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Fa15 Animal Behavior Syllabus PDF
Fa15 Animal Behavior Syllabus PDF
Fa15 Animal Behavior Syllabus PDF
October 4, 2015
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
4 credits |BIOL A441 |Fall 2015
Logging in to
Blackboard
Blackboard is found at
classes.uaa.alaska.edu. You log
in with the same username and
password that you use for all
other university log ins.
Course Description
This course will focus on the ecological and evolutionary significance
of behavioral patterns found in all animals, with an emphasis on those
animals. Course lectures and discussions will introduce students to
many of the sub-disciplines of behavioral ecology, including
communication, orientation and navigation, sociality, foraging,
predator avoidance, and the sensory mechanisms that underlie these
behaviors.
The new prerequisite for this course is BIOL A288 Evolution
Instructors Goals
1.Explain how animal behaviors are adaptations to solving problems
imposed by the animal's environment.
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
Instructor Information
Dr. Cindy Trussell
citrussell@alaska.edu or
citrussell@uaa.alaska.edu
(603) 259-1533 this number
is good for calls and texts. If
you choose to text, please tell
me who you are in the text.
Office hours:
Mondays 10-noon
Thursdays 11am-1pm
Office Location: As this is a
distance course, we can meet via
phone, email, text, Google+
Hangouts or Skype.
To utilize any of these channels,
we will need to set up an
appointment so we know where
and when to meet each other.
To make an appointment go to
kodiak.mywconline.com/
Fall 2015
Kodiak College
Response Times:
Aside from during office
hours, I will attempt to
respond to email
communications within 24
hours; during office hours
response time will often
been much faster.
Subject line in your emails:
Put the course ID (BIOL
A441), and your topic in
the subject line. For
example: BIOL A441,
VoiceThread Question
October 4, 2015
Important Dates
Students should be certain
to familiarize themselves
with the academic dates
and deadlines each
semester. They are
provided here for your
convenience.
Grading
The following is the letter grade system for this class:
90% and above = A which means
that your work is superior, far
exceeds average understanding as
evidenced in course work and goes
significantly beyond the basics.
Drop/Audit Deadline:
September 4
Withdraw Deadline:
November 13
Thanksgiving Break (no
classes) November 25-27
Withdrawal & drops: The
instructor will not
automatically withdraw
students who do not
attend or fall behind.
Students who do not
Fall 2015
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
Below 60% = F
Textbook and
Materials
Lecture Workshops
points
Literature Discussions
200 points
Fall 2015
150
Midterm Exam
200 points
Final Exam
250 points
Lecture Workshops
Literature Discussions
Miterm Exam
Final Exam
Observation Assignments
20%
15%
1000 points
20%
25%
20%
Other Readings:
In addition to the above book, I have selected various readings to
support lecture/discussion topics. Method and Timing of Grading
Grading rubrics for the VoiceThread reflections, lecture workshops,
discussions, and observation
assignments are provided
online. You are expected to
familiarize yourself with the
criteria by which you will be
assessed. You should regularly
check the Blackboard Grade
Center to assess your
academic progress. Please do
not hesitate to contact us if
you have questions about a
grade.
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Kodiak College
Larger assignments will be graded before the next assignment of the same
type is due. It will take a minimum of 7 days to grade items throughout
the semester.
October 4, 2015
Late Work:
Lecture workshops
Assignments must be
received by 11:59pm
Alaska Time, on the day
they are due to qualify for
full credit.
Discussions are an important part of this course and will be graded using
the rubric posted online. You should post your first response to the
prompt by Saturday at 11:59pm, and reply to 2 other students by 11:59pm
on Monday. There is no credit for late postings in the discussion forum.
Tobacco Free
Campus
Fall 2015
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
Observation of
"Netiquette"
What you put into an online
course reflects on your level of
professionalism. All your online
communications need to be
composed with fairness, honesty
and tact. Posting of personal
contact information is
discouraged. Online threaded
discussions are public messages,
and all writings in these areas
will be viewable by the entire
class or assigned group
members.
It is expected that each
student will participate in a
mature and respectful fashion
and conduct yourself as if you
were in a classroom.
Use proper structure, spelling
and grammar. Do not use
acronyms. Avoid strong or
offensive language.
Assume the best of others in
the class and expect the best
from them.
Value the diversity of the class.
Recognize and value the
experiences, abilities, and
knowledge that each person
brings to class.
Fall 2015
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
the subject line so readers can easily follow authors' threads. For
example: Norah Jones: Deforestation.
Be professional and respectful in your postings. This is not a
chat room, avoid the usual acronyms and shortcuts (For example:
lol, btw, u for you, 2 for to or too). Attempt to use proper
grammar and punctuation, but do not let concerns over writing
limit your contributions. Think through and reread your
comments before you post them.
The midterm and final exams are not cumulative. The questions
will be a mixture of short answer, matching, fill in the blank, and
essay questions. 50% of the exam will be factual information and
50% of the exam will be application of the material. Your notes
are allowed for these exams.
