last update - November 15, 2014 6:30 PM
Course Overview: This course is a general introduction to animal behavior. We will examine behavior within the framework of Tinbergen s four area s of inquiry: causation (mechanisms), development, function and evolution (phylogeny) with an emphasis on behavioral ecology and the process by which questions in animal behavior are answered. An important part of class will be the reading and discussion of primary scientific literature.
Prerequisites: Prerequisite for this course is Biol 115 or 116 or permission of the instructor.
Text and reading: The text for this class is Principles of Animal Behavior (PAB) by Lee Alan Dugatkin. Required reading is indicated below. Many weeks there will be supplementary material from the primary literature to read. In general, these readings will be from the journals Animal Behaviour or Behavioral Ecology, both of which can read online through LBIS. Please read the assigned chapters before attending class on Monday. Assignments from the primary literature will be discussed in detail during class periods. Read this material such that you will be able to explain it to your classmates.
Class attendance and participation: Class participation and attendance will account for 10% of your grade. I encourage you to speak up. Ask for clarification. Share your ideas and your insights. Brilliance is not the point. Discovery and understanding are the goals. Questions are welcomed at all times. Don't be surprised if I ask you questions when I don't hear from you otherwise. All of this contributes to your participation grade.
Attendance is mandatory. You are allowed two unexcused absences before it affects your grade. After that, your final average will be degraded by 1% for every unexcused absence. Class begins at 9:40. Be prepared to begin at that time. Chronic late arrivals will be counted as absences.
Short response assignments: Some weeks, you will be you will be asked to write a very short (<1 page, double-spaced, typed/computer printed) response to a question, usually regarding your weekly assignment or an original journal article to be discussed in class. The purpose of these assignments is to help you get ready for class discussion and to stimulate thinking. Short responses will be graded with a check, check-plus, or check-minus. Short reponses are always due at the beginning of class on the day of the assignment. Late submissions will not be accepted after noon on the day assigned. Short responses will account for 10% of your grade.
Ethogram: The study of animal behavior starts with watching animals. Interesting questions often arise from direct observation. An ethogram is a complete description of an animal s behavior based on direct observation of the animal in nature. You will choose an animal in nature, observe it in its natural habitat, record data describing its behavior, analyze those data and write an account of that animal s behavior, posing questions and answering them with the data you have collected. The Ethogram will account for 30% of your final grade. See the ethogram instruction sheet for details.
Exams: There will be two midterm exams and one final. These are primarily essay exams. Generally, I will give you a set of questions, from which you are expected to choose four or five to answer. Each midterm is worth 15% of your grade. The final is worth 20%.
Academic honesty: Kenyon College is, at the core, an intellectual community of scholars – students and faculty – engaged in the free and open exchange of ideas. Critical to this lively exchange and deep engagement with ideas is the academic integrity of our work, both inside and outside the classroom. This class will follow the official Kenyon College position on academic honesty .
Need help?: If at any time, you feel that you do not have the proper background to understand the material that is being presented, please let me know. If you have a disability and therefore may have need for some type of accommodation(s) in order to participate fully in this class, please feel free to discuss your concerns in private with me and also self identify yourself to Erin Salva, Coordinator of Disability Services at PBX 5453 or via e-mail at SALVAE.
Grading: I suggest you check with me early in the term if you have any doubts about how well you are doing. It doesn't pay to wait until the last week to ask how you can improve your grade. To summarize the components of the class grade described above:
Exam 1 = 15%
Exam 2 = 15%
Final exam = 20%
Ethogram = 30%
Short response papers = 10%
Class attendance and participation = 10%
Deadlines and conflicts: Work in this class that is handed in late will be penalized 1/3 grade per day (except for weekly writing assignments, which will not be accepted at all after noon on the due date). For example, a B+ will become a B. If conflicts exist with scheduled extracurricular events, students must contact me one week before the date to discuss ways to handle the conflict. In the case of confilicts with exams, I expect that students will take the exam before the scheduled date. Written assignments should be handed in before the due date if a class is to be missed because of a scheduled event.
Title IX Responsibilities: Kenyon faculty are committed to supporting our students and upholding gender equity laws as outlined by Title IX. Therefore, if a student chooses to confide in a member of Kenyon’s faculty regarding an issue of sexual misconduct, that faculty member is obligated to tell Kenyon’s Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX coordinator will assist the student in connecting with all possible resources both on and off campus. More information about your options at Kenyon can be found at the Equal Opportunity Office.
Tentative Schedule:
(subject to change as the semester progresses)
| Week of | Topic | Readings |
| Aug 28 | Introduction
|
|
| Sept 2 | Animal Behavior as a science September 4 (Thurs)- Ethogram: choice of study animal due |
PAB Chapter 1 Karl Popper, Farkas (for Tuesday)
|
| Sept 9 | Selection, Behavior, and Genetics
|
PAB Chapter 2, Chapter 4 (ppg. 104-118) For Thursday: Helbig,
Lim
et al. |
| Sept 16 | Proximate Mechanisms September 16 (Tues) - Ethogram: behavioral catalog due |
PAB Chapter 3 For Thursday: Carazo et al., |
| Sept 23 | Proximate Mechanisms September 25 (Thurs) First Midterm - EXAM KEY |
|
| Sept 30 | Proximate Mechanims: Learning |
PAB Chapter 4 (Ch. 4, ppg. 119-123), Chapter 5
|
| Oct 7 | Complex Mechanisms October 10 (Friday) via Moodle - Ethogram: initial time budget/behavioral summary due October 9-10 Reading Days (no class Thursday) |
|
| Oct 14 | Cultural Transmission Ethogram: testable
hypothesis due - Due Oct. 16 (Thurs) |
PAB Chapter 6 For Tuesday: For Thursday: Bates
& Chappell (Culture) |
| Oct 21 | Economics of Foraging |
PAB Chapter 11 |
| Oct 28 | Sex-specific Behavior - short
response due Thursday |
PAB Chapter 7 |
| Nov 4 | Mating Systems ETHOGRAM Results - Due on 4th
|
PAB Chapter 8 |
| Nov 11 | Mating Systems
|
PAB Chapter 9
|
| Nov 18 | Cooperation Second Midterm - Take Home - due Thursday in class First Draft of Ethogram Poster Due - Nov. 21 |
Reading for Tuesday: Lesku et al. PAB Chapter 10 |
| Nov 25 | THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO CLASS |
|
| Dec 2 | Poster to be submittted to P:drive by Monday, Dec. 1, 8AM Ethogram Poster Sessions Tuesday and Thursday
|
|
| Dec 9 | TBD
|
|
Final Exam Dec. 16, 8:30 AM |