Exploring Animal Behavior Fall 2014
Tuesday and Thursday 10:30-11:45 BNR 113
Instructor : Dr. Kim Sullivan, BNR 313, 797-3713, yejunco@biology.usu.edu
Office hours: by appointment
Required Textbooks : Nordell and Valone Animal Behavior 1 st
edition 2013
Greene Writing in the Life Sciences: A Critical Thinking Approach 1 st
edition 2010
Course Goals : Students will have a basic knowledge of the major topics in the field of animal behavior. Students will be able to discuss these topics and write about them using appropriate scientific style. Students will understand hypothesis testing, observational data collection, experimental design, analyses and data presentation. Students will be able to design and carry out a scientific experiment. Students will be able to present the results of their experiment as a poster.
Schedule (tentative)
Tuesday Aug 26 Introduction, Tinbergen’s four questions
Thursday Aug 28 Hypothesis testing – Chapter 1 Nordell and Valone- read before class.
Tuesday Sept 2 Natural selection Chapter 2 Nordell and Valone- read before class
Thursday Sept 4 Methods for studying animal behavior. Chapter 3 Nordell and Valone – read before class.
Tuesday Sept 9 Visual presentation of data. Greene Introduction and Chapter 1.
Ethogram assignment.
Thursday Sept 11 Hypothesis testing in bumblebees. USDA greenhouse. Green Chapter
2.
Tuesday Sept 16 Complete data collection for bee project. USDA greenhouse. Greene
Chapter 3.
Thursday Sept 18 Present ethograms to class. Greene Chapter 4.
Tuesday Sept 23 Resources for scientific writing –- Ms. Flora Shrode, Library 122
Nordell and Valone Appendix 1 and 2. .
Thursday Sept 25 No class. Work on bumblebee papers. Green Chapter 5.
Tuesday Sept 30 Bumblebee papers due (methods and results). Optimal foraging.
Nordell and Valone Chapter 7. Read before class.

Thursday Oct 2 Reading a scientific paper—paper will be assigned. Read paper before class.
Tuesday Oct 7. Learning Nordell and Valone Chapter 5. Read before class. Clicker training assignment (Introduction and Discussion).
Thursday Oct 9 Clicker training presentation. Greene Chapter 6.
Tuesday Oct 14 Midterm
Thursday Oct 16 Follow Friday schedule- no class today
Tuesday Oct 21 Behavioral genetics debate Nordell and Valone Chapter 4 Read before class.
Thurs Oct 23 Mating Behavior Nordell and Valone Chapter 11 Read before class
Tuesday Oct 28 Sexual selection Nordell and Valone Chapter 10 Read before class
Thursday Oct 30 Guppy mate choice – experimental design, turn in learning paper
Nordell and Valone Appendix 3
Tuesday Nov 4 Guppy mate choice Greene Chapter 7
Thursday Nov 6 Guppy mate choice Greene Chapter 8
Tuesday Nov 11 Guppy mate choice- Poster titles due
Thursday Nov 13 Guppy mate choice- data analysis
Tuesday Nov 18 Poster design, Greene Appendix A Read before class.
Thursday Nov 20 Posters- due- discuss in class, final version due xxxx
Tuesday Nov 25 Hawk-Dove model Nordell Chapter 10. Read before class.
Thursday Nov 27 no class Thanksgiving break
Tuesday Dec 2 Social Behavior Nordell Chapter 14 Read before class.
Thursday Dec 4 Play economic game
Final exam December 19 Tues 11:30-1:20

Grading : 100 points midterm, final = 100 points
100 points Guppy poster
Ethogram 5 points
Bumblebee assignment 25 points - methods and results
Learning assignment 25 points – introduction and discussion
Assignments turned in late -5 points, no assignments accepted 1 week after deadline.
Poster must be completed in time for the Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium
If there is a problem with participation in group assignments, grade will be adjusted downward
Writing assignments can be resubmitted one time following revision.
Academic Honesty : The University expects that students and faculty alike maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. For the benefit of students who may not be aware of specific standards of the University concerning academic honesty, the following paragraph is quoted from the Student Policy Handbook, Article V, Section 3, Paragraphs a, b, and c:
Section 3. Violations of University Standards
A. The following activities have been found to interfere with University functions or threaten the well-being and the educational purposes of students and are, therefore, specifically prohibited and make the student subject to discipline. The following list of violations is not an all inclusive list; other misconduct may also subject the student to discipline.
1. Acts of academic dishonesty.
a. Cheating includes intentionally: (1) using or attempting to use or providing others with any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, examinations, or in any other academic exercise or activity; (2) depending upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; (3) substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, in taking an examination or preparing academic work;
(4) acquiring tests or other academic material belonging to a faculty member, staff member, or another student without express permission.
b. Falsification includes the intentional and unauthorized altering or inventing of any information or citation in an academic exercise or activity.
c. Plagiarism includes knowingly representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person as one's own in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear acknowledgement. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.
Violations of the above policy will subject the offender to the University discipline procedures as outlined in Article VI, Section 1 of the Handbook.

Students with disabilities: Students with ADA-documented physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be eligible for reasonable accommodations. Veterans may also be eligible for services. All accommodations are coordinated through the Disability
Resource Center (DRC) in Room 101 of the University Inn, (435)797-2444 voice,
(435)797-0740 TTY, (435)797-2444 VP, or toll free at 1-800-259-2966. Please contact the DRC as early in the semester as possible. Alternate format materials (Braille, large print or digital) are available with advance notice.