Interdisciplinary Studies in Letters & Science

Chabot College

Charles Darwin portrait

On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin

Reading Assignment - Autumn 2003

Reading Assignment (linked to lecture outlines)

On the Origin of Species, A Facsimile of the First Edition (1859). Charles Darwin. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1964

Day 1 (Oct. 13)

Introduction by E. Mayr

Day 2 (Oct. 15)

Chapter One: Variation under Domestication

Day 3 (Oct. 17)

Chapter Two: Variation under Nature

Day 4 (Oct. 20)

Chapter Three: Struggle for Existence

Day 5 (Oct. 22)

Chapter Four: Natural Selection

Day 6 (Oct. 24)

Chapter Five: Laws of Variation

Chapter Six: Difficulties of the Theory

Chapter Fourteen: Recapitulation and Conclusion

 

Darwin Essay Questions
 
Draft due in small group: Oct. 29
Final essay due November 3
 
1. Discuss Darwin's evidence for the deliberate human selection of particular traits in domestic species (Chapter One of The Origin of Species.) How does Darwin develop his argument about Natural Selection in Chapters Two and Three, with reference to breeding practices of people with domestic species?
 
2.  In Mayr's Introduction to The Origin, he asserts that the Darwinian revolution had a more profound impact upon modern thought than the ideas of Copernicus and Newton. Do you agree or disagree? Support your position with data.
 
3.  Lamarck's concept of evolution through the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics differs in some key elements from Darwin and Wallace's theory of evolution by Natural Selection. Compare and contrast these theories and illustrate the process of natural selection using a specific adaptation of an organism.
 
4.  By the middle of the 19th Century many discoveries and new ideas were calling into question the older paradigms explaining how species come into being. Discuss these discoveries/concepts and their impact on Darwin.
 
5.  Mayr claims that Darwin was the first to completely separate scientific reasoning from philosophical reasoning in examining origins and evolution. How does his method of argument in The Origin illustrate this point?
 
6.  The evolution of antibiotic resistance in some kinds of bacteria and of drug-resistance in the HIV virus illustrate how crucial the understanding of evolution is to modern medical practice. Explain and illustrate this point.
 
7.  In Chapter Six of The Origin, Darwin addresses a number of key objections to his theory of Natural Selection. Discuss these objections and his responses to them.

 

Online resources:

Books Written by Charles Darwin (http://www.aboutdarwin.com)

Charles Darwin's Writings Online at The British Museum (http://pages.britishlibrary.net/charles.darwin3/images.html)

Paustian, Timothy (2003) Introduction to Bacterial Structure. University of Wisconsin-Madison http://www.bact.wisc.edu/microtextbook/bacterialstructure/Introduction.html

Rubin. (2002) Hospital Stays Can Be Harmful To Your Health. Emerging Infectious Diseases. National Center for Infectious Diseases.  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/press_r/rubin.htm

 
Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Paleontology: great information and graphics http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu
 
 
Evolution Updates in current periodicals from The Evolution Research Center for Students and Teachers http://users.mstar2.net/spencersa/evolutus
 
Talk Origins: A particularly good site for those interested in the evolution/creation controversy http://www.talkorigins.org/
 
National Center for Science Education is an advocacy organization for the teaching of evolution http://www.natcenscied.org/

Mayr, E. (1999) Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought. University of Hamburg. Available online: http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e36_2/darwin_influence.htm

Darwin, C. On the Origin of Species. Available online at:

An Online Library of Literature: http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species/

The Talk: Origins http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/origin.html

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/darwin/index.shtml

Darwin, C. The Descent of Man. Available online at:

University of Hamburg: http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e36_descent/descent.html

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