Admission requirements
This course can be attended by first or second year MSc students.
Description
This course focuses on the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). The aim is to understand how genetic changes in development lead to novel morphologies in evolution. The unique contributions of leading evo-devo researchers (e.g. Michael Richardson, expert on vertebrate evo-devo; Maurijn van der Zee, expert on invertebrate evo-devo; and Barbara Gravendeel, expert on plant evo-devo) make this an internationally attractive and high level course. The course starts with the current state of evolutionary theory. Potentially new additions to the Modern Synthesis and their implications for evolutionary theory will be discussed. We will treat subjects such as epigenetic inheritance, group selection and the role of behavior. In the second week, we will focus on development and discuss phenomena such as developmental constraints, developmental bias and regulatory evolution. We will read and discuss cutting-edge papers from the field of both vertebrate and invertebrate evolutionary developmental biology. The third week is entirely dedicated to the evolution and development of plants. This week will have contributions from the natural history museum Naturalis and from the developmental genetics department at the IBL.
This course provides an excellent basis for MSc-research projects on various topics in evo-devo, both at IBL and Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
Course objectives
After completion of the course, students are able to:
Adequately formulate how novel concepts and ideas affect evolutionary theory.
Explain how genetic changes in development lead to novel morphologies.
Analyse and discuss modern experimental scientific papers on evolutionary developmental biology.
Compose and write a coherent essay.
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Lectures Every day, introductory lectures will be given to the subject. This will help you putting the papers into context.
Reading papers
Every day, you will read recent papers on evolutionary developmental biology. These papers include primary research as well as reviews and essays. On some days, you will be asked to collect arguments to support or oppose certain views.
Perusall You will read some papers using the online platform Perusall. On this platform, you can help each other understanding the paper, comment, and discuss in small groups. Your contributions will be evaluated for your final mark.
Discussions We will discuss novel concepts and ideas and their influence on evolutionary theory. To encourage discussion, you will sometimes be divided into groups that should support or oppose a certain view. Your participation and contribution will be evaluated for your final mark.
Essay
At the end of the last week, you have to submit an essay through Brightspace. The essay should be chosen from a provided list of titles. Based on your top 3 preferences, titles will be allocated in such a way that not all students will write on an identical subject. The topics are covered in the lectures of the course. The essay should be submitted in electronic format. It should be no more than 1500 words excluding references. Your essay will be judged on the following points:
- Correct use of key terminology
- Structure (logical flow of the argument?)
- Language (correct? understandable? professional?)
- Overview (Did you cover a broad area?)
- Depth (did you understand the biological/molecular details?)
- Own input (did you simply reproduce the lectures, or did you find new content?)
Assessment method
Your final grade is composed of:
Your participation in and contribution to the (online) discussions (30%)
Your final essay (70%)
Minimum grade:
Courses require a minimum, unrounded 5.5 grade to complete.
If a course has 2 or more written partial exams, the minimum grade only applies to the weighted average of the exams.
For partial grades from components other than exams (e.g. practicals, seminars, writing assignments), the bottom grade does apply to the individual components.
Please refer to the Student Charter for an overview of regulations.
Reading list
Reviews and research articles. Pdf’s will be posted on Brightspace.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Coordinator: Dr. M. v.d. Zee
Email: m.van.der.zee@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Registration
Your registration is not complete if you have not registered for all course components available in MyStudyMap (exam, lecture, etc.).
Maximum 50 students
As this course is compulsory for students from the Evolutionary Biology MSc specialisation, these students have priority.
If you cannot register please email to bioonderwijscoordinator@biology.leidenuniv.nl so we can put you on a waiting list.
Inspection and feedback on the examination
Date: Weekly evaluations of your performance on Perusall and in live discussions will be given through Brightspace, and can be discussed with the course coordinator throughout the course. Individual feedback on your essay will be provided through Turnitin or email by the first week of December. If desired, individual appointments with your mentor can be made to discuss the evaluation of your essay.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.