This course will focus on one of the most diverse and fascinating groups of marine organisms: parasites. The course will explore marine parasites and pathogens at multiple levels, including: (1) the evolutionary perspective with an emphasis on coevolutionary relationships; (2) parasitic diseases and life cycles (from simple to complex); (3) taxonomic and phylogenetic understanding of parasite and host groups (with a focus on metazoan parasites and hosts); (4) ecological implications of parasitism in marine systems at the population, community, and ecosystem levels; and (5) the effects of human induced global change on parasitism in marine communities. (Summers only at Shoals Marine Lab.)