Aug Course Overview, History of Evol. Nov Evolution of Communities Bryant et al. Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. Dobzhansky 1973 . Theory in advance of data has the power to help us collect and use data efficiently.
Data are treacherous when offered in support of explanations free of theory.
Do not trust such explanations, no matter how much data seems to support them. The purpose of the short papers is to help you synthesize information, organize ideas, and practice writing with lots of opportunity for constructive feed back. Lists of potential topics for the first paper will be provided, so you will be able to choose from a selection. The short papers will be a maximum of 3 pages in length. They will be graded for completeness, organization, clarity, and all those things important to writing in general, as well as for content.