Covers the origin and diversification of life, evolutionary processes, and crises such as mass extinctions and Earth-life co-evolution.
The course requires weekly quizzes based on articles and lecture material, with no textbook. Exams are multiple-choice, but the volume of material requires students to keep up with readings and attend class.
All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
None
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Shanan Peters is described as an engaging lecturer who uses humor and multimedia to entertain students. Reviewers note his passion for the subject and clear delivery. Some find the content heavy, while others appreciate that he focuses on material relevant to quizzes and exams.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.09 GPA, 49.6% A/AB (n=228 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.29 GPA, 59.1% A/AB (n=164 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.92 GPA, 41.6% A/AB (n=154 letter grades).
No course-specific feedback yet.
Historical reviews for Dana Geary, Clay Kelly, and Daniel Segessenman describe engaging lectures and interesting material. Experiences vary significantly regarding difficulty; some students found exams easy with preparation, while others reported tricky questions and high workload. Clear grading and helpful TAs were noted by several reviewers.
CLAY KELLY is recorded teaching in Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
DANA GEARY is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
DANIEL SEGESSENMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
SHANAN PETERS is recorded teaching in Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | Classroom Instruction | 115 / 214 | 0 |
| DIS 302 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 303 | Classroom Instruction | 19 / 20 | 0 |
| DIS 304 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 307 | Classroom Instruction | 8 / 20 | 0 |
| DIS 301 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 305 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 306 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 308 | Classroom Instruction | 17 / 21 | 0 |
| DIS 311 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 312 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 313 | Classroom Instruction | 12 / 21 | 0 |
| DIS 314 | Classroom Instruction | 9 / 20 | 0 |
| DIS 317 | Classroom Instruction | 20 / 20 | 0 |
| DIS 318 | Classroom Instruction | 11 / 20 | 0 |
| DIS 309 | Classroom Instruction | 1 / 0 | 0 |
| DIS 310 | Classroom Instruction | 18 / 20 | 0 |
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Shanan Peters is described as an engaging and humorous lecturer who makes the material fascinating. Reviewers note that while the content is dense, attending lectures and completing weekly quizzes are essential for success.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.29 GPA, 58.7% A/AB (n=138 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.92 GPA, 41.6% A/AB (n=154 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.23 GPA, 61.0% A/AB (n=100 letter grades).
The course requires weekly quizzes based on articles and lecture material, with no textbook. Exams are multiple-choice, but the volume of material requires students to keep up with readings and attend class.
Reviewers find the lectures entertaining and well-organized, with Peters using humor and multimedia to engage the audience. Attending lecture is crucial for quiz and exam success, as exams rely heavily on lecture content.
– average GPA
Approximate 80% prediction interval
The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.
The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.
8 earlier forecasts · 0.20 GPA average error.
Through Fall 2026
Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels
GPA
Higher than % of other courses in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
letter grades
More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: letter grades.
1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.
Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Evolution and Extinction
Recorded 2026-09-07[
{
"run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
"semester": "1272",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"offering_id": "1272:420:008465",
"course_id": "GEOSCI 110",
"course_uid": "course_c4afdc34fab0a207868d407e",
"term_id": "1272",
"source_course_id": "008465",
"source_subject_id": "420",
"title": "Evolution and Extinction",
"credits_min": 4,
"credits_max": 4,
"typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
}
]Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
{
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"model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
"task_version": "14",
"output_id": "d1896dd02a69c9a89bb779fc993009c2302bf92f864a5dcabc8351889571a26d",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}