Teaching

Dr. Curry teaches Villanova University courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. Some courses involve students from both levels.

Undergraduate courses

MSE 2212 Genealogy ~ All in YOUR family: the biology of heredity and kinship

Lecture/laboratory course (4 credits) for non-science majors. Course page (Next offering: S23, Dr. Coppinger)

Bio 3255 Evolutionary Ecology

Lecture/laboratory course (4 credits) for science majors, with General Biology 1 & 2 as prerequisites. Coverage complements that of Bio 3385 Global Change Ecology. Fall semesters. (Next planned offering: F23, Dr. Iyengar)

Bio 3952 Topics: Avian Ecology

This seminar course (1 credit) is for students already committed to carrying out research work in the Curry lab … or for those seriously considering doing so. {It is not appropriate for BIO Seniors who merely need 1 more credit to graduate and have no reason to take the course beyond that.} Fall and Spring semesters. By permission only.

Bio 3955 Ornithology

Lecture/laboratory course (4 credits). Major emphasis on ecology and evolution of birds; secondary focus on avian organismal biology. Will fulfill Population Biology requirement for undergraduate BIO majors. Course page (One-time offering in F22)

Bio 3955 Nova Scotia Natural History dsc_3581

Lecture/laboratory course (4 credits) for science majors, with General Biology 1 & 2 as prerequisites. Occasional offering during Summer Session III, as demand dictates. Introduction to natural history through hybrid format: online reading and discussion, and field trip to Nova Scotia. More… ( Not likely to be offered again)

Bio 4451 & 4452 Field Ecology & Evolution

This 4-credit course pair has an unusual structure: the lecture component (Bio 4451) takes place in Fall semester, and the required laboratory component (Bio 4452) takes place in Spring semester. The course sequence focuses on an extended field trip, usually to the Neotropics. In recent years, the trip has lasted 2 weeks, in the Yucatan region of Mexdsc_0057ico, with the trip scheduled between Christmas and the start of Spring classes on campus. Activities during the Spring semester focus on analysis of field-collected observations and data; discussion of the trip experience and related topics; and presentation of project results in oral and written forms. Course page (Next expected offering: F23 – S24, with trip to Costa Rica in Jan 2024) 

Bio 4955 Genealogy & Kinship

Upper-division lecture/lab course focusing on genetic genealogy, kinship, and relevance of associated topics for other areas of population biology including behavioral ecology, conservation biology, human origins. Course page (next offering F23)

Graduate courses

Bio 7980 Ornithology

Lecture/laboratory course (4 credits). Emphasis on evolution, ecology, population biology, and behavior of birds. Course page (One-time offering in F22)

Bio 8940/8941 Field Ecology & Evolution

Graduate numbers for field course in the Neotropics (combined with Bio 4451/4452, with similar structure: Fall lecture, January field trip, Spring laboratory). Course page (Next expected offering: F23 – S24, with trip to Costa Rica in Jan 2024)