我們的地球上住著令人無法置信的多樣生物，是什麼樣的過程造就這個多樣性？為什麼有一些物種和牠們生活的棲地如此「契合」？到底成千上萬的現存和已滅絕的物種是如何產生的？

演化學這個課程便是在探討物種起源和造成生物多樣性的模式和過程，課程設計主要教導學生演化學說的重要概念，單元包括地球歷史、考古化石、系統分類、族群遺傳、天擇、適存度和適應、性擇、種化、演化趨勢、分子演化、演化與發生學、物種滅絕、人類起源等。另外課程中也將探討演化學在現代醫學、公共衛生、農業、心理學、文化研究和保育生物學上的應用。

Our planet is home to an incredible diversity of organisms. What processes create this diversity? Why are some species so “fit” with the habitats in which they live? How did thousands of living and extinct species come into being?

Evolution is a course that explores the origin of species and the patterns and processes that create biodiversity. The course design mainly teaches students the important concepts of evolutionary theory. The units include earth history, archaeological fossils, systematic classification, ethnic inheritance, natural selection, fitness and adaptation, sexual selection, speciation, evolutionary trends, molecular evolution, evolution and genesis, species extinction, human origins, etc. In addition, the course will also explore the application of evolution in modern medicine, public health, agriculture, psychology, cultural studies and conservation biology.

(1) Evolutionary Analysis, by Scott Freeman and Jon C. Herron, Pearson, 4th Edition, 2007.

(1) Evolutionary Analysis, by Scott Freeman and Jon C. Herron, Pearson, 4th Edition, 2007.