Undergraduate Courses

Key Courses

Evolution for Everyone (BIOL 105/ ANTH 280F)

4 credits. Offered each fall. Satisfies BU’s General Education Social Science requirement. Recommended introduction for those new to evolution. As of winter session 2008, now available as an online course!

This course explains the basic principles of evolution and why they are so important for the study of humans in addition to the rest of life. Students from all majors are welcome and a background in science is not necessary. Those who have already learned about evolution will still learn much in this course about the relevance of evolution to human affairs. This course can be taken by itself and also serves as the best introduction to EvoS as a multi-course integrated curriculum.

Current Topics in EvoS (BIOL 451)

2 credits. Offered each semester in association with the EvoS seminar series. Required at least twice for undergraduate certificate.

This course is built on the EvoS seminar series, which brings distinguished speakers to campus at regular intervals. The course consists of reading one or more articles in preparation for each speaker, writing a short response to the article(s), attending the seminar, and meeting with each speaker after the seminar for an extended discussion over food. This is a superb way to engage in interdisciplinary interactions with other members of EvoS and with some of the most distinguished scientists and scholars of our day. The course can be taken multiple times.

More Suggested Courses

Introduction to Evolutionary Theory (ANTH 280B)

To some, an evolutionary perspective is the only logical one from which to study the full spectrum of human development and behavior. To others, it is a flawed attempt to diminish the enormous complexity of human cultural variation to reductive biological factors. This course will provide an introduction to the major topics and debates in historic and contemporary evolutionary theory from an anthropological perspective. Topics to be discussed include: the historical development of evolutionary thought; natural selection; Social Darwinism; eugenics; punctuated equilibrium; competition and cooperation; multilevel selection; sociobiology; evolutionary psychology; evolutionary medicine; Darwinian literary studies; and the arguments for and against (including examples of) using evolutionary theory to understand human sexual behavior. This course has no prerequisites and will be a safe place for the introduction, appreciation, and constructive criticism of multiple voices. This course receives an N.

Mechanisms of Evolution (BIOL 351)

Fundamental principles of synthetic theory of evolution and its development. Sources of variability; organization of genetic variability in populations; differentiation of populations; reproductive isolation and origin of species; role of hybridization in evolution; major trends of evolution; processes of evolution in man. Prerequisites: BIOL 117 and 118 or equivalent.

Macroevolution (BIOL 378)

Patterns and processes of evolution and the assembly of terrestrial ecosystems through deep time. Science and hypothesis testing in historical inference. Evolution and adaptation tempo and mode. Ecology of past terrestrial communities. Inferring structure/function in fossil plants and vertebrates, including dinosaurs. Causes of background and mass extinction. Biological evidence for climate change. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: BIOL 117.

Cultural Evolutionary Theory (BIOL 452)

Information can be transmitted across generations by cultural in addition to genetic processes, especially in humans, but also other species. This course will review the modern study of culture as an evolutionary process, including the social and psychological mechanisms that enable cultural transmission to take place, the differences, and similarities between biological and cultural evolution, and the consequences of gene-culture co-evolution. Format may vary by sections: Prerequisites: BIOL 105 (cross-listed as ANTH 280F), ANTH 111, BIOL 351, or permission of instructor

All Courses

Course numbers may change from year to year. Important Note: Not all courses are offered every year or even on a repeating basis. Bold courses are offered SUMMER 2013.

Anthropology Department

ANTH 111 Intro to Anthropology
ANTH 168 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
ANTH 246 Sex & Evolution
ANTH 247 Human Genetics
ANTH 248 Darwinian Medicine
ANTH 280B Introduction to Evolutionary Theory
ANTH 280P Evolution Human Sexual Behavior
ANTH 335 Human Origins
ANTH 337 Human Biological Variation
ANTH 338 Introduction to the Primates
ANTH 380H Human Genetics
ANTH 380J Recent Human Evolution
ANTH 380N Neuroanthropology (PSYC 380A)
ANTH 380R Biomedical Anthropology and Health
ANTH 426 Ancient DNA and Forensics Lab
ANTH 428 Molecular Anthropology Lab
ANTH 480B Evolution and Human Behavior
ANTH 480C Evolution and Women’s Health
ANTH 480T Molecular Anthropology Theory
ANTH 480S Evolution of Language (LING 449S)
ANTH 480Z Archival Research in Biological Anthropology (BIOL 283)

Department of Biological Sciences

BIOL 117 Introduction to organismal & population biology
BIOL 282T Becoming an Everyday Scientist (NURS 343)
BIOL 283 Archival Research in Biological Anthropology (ANTH 480Z)
BIOL 301 Molecular Genetics
BIOL 330 Genes and Heredity
BIOL 333 Self-Organizing Systems
BIOL 334 Biological Networks (BE 202)
BIOL 340 Genetics Lab
BIOL 351 Mechanisms of evolution
BIOL 355 Ecology
BIOL 366 Paleobiology
BIOL 370 Botany
BIOL 371 Zoology
BIOL 372 Paleobiology
BIOL 373 Ecological principles and applications
BIOL 375 Animal behavior
BIOL 377 Flora
BIOL 378 Macroevolution
BIOL 425 Molecular Biology Lab
BIOL 428 Genomics and Proteomics
BIOL 435 Human Genetics
BIOL 441 Molecular Ecology Lab
BIOL 456 Evolution & Human Beh (ANTH 480B, PHIL 480A, PSYC 470)
BIOL 450 Conceptual foundations in ecology, evolution and behavior
BIOL 451 Current Topics in Evos
BIOL 452 Cultural evolutionary theory
BIOL 453 Sociobiology
BIOL 454 Behavioral ecology of Primates
BIOL 472 Tropical ecology and conservation
BIOL 473 Southwest ecology
BIOL 476 Population ecology
BIOL 477X Conservation Biology
BIOL 480Q Eco-Immunology
BIOL 480R Mother Nature
BIOL 483Q Behavior & Disease
BIOL 483V Advanced animal behavior

Bioengineering Department

BE 202 Biological Networks (BIOL 334)
BE 301 Modeling Nature
BE 302 Adaptive Systems
BE 410 Complexity in Biological Systems

Economics Department

ECON 335 Economics & Evolution
ECON 383F Evolutionary economics
ECON 461 Game theory

English Department

ENG 300K The Evolution of Happiness
ENG 450Q Animal Studies

Environmental Studies

ENVI 481E Evolving Local Sustainability

Geography Department

GEOG 212 Historical Geography
GEOG 422/459 Biogeography

Human Development

HDEV 371 Aggressive Behavior in Children and Youth

Industrial and Systems Engineering

ISE 418X Collective Dynamics of Complex Systems

Linguistics Department

LING 449S Evolution of Language (ANTH 480S)

Nursing Department

NURS 343 Becoming an Everyday Scientist (BIOL 282T)

Philosophy Department

PHIL 121 Methods of Reasoning
PHIL 313 Science & Religion

Psychology Department

PSYC 111 Introductory Psychology
SCHL 280 Evolutionary Psychology
PSYC 327 Evolution and Behavior
PSYC 380A Neuroanthropology (ANTH 380N)
PSYC 470 Evolution & Human Beh (ANTH 480B, BIOL 456, PHIL 480A)
PSYC 473B Comparative Psychology
PSYC 473M Seminar in Evolutionary Psychology

Please send suggestions for additions or revisions to this list to evos@binghamton.edu.