The course is divided into the following sections:

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Part 1: The History of Evolutionary Thought

In the first part of the course, we will cover the history of evolutionary thought. How did humans develop the philosophical underpinnings of "natural philosophy", the field that ultimately "evolved into" evolutionary biology? We will study the history of natural philosophy primarily in Europe (from Plato to Darwin) as an example of how evolutionary thought developed across history. Finally, we will close this section with an introduction to the "modern synthesis" and how it gave rise to Evolution as a scientific discipline. 

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Part 2: Life History Theory

In the second part of the course, we will cover the fundamental principles that underpin our understanding of adaptation in the wild. For example, what is an adaptation? How do we measure it? What is fitness? How do we measure it? In this context we will learn about life history traits, genetic/trait correlations, as well as the Euler-Lotka model.

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Part 3: The Genetic basis of Adaptation

In the third part of the course, we will cover the fundamental dynamics that drive evolution at the genetic level. We will answer questions ranging from: "what is the raw material of evolution?" to "what is the connection between adaptation and allele frequency change." Some of the main topics covered in this section include genetic drift, natural selection, and gene flow, among others. 

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Part 4: Phenotypic Plasticity vs Genetic Change

In the fourth part of the course, we will introduce the fundamental concepts of phenotypic plasticity and gene-by-environment interactions (GxE). We will also discuss the model proposed by Botero et al., which aims to predict when organisms are more likely to cope with environmental change through phenotypic plasticity versus genetic adaptation.

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Part 5: Heritability and Quantitative Traits

In the fifth part of the course, we will delve in important issues related to quantitative traits, their genetic basis (i.e., quantitative trait loci; QTL) and how complex traits are passed on from parent to offspring (i.e., heritability). In this section of the cover the Breeder's equation. 

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Part 6: Macroevolution and Biogeography

In the sixth part of the course, we will cover the patterns of evolution across large temporal scales. We will learn about the "Tree of Life”, the fossil record, as well as key events in the history of life on earth. We will also learn the general principles of biography. Lastly, we will integrate our knowledge of both micro- and macro-evolution to understand case studies in "Co-evolution." 

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Part 7: Human Evolution

In the seventh, and last part of the course, we will learn about human evolution. In addition to learning about this subject's history, theory, and evidence.