Darwin’s Roadmap to the Curriculum

There is a paradox when it comes to Darwinian ideas within the academy. On one hand, Darwin's theories have famously changed the foundational ideas related to the origins of life, shaping entire disciplines in the biological sciences. On the other hand, people in educated societies across the globe today are famously misinformed and uneducated about Darwinian principles and ideas. Applications of evolutionary theory outside the traditional areas of biology have been slow to progress, and scholars doing such work regularly run into all kinds of political backlash. However, a slow but steady push to advance the teaching of evolution across academic disciplines has been under way for more than a decade.This book serves to integrate the vast literature in the interdisciplinary field of Evolutionary Studies (EvoS), providing clear examples of how evolutionary concepts relate to all facets of life. Further, this book provides chapters dedicated to the processes associated with an EvoS education, including examples of how an interdisciplinary approach to evolutionary theory has been implemented successfully at various colleges, universities, and degree programs. This book also offers chapters outlining a variety of applications to an evolution education, including improved sustainable development, medical practices, and creative and critical thinking skills. Exploring controversies surrounding evolution education, this volume provides a roadmap to asking and answering Darwinian questions across all areas of intellectual inquiry.

ForewordContributor ListSECTION 1 EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATIONChapter 1 Darwin-Inspired Curricula: The EvoS Revolution in Higher EducationGlenn Geher, David Sloan Wilson, Andrew Gallup, Hadassah Mativetsky, and Richard H. HollerChapter 2 Evolutionary Studies in Higher Education: Interdisciplinarity and Student SuccessGlenn Geher, Jennifer Waldo, David Sloan Wilson, and Hadassah MativetskyChapter 3 Building and Evolutionary Studies Program at a Small Liberal Arts CollegeSusan M. HughesChapter 4 The Evolutionary Studies Program: Perspectives from Flies on the WallNicole Wedberg, Kian Betancourt, Richard H. Holler, and Vania Rol?nSECTION 2 EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES EMBODIED WITHIN DISCIPLINESChapter 5 Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary ProofThomas NolenChapter 6 Charles Darwin and Selection in Relation to Sex in the Color of MonkeysSandra Winters, Megan Petersdorf, and James HighamChapter 7 The New Human Science: Sound, New Evolutionary Theory Gives Us Ultimate Causal Understanding of Human Origins, Behavior, History, Politics and EconomicsJoanne Souza and Paul M. BinghamChapter 8 Controversies Surrounding Evolutionary PsychologyGlenn Geher and Vania Rol?nChapter 9 Evolution, Religion, and Other Meaning SystemsDavid Sloan WilsonChapter 10 From Physical Culture to Primal Life: Evolutionary Health Movements in Historical ContextHamilton M. StapellChapter 11 From Genetic Evolution to Engineering OptimizationYaser KhalifaSECTION 3 APPLIED EVOLUTIONARY STUDIESChapter 12 The Role of Evolutionary Studies in Education for Sustainable DevelopmentDustin Eirdosh and Susan HanischChapter 13 Evolutionary Approaches to Health Issues and Behaviors Across the Life CourseDaniel J. Kruger and Jessica S. KrugerChapter 14 Integrating Evolutionary Thinking into Medical EducationBarbara Natterson-Horowitz and Daniel T. BlumsteinChapter 15 How Evolutionary Studies Allows People to Think Outside the BoxGordon G. Gallup, Jr., Jennifer A. Stolz, Rebecca L. Burch, Jennifer A. BremserChapter 16 The "EvoS Effect": The Influence of Evolutionary Training on Critical Thinking SkillsRichard A. Kauffman, Jr., Ian F. MacDonald, and David Sloan WilsonChapter 17 Our Evolutionary Underpinnings: The Past, Present and Future of Evolution Education in the United StatesAmanda L. GlazeChapter 18 Reconciling Evolution with a Christian Identity: A Professional Development Workshop to Reduce Anxiety and Enhance Self-Efficacy for Science TeachersPatricia H. Hawley, Rachael K. Phillips, and Matthew S. OlsonChapter 19 The Evolutionary Studies Summer Institute at New Paltz: A High-Impact, Condensed Interdisciplinary Educational Experience for TeachersGlenn Geher, Aileen Toback, and Nicole WedbergChapter 20 Teaching Evolution across the Curriculum: Beyond Campus-Wide ProgramsDavid Sloan Wilson, Glenn Geher, Andrew Gallup, and Hadassah Mativetsky