BHE-20303 Animal Behaviour

Course

Credits 3.00

Language of instruction:

English

Contents:

This course provides an introduction to Animal Behaviour. The course will focus on the 4 questions of Tinbergen, i.e. causation, development, function, and evolution of behaviour. What are the behavioural mechanisms and the evolutionary consequences of their actions? The course also covers methods and experimental designs and students apply some during a practical. The course will provide students with important tools, knowledge, and experience for studying animal behaviour. Finally, students are instructed in scientific writing and will write a report in English in the style of a scientific publication using data collected during the practical.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- discuss and analyse principles of behaviour;
- define, apply and distinguish the 4 questions of Tinbergen;
- generate questions and hypotheses in behaviour and apply knowledge to formulate alternative answers;
- apply rules of designing behavioural experiments, apply and assess observational methods;
- apply skills by creating a scientific report in the format of a publication (in English);
- report scientific content in a structured way following a logical line of reasoning.

Activities:

Lectures, introduction to experimental and observational methods used in animal behaviour, apply methods, report writing.

Examination:

- written test with multiple choice questions (70%);
- individual report and practical (30%).

Literature:

Animal Behavior: Concepts, Methods, and Applications
Shawn Nordell and Thomas Valone
OUP USA
368 pages, 279x216mm
978-0-19-973760-4
Book link: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199737604.do