Course Info: CS-0216
Course | CS-0216 Animal Behavior 1 |
Long Title | Animal Behavior 1: Theory and Fieldwork |
Term | 2017F |
Note(s) |
Satisfies Distribution Textbook information |
Meeting Info | Adele Simmons Hall 222 on W,F from 1:00-2:20 |
Faculty | Mark Feinstein |
Capacity | 25 |
Available | 5 |
Waitlist | 0 |
Distribution(s) |
Physical and Biological Sciences |
Cumulative Skill(s) | Writing and Research Quantitative Skills Independent Work |
Additional Info | In this course, students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, writing, research. |
Description | This was the first of a two-course sequence exploring the main theoretical ideas and methods of ethology, the scientific study of animal behavior. In this first semester, we explored the functional and evolutionary bases of animal behavior and cognition, dealing with topics such as social behavior, foraging, territoriality, and communication. The main reading and discussion materials were drawn from the first half of John Alcock's textbook, Animal Behavior, supplemented by journal articles from the professional scientific literature. Several summary/critique papers on the journal articles were required, along with a set of questions drawn from the textbook. The main work of the class was a student-designed collaborative group research project, using as subjects a group of domestic pigs (Gloucestershire Old Spots) at the Hampshire College Farm Center. |