We strongly
encourage you to have these with you during each lecture.
Grading scheme:  93%: A 90-92: A- 87-89: B+ 83-86: B 80-82: B- 77-79: C+
73-76: C 70-72: C- 66-69: D+ 60-65: D < 60: F
Lecture Topics: 1 - Origin of genetic variation 2 - Inbreeding & genetic drift
3 - Gene flow 4 - Natural selection & adaptation 5 - Quantitative genetics
6 - Sexual selection 7 - Kin selection 8 - Speciation 9 - Systematics
10 - Paleontology 11 - Evolution & development 12 - Human evolution
ADA compliance: Students with physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be eligible for
reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All accommodations are coordinated through the Disability Resource Center in
Room 101 of the University Inn, 797-2444 voice, 797-0740 TTY, or toll free at 1-800-259-2966. Please
contact the DRC as early in the semester as possible. Alternate format materials (Braille, large print or
digital) are available with advance notice.