Darwinian Medicine

Prerequisite: BIOL 200 with a minimum grade of "C-" or BIOL 225 with a minimum grade of "C-" and BIOL 265 with a minimum grade of "C-"; or consent of instructor Darwinian medicine asks questions about the evolutionary history, evolutionary causes, and ecological context of human disease. This course introduces the concepts needed to understand human disease from an evolutionary perspective. We will explore these concepts through the lens of important medical advances in the understanding of cancer, autoimmune disorders, anatomical disorders, and host-pathogen relationships in an attempt to answer the question: why do we get sick? Offered alternate years.