Darwin and Evolutionary Controversies

3 units

Focus is on controversies in evolutionary biology from Darwin's day to the present. Most of the controversies concern scientific issues such as Kelvin's estimate of age of the earth, Jenkin's argument against blending inheritance, neutral variations, effects of isolation on the role of selection, mass extinction and nemesis, but some address social issues such as evolutionary ethics and scientific creationism. Emphasis in the readings is on primary sources, including Darwin's Origin of Species. Writing Intensive. (Biology Major Area C)