Course syllabus adopted 2022-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).
Overview
- Swedish nameEvolution och självorganisation i biologiska system
- CodeSEE075
- Credits5 Credits
- OwnerTKGBS
- Education cycleFirst-cycle
- Main field of studyGlobal systems
- DepartmentSPACE, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
- GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail
Course round 1
- Teaching language Swedish
- Application code 74119
- Maximum participants65
- Open for exchange studentsNo
Credit distribution
Module | Sp1 | Sp2 | Sp3 | Sp4 | Summer | Not Sp | Examination dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0120 Oral examination 5 c Grading: TH | 5 c |
In programmes
Examiner
Claes Andersson- Senior Researcher, Physical Resource Theory, Space, Earth and Environment
Eligibility
General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Specific entry requirements
The same as for the programme that owns the course.Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Aim
The course aims to provide the student with tools to understand and reflect on the natural history of earth - and thus also a kind of dynamics and organisation that differs greatly from what we find in, for example, physics, but which is fundamental for understanding our planet and its systems. We focus on the biosphere - through evolutionary biology and ecology - as well as on the prehistory of humanity - via paleoanthropology. In addition to natural history and human and cultural evolution, the student will learn about the theoretical traditions behind our understanding of the biosphere: micro- and macro-level evolutionary theory, with special emphasis on the great evolutionary transitions, as well as models and theories understanding of how human societies arose from the kinds of behaviours and social interactions found among animals.Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)
- Describe the major steps in the evolution of life and ecosystems, such as the origins of life, eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms and social organization.
- Describe in outline the generation of biodiversity, including mass extinctions.
- Describe in outline how humans evolved and what stages human culture has passed through.
- Explain the main mechanisms in Darwinian evolutionary theory.
- Explain the general main mechanisms of the big leaps in the evolution of complex life.
- Explain generally for macroevolutionary ideas such as stability in ecosystems, ecological nisches and evolutionary developmental biology.
- Describe concepts in organization and complex dynamical systems such as near-decomposability, self-organization, emergence and chaos.
Content
- Evolutionary theory
- Basic organization theory
- Dynamics and organization in complex systems
- Overall natural history
- The origin and evolution of humans and human culture
- Major Evolutionary Transitions
- Macroevolution
- New directions in evolutionary biology, such as niche construction theory and evolutionary developmental biology.
Organisation
Lectures and project work.Literature
Articles, chapters and compendium texts that will be distributed.Software that will be distributed.
Examination including compulsory elements
The examination consists of a compulsory project and an oral exam, which together determin the final course grade of U, 3, 4 or 5.The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.