Sophomore College 2009
Prof. William H. Durham
“Darwin, Evolution, and Galapagos”
COURSE PAPER PROPOSAL
By Friday evening, August 28th, you are asked to submit a 1-2 page summary (double spaced,
please) of your ideas for a course paper & presentation. Don’t worry: proposals are meant to be exploratory
first thoughts on a topic, not a finished analysis. They will help us give you feedback and guidance, and
will be graded just like the reading notes on a “check-plus,” “check,” “check-minus” basis.
As the syllabus explains, the course paper is a document of 6 to 8 pages (double spaced; 6 is the
text minimum—not including pictures, figures, or tables) in which you explore an approved topic about
Galapagos of interest to you. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: (1) the application of
evolutionary theory and principles to understanding the properties of some organism, or group of
organisms, in Galapagos (e.g. adaptive radiation of Scalesia plants; hybridization among finches); (2) an
analysis or critique of some topic in evolutionary theory, past or present, with examples of its application to
an organism or group of organisms in Galapagos (e.g., sexual selection in frigate birds, speciation in lava
lizards); (3) an analysis of one of the conservation issues currently facing Galapagos (restoration of
highland areas, penguin malaria, etc), with recommendations for its resolution; or (4) an analytical history
of human activity (whaling, sealing, agriculture, fishing, tourism, etc) on or near one or more of the
Galapagos Islands, with discussion of its implications for conservation today. Some sample topics,
including selected paper topics from other years, are listed below. I encourage collaborative efforts and
joint papers, subject only to the proviso that each author contribute no fewer than 6 pages to the final
product. In all cases, papers should make explicit reference to themes of our course, including pertinent
readings and discussion themes.
Format for Proposals
The proposal can take the form of several paragraphs of explanation or, if you prefer, an outline of
your ideas and plans. Either way, be sure to include the following features in your proposal:
(1) A proposed title, to summarize succinctly the subject of the paper.
(2) At least TWO potentially-falsifiable propositions or hypotheses (three is even better!) that you will
investigate in your course paper. Please underline them in your text or outline. As you work on developing
hypotheses, bear in mind that they must be testable propositions with the information and data that exist
today. In most cases, it is therefore smart to avoid propositions in future tense because they may be be
impossible to test with current info (e.g., “climate change will further reduce survivorship in the waved
albatross;” “lava lizards will divide into two species on Plaza Sur Island.”)
(3) Explicit discussion of how your topic and proposition link to themes and goals of the class.
(4) Brief discussion of procedures or methods. How will you proceed? What evidence will you need?
Where will you look for it? What literature will you draw upon? What alternatives exist if you don't easily
find the information you need? What problems have come up (or do you anticipate), and how might
Elizabeth, Tom, and I help with them?
(5) A short list (10-12 items) of the best/most pertinent bibliographic references you have found so far, at
least 5 of which must be from the published scientific literature (meaning journals, books, or edited
volumes); note: unpublished web sources do not count in these 5!
The SCA’s and I will read and comment on your proposal, jot down a few additional ideas and/or
references if we have some, and return the proposal to you as soon as we can. Again, proposals will only be
“checked,” not graded: their purpose is to help you get going on a great paper! Please note: your topic and
plans may well change after your first proposal. Should your topic change drastically—that is, if you switch
to a new organism or problem all together--for any reason (like not enough info available, key reference
unobtainable, etc), I ask you to RESUBMIT by email a proposal like the first one, outlining your new plans
and directions.
Course Papers
Concerning the course paper itself, let me also make a few suggestions. First, let me recommend
the use of the "Harvard-style" citation format (author year: page) throughout your paper. This saves all the
hassle of footnotes and "ibids." Second, if you do need to use notes in the text, make them end-notes, not
footnotes. Simply insert a numbered list of notes at the back of your paper, just before the bibliography.
Third, it will also be a big help to you and your reader if you break your text up into a number of organized,
meaningful sections--each with a pertinent heading. You can simply use the “classics” (e.g., Abstract,
Introduction, Background, Hypotheses, Methods, Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations), or you
can make your own more descriptive headings to do the same thing.
Fourth, feel free to incorporate data and tables from published sources or the web, but for each item
that you use, be sure to include its source (author year: page). And finally, note that each course paper
should be illustrated with at least 5 pertinent digital images that you or your friends have taken in
Galapagos.
