BIOS430 Evolution, Spring Semester 2016 Syllabus [v1.0]
Instructors:
Boris Igic & Karolis Ramanauskas.
Time:
Lincoln Hall, Room 301, Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30 – 5:20 pm with a 10minute break.
Materials:
A compilation of readings (Evolution Course Reader) will be posted online
along with lecture presentations on our Slack site (see copyright information
below). Additionally, a custom-edited version of R for Beginners by E. Paradis,
called R for Evolution designed for this course is posted as resource of learning
the R programming language.
Rules:
(1) Please turn your cell phone off at the beginning of each class. (2) Read the
detailed rules, assignments, and problems, carefully. (3) Answer the asked
questions precisely. (4) If you are late to class, please minimize entry
disturbance. (5) Check your email and/or Slack site often for announcements and
latest versions of course materials.
Participation
Small classes are critically dependent on prepared student participation. Please come to class
ready to ask good questions and contribute carefully selected thoughts. The grade increase due to
participation is possible only if your participation is informed. Both this course and its
programming assignments will be fairly easy, if you agree to give approximately four hours of
your time initially, and two hours each week thereafter. If you put work off until the last minute,
the course will be very difficult.
Attendance
While not required, attendance is enforced because you will not be allowed to re-take the
frequent quizzes or either of two exams, without a strictly qualified excuse. These are described
in the UIC official policy, and do not include: traffic, self-described claims of morbidity and/or
mortality of various relatives. On religious holidays, the UIC policy is clear: "Students who wish
to observe their religious holidays shall notify the faculty member by the tenth day of the
semester of the date when they will be absent unless the religious holiday is observed on or
before the tenth day of the semester."
Recitation Section, Quizzes and Assignments
We will use the recitation section for: (a) enrichment of lecture material through multiple means,
including: (i) computer exercises, (ii) reading, (iii) lecture material, and (b) pop quizzes.
Grading
My goal is to teach you something that is fascinating, will add to the breadth and depth of your
education, and will make you more thoughtful and curious. To me, grading is secondary, but you
likely care a great deal more. You will be graded on lecture material, assigned problems and
readings. Be sure to take good notes and get them from others if you miss class. The material in
the Reader and posted lectures should be regarded as a mere outline of the relevant discussions
and lectures. You will keep the best 80% scores of quizzes & assignments. Assignments are due
on the private Slack channel by the deadline.
Evaluation will be based on the following items with indicated proportional weights:
Quizzes
20%
Assignments 30%
Midterm
Final Exam
20%
30%
Behavioral Expectations
It is your duty to refrain from committing any act of cheating, plagiarism, facilitation of
academic dishonesty, abuse of academic materials, stealing, lying, or similar unbecoming
activities. It is my duty to enforce academic and ethical standards that guard against such acts
and ensure merit-based and standardized grading.
Anyone caught violating these procedures will automatically receive a no-credit F (0%) on the
assignment in question (as outlined in the Faculty Guide), and I will request a Student Judicial
Hearing process to dismiss violators with an F for the course grade.
All original course documents are released under the Non-commercial Creative Commons
license by Boris Igic, January 14, 2016. (Evolution BIOS430, University of Illinois at Chicago.)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The copyright covers all original materials, including notes, and summaries that substantially
reflect our lectures or materials. These materials are made available only for personal use by
students. Students may not redistribute or reproduce the materials for commercial purposes
without my expressed written consent. Violation of this copyright may result in course sanctions,
and it violates the Code of Academic Integrity.
Preliminary Course Schedule
[Please update this document often to track the latest versions.]
Date
Jan. 12
Jan. 14
Jan. 19
Jan. 21
Jan. 26
Jan. 28
Feb. 2
Feb. 4
Feb. 9
Feb. 11
Feb. 16
Feb. 18
Feb. 23
Feb. 25
Mar. 1
Mar. 3
Mar. 8
Mar. 10
Mar. 15
Mar. 17
Mar. 22 & 24
Mar. 29
Mar. 31
Apr. 5
Apr. 7
Apr. 12
Apr. 14
Apr. 19
Apr. 21
Apr. 26
Apr. 28
May 6
Topic
What is Evolution?
History of Evolution I
Evolution & Heredity
Population Genetics
Mutation
Random Mating and Structure
Finite Population Size: Drift
Natural Selection: Background
Natural Selection: Models
Natural Selection: Examples
Molecular Data in Genetics
Migration
Molecular Evolution
Balancing the Forces
Overview and Catch-up
Midterm Exam
Biology Department Seminar
Measuring Fitness & Adaptation
Genetics of Adaptation
Analyses of Experiments
Spring Break
Systematics and Classification
Phylogeny and Phylogenetics
Species
Speciation
Molecular Data in Systematics
Biodiversity
Macroevolution I
Macroevolution II
Health, Disease, and Evolution I
Health, Disease, and Evolution II
Final Exam (LH301, 1-3pm)
Notes
Computer Setup
Assignment 0 Due
Assignment 1 Due
Assignment 2 Due
Assignment 3 Due
Assignment 4 Due
Assignment 5 Due
Exam I
Joshua R. Kohn 4-5pm
Assignment 6 Due
Drop Deadline
Assignment 7 Due
Assignment 8 Due
Assignment 9 Due
Assignment 10 Due
Exam II