Evolution and Disease BIL 220

Syllabus SPRING 2017

WARNING: This syllabus will change.
There is nothing permanent except change.

Topic Readings/Assignments
Intro and review of Hardy-
1 Tuesday Jan. 17
Weinberg
Thursda Freeman & Herron Ch. 5
2 Jan. 19 Mutation
y (optional)
More on mutations and disc. of Tsui et al. (1992) -
3 Tuesday Jan. 24
paper REQUIRED
Thursda Futuyma Ch. 12&13
4 Jan. 26 Natural selection
y (optional)
5 Tuesday Jan. 31 More natural selection
Thursda
6 Feb. 2 Still more on natural selection
y
Five student presentations on
7 Tuesday Feb. 7
genetic disorders
Thursda Freeman & Herron Ch.
8 Feb. 9 Genetic drift
y 6&7 (optional)
Alvarez et al. (2008) -
9 Tuesday Feb. 14 Inbreeding
REQUIRED
Thursda
10 Feb. 16 Catch up and review
y
11 Tuesday Feb. 21 Exam 1
Lets see how that goes. Below is a tentative schedule for the rest of the
semester.
Thursda
12 Feb. 23 The tree of life TBA
y
13 Tuesday Feb. 28 Evidence of evolution TBA
Thursda Biodiversity of pathogens:
14 Mar. 2 TBA
y protists
Biodiversity of pathogens: fungi,
15 Tuesday Mar. 7 TBA
animals
Thursda
16 Mar. 9 Our deep evolutionary history TBA
y

!!!!!!!SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!

17 Tuesday Mar. 21 Origin(s) of viruses TBA

Thursda
18 Mar. 23 Virulence TBA
y
Five student presentations on
19 Tuesday Mar. 28 TBA
emergent diseases
Thursda
20 Mar. 30 Are humans still evolving? TBA
y
21 Tuesday Apr. 4 Exam 2 TBA
Thursda
22 Apr. 6 HIV origins TBA
y
23 Tuesday Apr. 11 HIV evolution TBA
Thursda
24 Apr. 13 Malaria TBA
y
25 Tuesday Apr. 18 Drugs from plants TBA
Thursda
26 Apr. 20 Human diet TBA
y
27 Tuesday Apr. 25 Agricultural systems TBA
Thursda
28 Apr. 27 Evolution of cancer TBA
y

Final Exam: Tuesday, May 9th, 2:00am 4:30pm, in Cox 166

Reading:
Alvarez, G., F. C. Ceballos, and C. Quintero. 2009. The role of inbreeding in the
extinction of a European royal dynasty. PLoS One 4: e5174.
Freeman, S., and J. C. Herron. 2007. Evolutionary analysis, 4 th edition. Pearson
Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, CA.
Futuyma, D. J. 2009. Evolution. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.
Tsui, L.-C. 1992. The spectrum of cystic fibrosis mutations. TIG 8: 392-398.
 Evolution and Disease BIL 220
Course Information SPRING 2016

Class: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2pm 3:15pm, in Cox 166.

Instructor: Prof. Barbara Whitlock

232 Cox Science Center
whitlock@bio.miami.edu
Office phone is unreliable -- please email

Office Hours: Thursdays, 9:30-10:30am, Cox 232

Fridays, 1:30-2:30pm, Cox 232
If you cant make these times, please email me to set up an
appointment. I am not available outside office hours without an
appointment.

Readings: There will be several required short readings and several

optional readings that will be available on BlackBoard as pdf
files. Some of these are already on the syllabus, and some will be
announced later in the semester. You will get much more out of
the course if you do the readings before coming to class.

Grades: Your grade will be based on three exams (each 30% of your final
grade) and participation in class discussions and one short group
presentation (10% of your final grade). Exams will all be short
answer and will emphasize material covered in lecture, but will
also include questions from the reading. Exams will not be
curved. Exam 3 will be held during the courses assigned final
exam period; however, Exam 3 is not cumulative and will be the
same length as the first two exams. There will be some extra
credit opportunities through the semester. If you miss an exam,
you will have the opportunity to arrange for a make-up exam
within one week. You must notify me by email of an absence
BEFORE the exam unless it is truly an exceptional emergency. If
it is an exceptional emergency, you may need to provide
appropriate documentation.

