Evolutionary Biology Why don’t frogs have wings? When did the first eye evolve? The answers to these questions exemplify how evolutionary biology can be used to understand the diversity of the present day and how we can trace important traits back to their origins. In this class, we will learn about the processes that drive diversity, the constraints on evolution, and how the interplay between genes, traits, organisms, and species has sculpted the landscape of life we see today. In addition to lectures, you will read foundational and current primary literature and will lead a project that will use current tools in comparative biology to reconstruct the evolutionary history of a modern-day gene back to its origin in the distant past. (BIOL 140 or 145). 3hrs lect.

Molecular Genetics This course will focus on the structure and function of nucleic acids in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Lectures will center on molecular mechanisms of mutation, transposition, and recombination, the regulation of gene expression, and gene control in development, immune diversity and carcinogenesis. Readings from the primary literature will complement the textbook and classroom discussions. The laboratory will provide training in both classic and contemporary molecular-genetic techniques including nucleic acid isolation and purification, cloning, electroporation, nick-translation, Southern/Northern blotting, DNA sequencing, PCR and RT-PCR.

Andrew Swafford

Reviews and ratings for Andrew Swafford at Middlebury College.Andrew Swafford teaches Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Genetics and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Andrew Swafford good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

The material in this course was very interesting, and the professor lectured in a way that made it understandable. No exams but a big project at the end that you do with a partner. Problem sets every week or so, but they weren't too bad. 

This course was very interesting as the proposal to have our lab be conducted like a graduate style lab introduced a new and unique atmosphere where searching and confirming protocols to ensure experiments would work provided a fresh learning experience. Also the window of mastery allows for students to prove their mastery of a topic by allowing resubmissions.