Biology 329 Spring 2008 Animal Behavior Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Neil Buckley.
Office 444 Beaumont; phone: ext. 5165; E-mail: neil.buckley@plattsburgh.edu.
Class times: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 12.00–12.50pm, Yokum 203.
Text: Animal Behavior 8th edition by John Alcock.
As a supplement to the text, we also will read The Selfish Gene 2nd edition by Richard
Dawkins.
Office hours:
9.00-9.45 MWF
11.00-11.45 MWF
Other times by appointment or if I am available.
Want to talk? You are always welcome to drop by my office to discuss the class and any
problems you might be having with the material. I am always available during office
hours and there is no need to make an appointment. Outside of office hours, I am happy
to meet with you, if I have time. However, I do have other commitments and occasionally
I will not be free to chat. Therefore, if you want to guarantee that I will be available to
talk with you outside of normal office hours, you should make an appointment.
Have a routine query? If you wish to get in touch with me and I am not in my office,
please use e-mail. It is much more efficient than playing telephone tag. I will respond to
e-mail messages as quickly as I can, usually as soon as I receive them. A lot of routine
class material is posted on the class web page (see Class Web Page below), so if you
cannot find me, you may be able to find the answer to your question there.
Why study Animal Behavior? Animal Behavior is a subject that has long been of
interest to humans. Whereas our ancestors once depended on a working knowledge of
animal behavior to obtain food or to avoid becoming a meal, nowadays such knowledge
apparently is of less immediate importance to us. However, today we are faced with
problems our ancestors did not have to consider and an understanding of animal behavior
is essential to tackling these. For example, if we wish to conserve endangered species,
control agricultural pests, or slow the spread of invasive species we cannot do so without
understanding the behavior of the organisms concerned. Leaving aside practical
concerns, understanding animal behavior is of central importance to any educated
biologist because it is a field that illustrates, perhaps more clearly than any other, the
fundamental importance of Darwinian natural selection in shaping our world. Most of us
were reared on a diet of popular writing and TV programs that popularized the notion that
animals behave the way they do for “the good of the species.” As we shall see, the truth
is rather different.
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Class Web page. There is an Animal Behavior class web page located on my faculty
home page. You can obtain access to the page in several ways:
1. Go to the main SUNY Plattsburgh page http://www.plattsburgh.edu and at the top of the
page click on current students. Then on the left hand side under Resources click on
Faculty web pages. Then click on my name Buckley, Neil to go to my home page. There
click on Animal Behavior.
2. Alternatively you can get to my home page through the Department of Biological
Sciences home page http://www2.plattsburgh.edu/biology/ From there on the left hand side
under Biological Science Programs click on Faculty and then click on my page.
3. Finally, if you want to type in the class web page to get there directly, the address is:
http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/neil.buckley/AnimalBehavior/Class%20home.htm
A large amount of material related to the class is posted on the class web page. This
material includes scores on tests, routine announcements, assignments, class syllabus,
lecture schedule, readings, etc. I also make lecture notes available on the web. These
notes are intended to be a supplementary aid to learning. They are provided so that you
can check the material we covered in class or, if you have missed a class, find out what
material was covered. However, I must warn you that routinely missing class and
attempting to study exclusively from the posted material is a very bad idea. If you want
to understand what is going on in class you must attend lectures.
Classroom approach and teaching philosophy: It is my aim in teaching this class to be
approachable and receptive to questions. If you have a question, please ask. I am happy
to answer questions at any time in class. Remember that the only silly question is the one
you don’t ask. Also, if at any time in class you are having difficulty hearing me, or
reading something, or are having any other difficulties with how I’m teaching, please tell
me. I’m not going to get offended. It doesn’t do either of us any good if you wait until
the end of the semester to tell me in evaluations that you couldn’t read my handwriting!
Grading: The course will be graded based on the standard scale of A = 90-100%; B =
80-89.9%: C = 70-79.9%; D = 60-69.9%; E < 59.9%. Minus/plus grades will be assigned
at <3.0 and 6.9. University policy is that there are no A+ or D- grades.
Breakdown of grading.
Three Midterm Exams
Writing Assignments related to Supplementary Reading
Comprehensive Final Exam
Total
100 points each
60 points
140 points
_________
500 points
Writing assignments relating to supplementary reading: This semester we will
read Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene as a supplement to the text and lectures.
This is a highly readable book intended for the intelligent layman, in which Dawkins’
outlines his thesis that the gene is the fundamental unit of natural selection and proceeds
to demonstrate how Darwinian natural selection at the level of the gene shapes all of
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biology. On six Fridays we will devote all or part of the class to a short writing
assignment and a discussion of assigned chapters from the book. In answering the
writing assignment you may consult any written notes you have taken but not the book
itself when answering the assigned questions.
