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Professor helps students grasp Darwin’s significance, develop bicentennial exhibit

Jim Costa bought his first copy of Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” when he was in high school but did not read the book in detail – and did not grasp the biological revolution within its pages – until he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. “I was a teaching assistant at the time for the late Stephen Jay Gould, the legendary evolutionary biologist,” said Costa, WCU professor of biology and director of the Highlands Biological Station. “Gould had the students acquire just one book – a facsimile first edition of ‘The Origin.’ He observed to me that few students of biology or even professional biologists ever bothered to really read ‘The Origin of Species,’ the founding document of the entire field. I realized I, too, was guilty, having only read parts of it, so I threw myself into it and became utterly fascinated with Darwin’s writing. That led to an interest in the history and philosophy behind and in the book, and a desire to share that with students.”

Now, 200 years after Darwin’s birth and 150 years after the first publication of Darwin’s historic text, originally titled “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” Costa and his WCU students are sharing Darwin’s story with an exhibit they prepared and installed at Hunter Library. Costa’s wife, Leslie, served as design consultant, taking the student pieces written for “Darwin’s (R)evolution” and stylistically tying them together. In addition, Costa has been delivering keynote talks for Darwin celebrations at institutions including Salem State College, Appalachian State University and the University of Tennessee. And in May, Harvard University Press will publish Costa’s latest book, “The Annotated Origin.”

In “The Origin of Species,” Darwin recorded observations that laid a foundation for the theory of evolution. Although others had suggested the idea of evolution before, it was the volume of evidence presented together in “Origin,” with a mechanism – natural selection – that convinced the scientific community that he was correct. Darwin called the book “one long argument,” and Costa said this is reflected in the book’s structure: It opens with a chapter on domestication, which Darwin saw as an analogy to the natural process of species change. This is followed by three chapters presenting his mechanism for species change, culminating with natural selection. In the book’s remaining nine chapters, Darwin applies his theory by explaining observations in many fields, from paleontology and embryology to the geographical distribution of species and hybridization patterns.

“It was this synthesis that proved so compelling to naturalists,” said Costa. “When I read ‘The Origin,’ it sparked a deep interest in the history of evolutionary thought. I came to a deeper understanding of the book, of Darwin’s genius, and why that book and Darwin’s subsequent work so thoroughly revolutionized biology. It is absolutely one of the epochal works in modern Western thought. I also better understood how and why so many nonscientists have a hard time with Darwin – partly lack of understanding about just what the science is, but also partly owing to the radically different, naturalistic worldview that the theory articulated, a worldview that many people find threatening.”

To help more students understand the repercussions of Darwin’s work, Costa developed a course in the late 1990s at WCU in which students read the first edition of “Origin” and discuss, chapter by chapter, the historical background and philosophical context of its arguments and structure. He also began teaching, by invitation, a course on “Origin” at Oxford University as part of Harvard’s summer program on Darwin. “Over the years, I developed a set of detailed annotations to help the students better follow the chapters,” said Costa. “That grew into a book-length project when my editor at Harvard learned about it.” In May, Harvard University Press will publish Costa’s book, “The Annotated Origin,” which features notes in the margins to explain background or substance of arguments as well as a biographical “who’s who” section of people named or cited in the book.

In addition, five students in Costa’s WCU Darwin seminar last fall developed the exhibit, which will be on display at Hunter Library until December. The exhibit features a series of panels about Darwin’s life and development of his insights into evolution. One case depicts human evolution and features scientific-quality models of early human fossil skulls. Another case presents a selection of Darwin’s books.

The collaboration of students, faculty and the library in this endeavor employs the Quality Enhancement Plan, “Synthesis: Pathway to Intentional Learning,” said Alessia Zanin-Yost, reference librarian and visual and performing arts liaison.

“Through the exhibit, the students demonstrate synthesis of learning and applicability of knowledge outside the classroom,” said Zanin-Yost. “Jim and I have been working on this show since last summer – discussion, planning, outcomes, development and everything in between. It has been great to see faculty using the library as a place to show what is happening in their classes. The exhibit is very appealing and instructional. It is my hope that others will follow.”

 

By Teresa Killian

© 2009 Western Carolina University.