Module Review: GET1020

Module: GET1020 (Darwin and Evolution)

AY16/17 Sem 1

Grading:

• Midterms: 50% (Closed book)
• Finals: 50% (Closed book)

Review 1:

Lecturer & tutor: Dr John van Wyhe

What it’s about: It focuses on the life of Charles Darwin and his major works. There will also be a lot of myth busting, since there are a lot of claims about him that were distorted over the years. This is not a biology module, though there will be some ideas of basic biology and evolution. This is a history of science module.

Assignment workload: 2 lectures per week and there are no tutorials. However, there are no webcasts for this module so it is highly encouraged that you turn up. His powerpoint slides usually only contain pictures and the content has to be jotted down during lectures.

Thoughts about the tutor: NIL

Project workload & question/theme: NIL

Readings: Readings are usually from Darwin Online, which Dr John owns. The assigned readings are quite short in terms of length and it’s not all boring. There’s this reading which I recommend as it’s quite interesting: Guns, Germs and Steel (Jared Diamond). It attempts to explain why certain societies could conquer other populations and maintain dominance over them when all humans start out equal with no wealth and power (literally).

Exam: Both the midterms and finals have 50 MCQ each. Both are closed book exams. The exams were not extremely difficult but you have to note down some important time frames (eg. when was evolution accepted by the general scientific community?).

Recommended if: You’re interested in knowing about the man Charles Darwin and his works. I also recommend it if you’re having a heavy workload that semester since the workload can be considered light if you do keep up with the assigned readings and pay attention in lectures.

Rating: 4.5/5

Expected grade: B

Actual grade: A-

Review 2:

What it’s about: This is a history of science module, emphasised by John during the lecture, even though it is listed under the Science faculty. It covers all the right facts you need to know about Charles Darwin and his works, as well as some other notable people during his time such as Wallace. Darwin is known most famously (or infamously) for his works on evolution, but this module will cover content from before he made his great accomplishments until after his death.

Assignment workload: 2 lectures per week, 2 hours each, and there are no tutorials for this module (yay). However, there are no webcasts for this module so it is mandatory for you to attend the lectures, even if you are late regardless of how late you are where I’ve seen people arrive 1 hour into the lecture. The slides he provides are rather skimpy as he always emphasises, so you need to record down the things he says during lecture, even if it sounds stupid.

Thoughts about the tutor: Not applicable

Project workload & question/theme: Not applicable

Readings: Usually 1 or 2 weekly readings related to the theme of the lecture, from Darwin online or some book review or related article. He also suggests optional readings, which you don’t have to read as I realised those are usually longer. Just read the compulsory ones as preparation for lecture.

Exam: Both the midterm and finals comprise of 50 MCQs and are closed book. However, midterm was an hour long while finals was 2 hours long. I managed to finish the paper within about 30 min so there was a lot of time for checking, especially so for finals. In fact, almost everyone left before the end of the paper for finals. Extremely doable as long as you listen in lecture and remember the content, but there are surprise questions sometimes asking about the year in which something happened (even though he said we didn’t have to memorise dates).

Recommended if: You have an interest in Darwin or if you want a GEM that has a relatively light workload.

Rating: 5/5 (it is really interesting!)

Expected grade: B

Actual grade: B

AY15/16 Sem 2

Grading:

• Mid-term: 50%
• Final: 50%

Review 3:

Lecturer: John Van Wyhe

Tutor: None

What it’s about: This module was extolled (on its own IVLE description) as the best the school had to offer. Having gone through it, I am inclined to agree. Billed as neither a history nor science module, but a history of science module, it traces the trajectory of the natural sciences over the latter half of the past millennium in explaining geological, biological and anthropological phenomena.

Information is very qualitative in that there are more facts than figures, but the deluge of ideas and concepts is really not dry or dour in any way. We covered age-old geological landforms and laws, failed theories of extinction and evolution, the progression of life on Earth, biographical accounts of Darwin and Wallace, humankind’s brief history, and our place in the cosmos. It was very enlightening.

Assignment workload: None.

Thoughts about the tutor: None.

Project workload & question/theme: None.

Readings: There are two lectures per week, to which pertaining several readings will be uploaded, some required, some optional. It should not take more than half an hour to get through the ones listed as compulsory, and because they are often excerpts out of dead people’s diaries, which makes them interesting yet informative, though the archaic writing styles might be rather unwieldy at first. The ones listed as optional tend to be longer and offer enriching background information that are more than often worth your while.

Exam: One MCQ mid-term paper on the first half of the syllabus and another for finals encompassing the second half. They are not difficult as they mostly discuss broad themes and not the tedious details. It pays off to listen and take notes because the content on his slides is sparse, but will still be tested. There was a question on the date of a specific discovery, and on the cover design of a specific book, which I thought were rather unfair (and to which I still do not know the answers).

Recommended if: Overall, a very well-prepared and well-thought out module that is crammed with seemingly unrelated information that all ties in in the end under the banner of how the primordial soup of microbes could lead to the important, but utterly improbable, rise of humans, and how said humans learnt about its own past thanks to thinkers like Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Workload is more than manageable and the rewards are bountiful. Recommended to arts and science students alike, as long as you are curious about the natural world and our place in it.

Rating: 4.54 billion/5

Expected grade: B+

Actual grade: A