About this course: In this course you will learn how evolution works. You will develop an understanding of evolutionary processes and their formative power. You will see how evolution has shaped biodiversity, and continuously influences our daily life. Evolution impacts human endeavors as varied as medicine, agriculture, psychology, economy, and culture. It is the major unifying principle for biology and a fundamental natural law. In five weeks we will make evolution accessible for you and help you to recognize evolutionary processes around you, in nature as well as in society. We make use of the unique collection of Naturalis, the natural history museum in Leiden, but also take you to the field. Using classical and up-to-date examples, we will show you how scientists address evolutionary questions. In the last module, we will have a look at the future. How will humans evolve? And how do we influence our own evolution and that of other organisms? This course is aimed at anybody with a drive to obtain a deeper, broader, and pragmatic understanding of evolution, including high-school students, BSc (undergraduate) biology students, MSc (graduate) students from other disciplines, medical professionals, conservation officers and educators in museums, libraries, national parks, and schools.
Who is this class for: The course is designed for everybody with interest in Evolution or biology in general. All the basics will be covered, so no academic knowledge on this subject is required. It might help when you graduated high school with biology, but it is definitely not necessary. People that like to learn how to do legitimate research in the Natural Sciences are also very welcome to join this course. This course is not meant for philosophical purposes. We do not discourage to discuss this topic on the forum, but our main approach is strictly scientific. We welcome everyone, but if you are not interested to learn about the science of evolution, this course is not for you. This course is free, and will remain free for participants. You can purchase a certificate.
Taught by: Menno Schilthuizen, Prof. Dr.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Leiden University
Taught by: Maurijn van der Zee, Dr.
Leiden University
Taught by: Rutger Vos, Dr.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
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Wonderful course!
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Extremely interesting, well conducted and achievable of the difficult toolls
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Interesting, good examples and case study, whole content of the course is good.