Fall 2015
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
students participating in
documented, universitysanctioned events. No make-up
exams will be given without prior
approval. Please do not assume
that your excuse will
automatically entitle you to take
a make-up exam at a dierent
time.
Observation Assignments
In this course you will watch several full-length documentaries
showcasing animal behavior. The purpose of watching the
documentaries is first to sharpen your observation skills, and second to
apply Tinbergen's four questions to a behavior that you observe.
As it would be too cumbersome to attempt to analyze an entire
documentary, we are going to practice this skill with short <3 min
videos from YouTube.
These projects will be broken down into at least the following tasks.
Task 1: Find 3 short video clips <3 mins on YouTube of animals
displaying interesting behaviors and post them in the discussion board.
Construct hypotheses for each of the videos. Watch at least 2 other
students clips and decide on the one that you want to describe.
Task 2: Describe what you see in the short clip of your choice using
the guidelines given and evaluate a peers description of their clip.
Task 3: Using the textbook, the primary literature, and the video clip,
describe what you see and determine likely proximate and ultimate
explanations for the behavior. As with the previous step, you should
also critique another students description.
Task 4: Prepare a script for the video that concisely and clearly
conveys what is happening. It should summarize your observation of
the behavior, analyzes the behavior for its proximate and ultimate
causes and documents the proximate at ultimate causes with at least
two primary literature papers.
For extra credit you can provide the narration (from your script) to
your video clip using WeVideo or iMovie (or other program that you
are comfortable with). I can provide assistance with the technical
Fall 2015
Back-up
Computer Plan:
It is a fact of life that
hardware and software
breaks down when you
least desire or expect it.
Successful online
students are individuals
who recognize this
inevitability and plan for
it. Make sure you have a
plan to access a back-up
computer. A broken
computer is not sufficient
reason for you to not
attend class.
Lets face it: technology
breaks. servers go down,
transfers time out, files
become corrupt. The list
goes on and on. These
are not considered
emergencies. They are
part of the normal
production process. An
issue you may have with
technology is no excuse
for late work. You need to
protect yourself by
managing your time and
backing up your work. No
work will be accepted via
e-mail and computer
problems are not an
excuse for late work.
It is a fact of life that
hardware and software
breaks down when you
least desire or expect it.
Successful online students
are individuals who
recognize this inevitability
and plan for it.
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Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
aspects of this.
Student Resources
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Know your IX
Title IX makes it clear that
violence and harassment
based on sex and gender are
Civil Rights offenses subject to
the same kinds of
accountability and the same
kinds of support applied to
offenses against other
protected categories such as
race, national origin, etc. If
you or someone you know
has been harassed or
assaulted, you can find the
appropriate resources in the
Dean of Students Office.
Dr. Dewain L. Lee
Dean of Students, Associate
Vice Chancellor
Student Union, Room 204
3211 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
(907) 786-1214
dllee@uaa.alaska.edu
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
a computer literacy course and/or working in the computer lab on your local campus.
For a 1st oense on all assignments other than exams: A zero on that assignment.
For the 2nd oense on all assignments other than exams: A zero in the course.
All suspected oenses will be brought to the Dean of Students for evaluation by the Judicial Review
Board.
Fall 2015
10
Kodiak College
October 4, 2015
Lecture Topics
Readings
Assignments
1 8/24
Chapter 1
2 8/31
Hypothesis testing
Chapter 2
Lecture Workshop
Observation Assignment
Task 1
3 9/7
Chapter 3
Lecture Workshop
Observation Assignment
Task 2
4 9/14
Predator-prey relations
Chapter 4
Selected literature
Lecture Workshop
Literature Discussion
5 9/21
Chapter 5
Lecture Workshop
Observation Assignment
Task 3
6 9/28
Group Living
Chapter 6
Selected literature
Lecture Workshop
Literature Discussion
7 10/5
8 10/12
Social Behavior
Chapter 11
Lecture Workshop
Observation Assignment
Task 4
9 10/19
Cooperation
Chapter 12
Selected literature
Lecture Workshop
Literature Discussion
10 10/26
Chapters 7 and 10
Lecture Workshop
Observation Assignment
Task 1 & 2
11 11/2
Parental Care
Chapter 8
Selected literature
Lecture Workshop
Literature Discussion
12 11/9
Mating Systems
Chapter 9
Lecture Workshop
Observation Assignment
Task 3 & 4
13 11/16
Communication
Chapter 14
Selected literature
Lecture Workshop
Literature Discussion
Fall 2015
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Kodiak College
Week Date
October 4, 2015
Lecture Topics
Readings
Assignments
14 11/23
Thanksgiving Week
No class activities
No class activities
15 11/30
Cultural Evolution
Selected Readings
Lecture Workshop
16 12/7
Final Exam
Fall 2015
12