This course will address a series of issues central to understanding evolution in a biological, environmental, and humanistic context. From the biological perspective, the course will examine how evolution works at the individual, species, and community levels using the avian flu as an example. The second part of the course will compare a few major ecosystems under attack from development and how their loss might impact the course of evolution on a local and global level. Included in these ecosystems are the Brazilian rainforest, The Great Barrier Reef, and Old Growth Forests of North America. Finally, the course will delve into the judicial and political controversy around evolution in the United States and try to understand why Dawrin's ideas still invoke such fierce emotional commitments from different constituents.

Instructor

David Lustick, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education
University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
David_Lustick@uml.edu

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