The course paper is due a few weeks after we return from Galapagos: by 5 pm on Monday,
October 12. Please submit a written copy to my mailbox in the Anthro Office (B-50 of the Quad), and
send email copies to Liz, Tom and me. Please also work with Tom and Liz to get your paper and visuals
posted properly on the course website. Finally, please notify me via email when your paper is fully up and
running on the site, so I can go ahead and post your grade for SoCo.
Presentations
Course papers will be presented in class twice—once as a dress rehearsal, for class feedback and
suggestions, and once in Galapagos in our daily seminars with alumni and Galapagos guides. Presentations
should make good use of Powerpoint (we will have at least two computers and a projector with us), but
don’t get carried away with distracting effects and add-ons. Each presentation should include:
 the title of your talk and your name (add your major, too, if you know it already)
 an outline of the main sections and headings of your presentation
 a list (or flow chart) of the hypotheses to be explored and tested
 maps of the islands or other areas to be discussed
 drawings or photos of any organisms involved
 a diagram or several diagrams, or flow charts, of your main points
 data tables or graphs: your audience will want to see the data that supports your points!
 a succinct summary of your conclusions, with recommendations, if any, for further research
Do your best to avoid two common Powerpoint mistakes: (1) too much info per slide, and (2) fonts that
are too small or in a color that is hard to see when projected (which rules out yellow, light green, light
blue, etc). As a general rule, I recommend font size of at least 28. Yes, it is good to have an argument rich
with data and logic: but do use BIG FONTS and enough slides to make it easy for your audience to
follow along!
**Good luck, and let your faithful instructional staff know if/when we can be of further assistance!**
And to help get you thinking... Here is a sample of topics you might consider, including a few revised
titles from course papers of past years. Feel free to consult web resources on the course website, including
links to some student papers of the past. Note that the Kricher book (provided last spring for your
reference) is also an excellent source for topic ideas… This list is offered just as “primer for the pump:”
to get you thinking!
Why is the Galapagos Tortoise Giant?
Why are there so few Mangrove Finches?
Galapagos Cacti: Filling and Providing Niches
Island Biogeography of Insects (or Reptiles) in Galapagos
Why are Sally Lightfoot Crabs so Colorful?
The Adaptations of the Galapagos Penguin
The Adaptive Significance of Coloration among Boobies
The Adaptive Radiation of Scalesia Plants (or of Land Snails)
Galapagos Mockingbirds: Why Only One Species Per Island?
Troubled Waters: The Sea Cucumber (or Lobster) Fishery In Galapagos
Ecotourism in Galapagos: How to Make It Sustainable?
Oh that Louse! Evolutionary Divergence in the Galapagos Hawk and Its Parasites
Lava Lizards: Diverse and Underappreciated
Project Isabela: Getting Your Goat in Galapagos
Controlling the Cats and Rats of Galapagos
The Human History of “X” Island: Impacts and Implications
Finch Speciation: Pecking Away at Interspecies Hybrid Barriers
Avian Siblicide in the Galapagos
Understanding the Hammerhead Shark
Evolution of Symbiotic Relationships in Galapagos
Parental Investment among Boobies in Galapagos
The Evolution of Sexual Dimorphism in Frigatebirds
Evolution and Conservation of Galapagos Petrels
Foraging Specializations among Boobies and/or Frigatebirds
The Impact of Human Activity and El Nino on Giant Tortoises
The Effects of El Nino and Introduced Species on Marine Iguanas
The Evolution of Flightlessness in Birds: Two Cases from Galapagos
The Song of the Finch: Evolutionary Aspects of Vocalization
Surf and Turf: Physiological Adaptations of Land and Marine Iguanas
Sexual Dimorphism in the Galapagos Marine Iguana
The Impact of Introduced Ants or Mosquitoes in Galapagos
When Less is More: Reasons and Ways to Limit Tourism in Galapagos
SICGAL: Is the Galapagos Quarantine System Working?
Global Warming, El Nino, and the Boobies of Galapagos
Them’s the Berries: Blackberries and Raspberries are Making a Mess of Galapagos
The Importance of Stay-over Tourism to the Economy of the Archipelago
Is the Waved Albatross Population Declining?
An Interesting (if not Natural) Selection: Evidence of Evolutionary Drift in Galapagos
Speciation in Land Iguanas: How, When, Where, and Why?
The Decline of Agriculture in Galapagos: Good, Bad or Indifferent?
Issues in Tortoise (or Iguana) Repatriation
Why So Little Coral Reef in Galapagos?
What Determines the Finch Diversity of an Island?