Fall 2025 OLLI Digital Catalog 

Our Own Worst Enemy (P272)

P – Life Sciences

“We have met the enemy and he is us,” said Walt Kelly’s Pogo. How was human population growth affected by the structure of our planet? We will examine several models of population growth to see how humans fit into various reproductive strategies. Is it possible that we can draw an analogy between human growth rate and a fermenting vat of beer? Using several chapters from Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel we will see how the structure of our planet has affected population growth around the globe.

This will be a 4-week course. The course will run from 9/16 to 10/7.

Required text: Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond, ISBN 0-393-31755-2

This offering meets for a total of 5 session(s).

INSTRUCTOR: Jack Bartley

BARTLEY, JACK — Ph.D., ecology, University of Delaware. A UD professor for 22 years, served as director of the Associate in Arts Program and the Delaware Teachers Institute. A former resident of Hawaii, led UD’s Hawaii domestic study abroad program in ecology and cultural studies for 15 years. (P272)

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