Midterm exams: 100 pts each. Each exam will have a mixed format that will be mainly
essay questions, but also include some short-answer and fill-in the blank
questions.
Midterm exam dates: February 27th, April 2nd, April 30th.
Comprehensive Final Exam: 140 pts. Week of May 12th-16th . Date and time TBA
Absences from exams/delay in handing in work -- I will be happy to make
arrangements to provide alternative exams or accept late work if you have a legitimate
excuse. Legitimate excuses include: a documented family emergency, an illness or
accident to you, or participation in a University sponsored scheduled activity (e.g.
membership of a University team). Please inform me in advance in the event of a nonemergency excuse. In the event of an emergency, please let me know as soon as possible
thereafter.
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Two policies of the Department of Biological Sciences are directly relevant to this
course.
Assessment of Student Learning: Analytical skill development
and understanding of fundamental biological principles
The faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences are committed to providing
students with a first-rate educational experience as articulated in the Departmental
Mission Statement:
“The Department of Biological Sciences strives to provide students with the
fundamental understanding of the principles and methods of the life sciences within the
context of a sound liberal arts education. Emphasis is on the development of the
student’s ability to analyze problems, apply scientific method, communicate biological
information, and interpret current advances in research.”
Student progress toward attaining the goals set forth in the Departmental Mission
Statement will be assessed in part by an exam or quiz question that has been selected for
this purpose by the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences.
Writing Standards for Department of Biological Sciences
It is the position of the Department of Biological Sciences at Plattsburgh State that all
students must learn to write in a clear and intelligent manner. We recognize that this goal
cannot be achieved by depending only on the efforts of others to foster good writing. We
further believe that the general quality of student writing will not improve unless we as a
department are willing to state explicitly the standards we expect students to meet and to
enforce those standards. Therefore, in courses taught by the Department of Biological
Sciences, in addition to grading the content of written assignments, all faculty will also
grade assignments for writing.
E: Unacceptable. The student will receive a grade of zero for the assignment. The
student is advised to withdraw and take a remedial writing course before attempting
the course again.
D: The writing is not at the minimal level generally expected for college students, but
improvement appears possible.
C: Poorly organized or with an excessive number of errors in grammar, spelling, or
syntax, even after making allowances for circumstances such as time available.
B: Acceptable in organization, grammar, spelling, and syntax after making allowances
for circumstances such as time available.
A: Clearly and correctly written.
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Written material for this class. The standards outlined above in the
Departmental Statement are applied in grading written material.
Summary of important dates
January 28th
.
February 27th
March 17th-21st
March 26th
April 2nd
April 11th
April 30th
May 5th
May 6th-May 12th
First day of class
Exam 1
No classes (Spring Break)
Midterm grades due.
Exam 2
Last day for unrestricted course withdrawals
Exam 3
Last class
Finals week
Supplemental Reading Discussion dates and assigned readings
February 15th
February 29th
March 14th
April 4th
April 18th
May 2nd
Chapters 1-3
Chapters 4 and 5
Chapters 6 and 7
Chapters 8 and 9
Chapters 10 and 11
Chapters 12 and 13
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Arrangement of Animal Behavior lecture topics (Subject to change)
Week 1: Proximate and ultimate explanations of behavior. Darwinian logic. Chapter 1.
Week 2: The Selfish Gene, Proximate and ultimate explanation for behavior. Chapter 2.
Dawkins chapters 1+2.
Week 3. Development of behavior. Role of genes and environment in behavior
continued. Environmental effects on behavior. Chapter 3.
Week 4. Adaptation and anti-predator behavior chapter 6. Dawkins Chapters 3-4.
Week 5. Exam 1. Evolution of feeding behavior. Chapter 7
Week 6. Chapter 8. Choosing where to live. Dawkins Chapters 5-6.
Week 7. Evolution of communication. Chapter 9.
Week 8. Evolution of reproductive behavior. Chapter 10. Dawkins Chapters 7-8.
Week 9. Exam 2. Evolution of reproductive behavior. Chapter 10.
Week 10. Evolution of mating systems. Chapter 11. Dawkins Ch. 9-10.
Week 11. Evolution of mating systems. . Chapter 12. Evolution of Parental Care
Week 12. Evolution of Parental Care. Chapter 12. Dawkins Chapters 11-13.
Week 13. Exam 3. Evolution of Social Behavior. Chapter 13.
Week 14. Evolution of Human Behavior Chapter 14.
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