Evolutionary Studies in Higher Education

The field of Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) stands at a significant junction. On one hand, the field has demonstrated the ability to serve as a model for a truly interdisciplinary approach to higher education. That said, evolutionary approaches outside certain areas of biology proper have been often met with skepticism and academic mistrust. In 3 discrete sections, this chapter seeks to demonstrate that EvoS provides a powerful academic framework that effectively integrates many academic areas and enhances educational outcomes in these areas. Further, the chapter seeks to demonstrate the broad reach of EvoS in terms of student success, partly by summarizing outcomes of a recent National Science Foundation grant. The final section addresses controversies in the field of EvoS. This section seeks to show how developing a sophisticated understanding of the different facets of these issues may serve a conciliatory and progressive role in the future.