BB809: Behavioural Biology (5 ECTS)

STADS: 04004401

Level
Master's level course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the autumn semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: jmr@biology.sdu.dk

Timetable
Show entire timetable
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Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
The curriculum from bachelor in biology or similar must be known.

Course introduction
The aim of this course is to give students heading for a Master’s degree in Biology an introduction into and a broad overview on Behavioural Biology. Students interested in the work field shall be given the chance to gain insights into major breakthroughs in Behavioural Biology, training in relating to currently debated topics, and an orientation about interesting questions for future projects.

Expected learning outcome
By the end of the course students are expected to be able to:

• structure the presented overview on behavioural biology
• argue on the basis of the acquired knowledge about behavioural biology
• relate examples presented to basic concepts of behavioural biology
• analyze a new problem presented in a journal article on a behavioural biological subject
• classify exemplary methods according to the approaches presented in a behavioural biological study

Subject overview
The course covers a wide variety of topics in Behavioural Biology. The lecture topics are:
1) History of Behavioural Biology and modern approaches
2) Ultimate and proximate perspectives
3) Sensory systems and cognitive mechanisms
4) Learning and animal culture
5) Orientation and habitat selection
6) Foraging and antipredator behaviour
7) Communication and aggression
8) Mating systems and kinship
9) Social behaviour and human behaviour
The students are presented with the practical use of behavioural biology through an excursion that will give insights into ongoing scientific projects in a Behavioural Biology research facility.

Literature
There isn't any litterature for the course at the moment.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:
In the literature seminars each student will be given a recent journal article on a Behavioural Biology topic. She/he is asked to prepare a short presentation and discussion of the work, which is presented and discussed in plenum moderated by the teacher who elaborates on the subject. Internal censurship and grades by the danish 7-pointscale.

Reexam in the same exam period or immediately thereafter

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 20 hours
Skills training phase: 25 hours, hereof:
 - Tutorials: 20 hours
 - Excursion: 5 hours

Educational activities

Language
This course is taught in English.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.