Animal Behavior (320-0-20)

Instructors

Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy

Ryan Lu

Meeting Info

Technological Institute F281: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

This course will introduce students to the field of animal behavior from the neuroscience perspective. We will focus on biological activities essential for survival, including foraging, communication, migration, predator-prey interactions, mating, and parental care. Neural circuits and the signaling mechanisms underlying these behaviors will be discussed in-depth.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisites: Students must have completed NEUROSCI 202-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or NEUROSCI 311-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or BIOL_SCI 302-0.

Learning Objectives

1). Develop an understanding of the diversity of vertebrate behavior and its neurobiological underpinnings.
2). Become adept at reading and critically evaluating primary literature and reviews.
3). Develop an ability to generalize neurobiological principles and mechanisms across systems.
4). Develop novel hypotheses on topics in the area of neurobiology of animal behavior and learn to align them with experimental approaches that can be used to test the proposed ideas.

Teaching Method

Lectures and discussions, with student presentations. Meets twice a week (2 x 80 minutes).

Evaluation Method

One 7 page long research paper (25%), midterm (25%) and final (35%) exams, class presentations (10%) and participation (5%).

Class Materials (Required)

Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach, 11th Edition. By Dustin R. Rubenstein, John Alcock. ISBN-13: 978-1605355481 ISBN-10: 1605355488 cost rental from $28.95 to new for $93 on Amazon. Click link: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Behavior-Dustin-R-Rubenstein/dp/1605355488/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

ResponseCard (Turning Technologies Clicker): QT One Year/Four Year. List Price: $29.99-$77.

Other reading materials will be posted on Canvas.

Class Materials (Suggested)

None

Class Notes

Prerequisites: Students must have completed NEUROSCI 202-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or NEUROSCI 311-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or BIOL_SCI 302-0.

Class Attributes

Natural Sciences Distro Area