Life Sciences

Evolutionary Biology

Module code: C1019
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture
Assessment modes: Coursework

Explore the full breadth of evolutionary biology – from what happens to individual mutations in populations to topics such as sexual selection, the evolution of behaviour and the process of speciation.

Evolutionary biology lies at the centre of the zoology degree, and is also a fundamental process that both biologists and ecologists should understand. You’ll develop a conceptual understanding of the subject.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of the major themes and concepts of evolutionary biology including population genetic theory, quantitative genetics and speciation.
• Understand how the principles of population genetics can be applied to problems such as the evolution of behaviour including altruism and sexual selection
• Think critically about the process of scientific enquiry; how observations lead to hypotheses and how we can test those hypotheses.
• Develop the ability to think laterally about problems; by taking an understanding of the basic principles of population genetics and evolutionary biology and applying them to new situations and data.