History 581D: Darwinian Revolution

Instructor: John Beatty
Section: 101

Term: 1
Meets: Tuesdays 6:00-9:00pm

In this 2012W, Term One course, we will discuss the development of evolutionary thought, paying special attention to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. To broaden our perspective, we will consider not only the scientific, but also the social, political, economic, religious and philosophical sources of Darwin’s ideas (especially in the Victorian context). We will also consider the influence of his ideas on all those areas, in several national and cultural settings.

Note: This course is cross-listed with Philosophy 560A section 002, Philosophy 469A section 001, and History 495 section 101. Students can register in either History 581D, History 495, Philosophy 560A, or Philosophy 469A—keeping in mind that graduate students can only receive credit for a limited number of undergraduate courses.