Syllabus
Animal Behavior, Fall 2007
EPOB 3240
Michael Breed, Office: Ramaley N333, Telephone: 2-7687
Email: michael.breed@colorado.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 1-2
Tuesdays, 9:30-11:00
Class: TR 12:30PM-1:45PM Room ATLS 100
Labs: Ramaley C209
Optional film sessions: 7-9 pm, Atlas 100
September 11 Winged Migration
October 9 Grizzly Man
November 6 Deep Blue
December 11 Microcosmos
Text: Alcock, J. Animal Behavior 8th Ed.
Lab Manual: Tillberg, Breed and Hinners (available for download as PDF's in
CULearn)
Web text: www.animalbehavioronline.com
Syllabus and other course related postings:
http://spot.colorado.edu/~breed/animbehav.html
or
http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/courses/3240mbreed/
Teaching Assistants (email the is best way to contact your TA):
Elisa Miller
Labs: Thursdays, 9-11, 2-4
Office hours: Thursdays 11-12, 4-5 (in teaching lab)
Office: Ramaley N333
email: elisa.miller@colorado.edu
Carolina Quintero
Labs: Wednesdays 9-11, 2-4
Office hours: Wednesdays 11-12, 4-5
Office: Ketchum 306
email: Carolina.quintero@colorado.edu
Jane Zelikova
Labs: Tuesdays 9-11, 2-4
Office: Ramaley N333
Office hours: Tuesdays 11-12, 4-5
email: Tamara.Zelikova@Colorado.EDU
|
Date |
Topic |
Reading in Alcock
and online text |
|
08-28-07 |
Chapter 1 in Alcock |
|
|
08-30-07 |
Chapters 5 and 6 in Alcock, which provide important background information |
|
|
09-04-07 |
Chapter 9 in Alcock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
09-11-07 |
Behavioral genetics, how
are animals constrained by their genes? |
|
|
09-13-07 |
|
|
|
09-18-07 |
||
|
09-20-07 |
Chapter 2 in
Alcock |
|
|
09-25-07 |
Chapter 4, pages 130-143, and Chapter 8, pages 242-263, in Alcock |
|
|
09-27-07 |
Navigation
2 |
|
|
10-02-07 |
Foraging |
Chapter 7 in Alcock |
|
10-04-07 |
Foraging 2 |
|
|
10-09-07 |
Foraging 3 |
|
|
10-11-07 |
Self-defense |
|
|
10-16-07 |
Territoriality REVIEW SESSION
Atlas 100 |
Chapter 6 in Alcock |
|
10-18-07 |
Exam I |
Chapter 8, pages 264-275 in Alcock |
|
10-23-07 |
Male and female:
the biology of gender differences |
Chapter 5, pages
160-174, and Chapter 10 in Alcock |
|
10-25-07 |
Mating systems |
Chapter 11 in Alcock |
|
10-30-07 |
Mating systems 2 |
|
|
11-01-07 |
Mating systems 3 |
|
|
11-06-07 |
Parental behavior |
Chapter 12 in Alcock |
|
11-08-07 |
The ugly side of
animal behavior: infanticide and siblicide |
|
|
11-13-07 |
Kin recognition |
|
|
11-15-07 |
Kin selection and
the evolution of cooperation |
|
|
11-20-07 |
Fall Break --no
class |
|
|
11-22-07 |
Thanksgiving--no
class |
|
|
11-27-07 |
Cooperation 2 |
Chapter 13 in
Alcock |
|
11-29-07 |
Cooperation
3 |
|
|
12-04-07 |
Cooperation 4 The
social insects REVIEW SESSION
Atlas 100 |
|
|
12-06-07 |
Exam II |
|
|
12-11-07 |
Cognition |
|
|
12-13-07 |
Review for final |
Final Exam: Tuesday,
December 18th, 10:30am to 1:00pm
University legal syllabus Information about course and
University policies concerning sexual harassment, students with disabilities,
religious observances, classroom behavior, and the honor code.
Lab Schedule
All labs meet in Ramaley C209
Week of:
August 27 Pollination.
September 3 Foraging: Introduction to semester papers or projects.
September 10 Navigation. Project or paper topic due
September 17 Dominance and discovery.
September 24 Vigilance. Project plan or paper outline due
October 1 Pheromones.
October 8 Habitatt preferences. Paper or project bibliography due
October 15 Discussion: Sex roles and mating systems in the animal kingdom
October 22 Bettas I Learning
October 29 Bettas II. Fighting in
fish
November 5 Bettas III. Mate choice
in bettas
Optional draft review for Betta papers and term papers
November 12 Game theory Betta lab write-up due in lab this week
November 19 No Labs--Thanksgiving Break
November 26 Semester projects: Oral reports, semester papers due
December 3 Sensory physiology
Course Grade Calculations:
Exam I: 20%
Exam II: 20%
In-class five minute essays: 15%
Final: 15%
Lab: 30%
Lab grading:
Participation: 10%
Betta paper: 15%
Semester Paper or Project: 75%
Laboratory grading policies:
Laboratory attendance is required. You may miss one lab without penalty. Each
subsequent missed lab will result in a 10% (one letter grade) penalty on your
semester laboratory grade.
Students may choose to either write a term paper based on library research or
to do an independent investigation for their semester project.
Please pay attention to the deadlines for project and paper topics, plans or
outlines, and turning in the final version. The penalty for a missed (either
turning in the work late or not at all) paper or project deadline is 10% (one
letter grade) of the paper or project grade.