Comparative Mammalian Anatomy
Course #: 11:067:391
Fall Semester – 3cr.
Prerequisites: Biology (101-102), open to Juniors and Seniors by special permission only
Time:
M, Th 12:35-1:55
Location:
M, Th – Bartlett 123
Instructor:
Carey Williams, Ph.D.
Office: 213E Bartlett Hall
e-mail: cwilliams@aesop.rutgers.edu
Phone: 848-932-5529
Office Hours:
Email for Appointment Only
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course you will be able to:
1.
Understand and explain body systems and how they are integrated in a healthy mammal
2.
Identify species differences between selected mammals in the body’s systems
3.
Evaluate and explain research performed to assess a comparative aspect of animal anatomy
4.
Effectively communicate with a team of student peers comparative anatomy research
journal articles
Course Format:
 Classroom lectures – PowerPoint presentations, animal models and skeletons, and other
demonstrations
 Laboratory – Animal limb and organ dissections and veterinarian-facilitated necropsy
 Videos and computer programs to illustrate the various organ systems and their functions
 Group project with paper and presentation
Texts:
1. REQUIRED: Anatomy of Domestic Animals, Pasquini, Spurgeon, and Pasquini. Sudz
Publishing, 2007, 11th ed.
2. Supplemental handouts posted on Sakai
Grading:
The grade is based on quizzes, exams, and a final project. There will be 4 quizzes over the course of the
semester (20 pts each, with one dropped grade). There will be NO makeup quizzes! There will be 4
exams - 3 worth 50 points each and the final exam (100 pt) that will be scheduled during exam week.
Exams will include a combination of diagrams/pictures, fill-in the blank, short answer and essay
questions. The final project grading details are described below.
Quiz Grades =
Exams =
Final group project =
Total Points =
60
250
100
410
A = 90-100%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 80-86%
C+ = 77-79%
C = 70-76%
D = 60-69%
F = < 59%
Group Project:
To be completed in groups of 3-4. Projects will be based on research of a comparative anatomy topic of
their choice that will be approved by me by a given date. The groups will critically evaluate at least 3
scientific papers to be presented orally and as a final paper. Details of the project will be handed out
separately. Project deadlines are listed below.
Other Policies:
 Class participation is not mandatory, however, attendance and engagement in class will result in
better understanding of material therefore a higher final grade.
 Schedule is subject to change due to time constraints or guest speakers. You will be notified as
soon as possible if this is the case.
 All students are expected to follow University policies on academic integrity:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/
 Course Website: sakai.rutgers.edu Login to the site using your NetID and password. If you are
enrolled in the course there should be a tab identified by the course number.
 Students are expected to attend all classes; if you expect to miss one or two classes, please use
the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and
reason for your absence. An email is automatically sent to me. Please note: My policy for
missed lecture/lab days and missed exams is that there will be no makeup lectures/lab days, and
only extreme circumstances will be allowed a makeup exam.
Course Schedule:
Class Week
Lecture Topics
Sept. 3
Intro
Syllabus
Pre-test
Review of anatomical terminology
Skeletal system
Ch. 1
Muscular system
Necropsy*at Ryders Lane Farm – Dr. Mike
Fugaro, Guest Lecturer, Mountain Pointe, and
Centenary College (11:30 optional start)
Muscular system conn.
Soft Tissue and support structures
Ch. 4
Sept. 8
(Tues),10
Sept. 14,17
Sept. 21,24
Sept. 28,
Oct. 1
Leg dissections*at Round House – Dr. Mike
Fugaro, Guest Lecturer, Mountain Pointe, and
Centenary College
Oct. 5,8
Leg dissections*at Round House – Dr. Mike
Fugaro, Guest Lecturer, Mountain Pointe, and
Centenary College
Exam Review
Deadlines/Exams
Reading
Ch. 2 & 3
Groups for projects
due (21st)
Ch. 3 & 4 & YouTube Videos on
leg anatomy
Ch. 3 & 4 & YouTube Videos on
leg anatomy
Project topics due
(5th)
Ch. 3 & 4 & YouTube Videos on
leg anatomy
Exam
Oct. 12,15
Digestive system (long)
Oct. 19,22
Circulatory system (long)
Lymphatic System
Oct. 26,29
Urinary system – Dr. Dan Lantz, Guest Lecturer
29th Heart & Kidney Dissections*
Nov. 2,5
Exam
Reproductive system – Dr. Kathleen Rahman,
Guest Lecturer
Respiratory system
Integument, Eye and Ear (long)
Nov. 9,12
Nov. 23
Nervous system
19th Brain Dissections*
Dr. Nick Bello, Guest Lecturer
Exam
Nov. 30,
Dec. 3
System Wrap Up
Final Presentations
Dec. 7,10
Final Presentations
Final Exam Review
Nov. 16,19
Exam I (8th - through
soft tissue)
Ch.5
Paper Outline + at
least 3 references
(19th)
Ch. 6
Ch.7
Exam II (2nd –
through Urinary
system)
Paper Rough Draft
due (9th)
Ch. 7 & 8
Ch. 9 & 11
Ch.10
Exam III (23rd –
through Nervous
system)
Papers Due (30th)
*Leg and organ dissections and necropsy will be performed out at the barn. Detailed information will be
provided the week prior to the dissection lecture. Please be prepared to get dirty and bring a lab coat if
you have one. I will try to provide as many as I can. Rubber gloves and utensils will also be provided.