Attendance: I will not take attendance during class. If you miss a class,
however, you are responsible for catching up. This means
obtaining notes from fellow students and obtaining any handouts
from me. Several studies have shown that attendance correlates
with high grades. This is especially true for Bil 220 since there is
no textbook. Skipping class is not recommended.
 If you miss several lectures due to illness or other reasons,
please contact me to discuss the feasibility of remaining in the
course.

This is adapted from the University of Miami Handbook: Regular

and punctual class attendance is vital for all students. Unless a
student is absent for a University-approved reason, a student
who misses more than two classes may be dropped from the
course or receive a lower grade due to lack of participation.
Within one calendar week of the missed class, the student should
contact the faculty member about making up missed work.
Failure to do so may result in the inability of the student to make
up the work missed during the term of absence. It is the
students responsibility to know the faculty members policies
regarding examinations, penalties for absences, and late or
missed work. University-approved absences and the means of
verification are: (1) A student has participated in an activity
approved by the Academic Deans Policy Council such as music
and debate activity, R.O.T.C. function, or varsity athletic trip
(issued by the sponsor when authorized by the Executive Vice
President and Provost). (2) A student has participated in a special
academic activity, such as a field trip or other special event
connected with course-work (issued by the sponsor when
authorized by the Executive Vice President and Provost). (3) A
student has been a patient of the Health Center, as certified by
the Student Health Service, or has suffered a serious illness or
hospitalization, as documented by a note from a physician
verifying the illness or hospitalization. If the faculty member
does not accept the reason for absence, the student may initiate
an appeal through the chair of the department or director of the
program in which the course is offered. Holy days: UM policy
allows any student to take off any religious holiday or his or her
choice as a matter of right, but only if the student discloses her
or his specific intentions to the faculty member in writing within
the first three days of class meeting.

Blackboard: Powerpoints will be posted on Blackboard after class.

These are to complement the notes that you take in class and
help you study, not replace them.

You will also need to access Blackboard for required readings and
revised syllabi. I will also occasionally use the electronic class
mailing list to communicate with you. You are responsible for
ensuring that your email address is registered.
Etiquette: Please turn off your cell phone and forebear from texting,
facebook, email, etc. It is very distracting to other students (and
to me!).

Honor code: You are required to uphold the student Honor Code
(http://www.miami.edu/dean-
students/pdf/undergrad_honorcode.pdf). By policy of the Biology
Department, academic dishonesty or complicity with the
dishonest will result in a failing grade in the course.

The Honor Code specifically covers four violations:

Cheating implies an intent to deceive. It includes all actions,

devices, and/or deceptions involved in committing the act.
Examples include, but are not limited to, utilizing crib
notes/cheat sheet on an exam and copying answers directly from
another student's exam.
Plagiarism is representing the words or ideas of someone else
as your own. Examples include, but are not limited to, failing to
properly cite direct quotes and failing to give credit for someone
else's ideas.
Collusion is the act of working together on an academic
undertaking for which a student is individually responsible.
Examples include, but are not limited to, sharing information in
labs that are to be done individually.
Academic Dishonesty includes any other act not specifically
covered that compromises the integrity of a student or intrudes,
violates, or disturbs the academic environment of the University
Community. Examples are attempting or agreeing to commit, or
assisting in or facilitating the commission of, any scholastic
dishonesty violation, failing to appear or testify without good
cause when requested by the Honor Council, failing to keep
information about cases confidential, supplying false information
to the Honor Council and accusing a student of a violation of this
Code in bad faith.

Further information regarding academic or academic-related misconduct, and

disciplinary procedures and sanctions regarding such misconduct, may be
obtained by consulting the Undergraduate Honor Council webpage -
http://www6.miami.edu/honor-council/. Students are also advised that
expulsion from the University is one of the sanctions that may be imposed
for academic or academic-related misconduct.