Comparative Mammalian Anatomy
Final Project
Project Details:
To be completed in groups of 3 or 4, you may pick your own groups or submit to me your name and I
will create a group for you. Groups are to pick a research topic based on comparative anatomy that will
be approved by me by a given date (see syllabus).
Only one group will be allowed per topic area; first come first serve. Some examples of topics are
below:
 Biomechanics (study of movement), and form to function, comparison of quadrupeds
(animals) vs bipeds (human) in respect to different parts of the musculoskeletal system
 Comparative aspects of various organ systems (urinary, digestive, reproductive…humans
to rats, dogs to horses, within various cat species, etc.)
 Comparison of various disease processes in mammals (muscular disorders, nervous
disorders, developmental disorders, respiratory disorders, etc.) specifically related to
the anatomy as a cause of that disease process
 Structural development in different species (rates of growth, lifespan, etc.)
**If you are stuck finding a topic try using PubMed, Google Scholar or Science Direct and search
for Comparative Mammalian Anatomy, or if you want to be more specific try Comparative
Muscular Anatomy, etc.
The groups will critically evaluate at least 3 scientific papers on the research topic to be presented
during the last few weeks of semester in front of the class (8-10 min + 5 min for questions). The
presentation will be organized as a literature review of the 3 chosen research papers. The literature
review should include why the research was important, brief summary of the methods used in the
research, ending with a discussion of similarities and differences between studies, and what conclusions
can be made from this literature. Supporting references can be use (i.e. books or review articles),
however, the focus will be on the 3 main research papers.
Paper Details:
Papers should be no longer than 10 pages (include page numbers), use 1.5 spacing, 12 pt font, 1”
margins all around with an extra title page (page 0) listing the title or topic and group members.
A sample paper as to what I am expecting will be posted on the course website as the rough draft
deadline gets closer. An additional page or pages can be used for references and will not be counted
towards that paper total; they MUST BE in the proper format (see Journal of Animal Science Instructions
for Authors for formatting details: http://www.journalofanimalscience.org/site/misc/JASInstructionsToAuthors.pdf).
Rough drafts will be submitted to Turnitin (http://www.turnitin.com/en_us/home). This will indicate
where text is too similar to other resources (plagiarism) as well as point out grammar and spelling
errors. Drafts will not be graded, but it is expected that these issues be addressed prior to the final
submission, which will also be submitted to Turnitin for another review. Points will be lost for not
addressing comments from the rough draft.
Presentation Details:
Presentations will take place over the last 3 days of class. (ALL papers are due the first day of
presentations.) Presentations will be selected by those volunteering to go on the first day or they will be
selected randomly. Presentations should include a PPT with a summary of your findings from the
selected 3 research papers. Each group member should have some participation in the final
presentation. Timing of these is critical. Points will be deducted for going under 8 minutes or over 10
minutes (8:00 to 10:00 will not be penalized). Students will be given extra credit for asking questions at
the end of each presentation (only allowed to ask 3 questions per presentation day; more information
will be mentioned about this prior to these classes).
Peer Review:
There will be 10 points for the presentation and 10 points for the paper that will be scored by your
peers. I will assign each group another group’s project to review. During the week of class dedicated to
the presentations each group will grade another group’s work with both the paper and the presentation.
I will provide the grading score sheet for each section to be turned in the last day of class.
Grading:
Final Presentation = 40 pts.
(15 pts. Overall group grade, 15 pts. Individual presentation portion, 10 pts. Peer review score of
presentation)
Final Paper = 40 pts.
(15 pts. Overall paper grade, 10 pts. Peer review score of paper, 15 pts. individual written section,
use initials to indicate authorship by each heading or subheading)
Meeting deadlines = 10 pts.
Individual overall participation = 10 pts. (to be graded by your group)
Total = 100 pts.
Miscellaneous:
Please see the Academic Integrity website for information on Plagiarism vs. paraphrasing,
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/. This is very important to understand!
Also keep in mind when getting project groups together, just because you are friends doesn’t mean you
will work well together in a group setting. If this becomes a problem I will create the groups randomly.