Lecture meeting time: Tuesdays 1:00-2:50 PM in PH2-105

Lab meeting time: Thursdays 12:00-2:45 PM in PH2-105

Instructors: Drs. Chris Lowe and Esteban Fernandez-Juricic

Contact information:

Behavioral Ecology course website: http://www.csulb.edu/~efernand/behavecol/ 

GRADES

Course description:

This course focuses on the fitness consequences of behavior within an ecological context and the evolutionary outcomes of behavior across taxa. Lectures are organized around these three main themes: (a) mechanisms of behavior focusing on proximate factors, (b) function and evolution of behavior emphasizing ultimate factors, and (c) the application of behavioral ecology principles to animal welfare and conservation biology. Laboratory classes focus on learning the methods and tools to conduct behavioral ecology research, which will be applied to the development in groups of a research proposal, short research projects, and an oral presentation of the results. 

Course objectives:

The main goal of this course is to understand why and how different behavioral patterns contribute to an animal's chances of survival and its reproductive success. To that end, students will learn the basic and advanced principles of behavioral ecology (theoretical models, classic and novel field and laboratory studies) and analyze them carefully and logically from different points of view. Students are expected to develop their critical and analytical skills by participating in group activities during class, reading primary literature, and by carrying out a short research project, which will also enhance their writing and oral communication skills in order to make ideas about behavioral ecology accessible to others. 

There is no textbook required for this course. However, for those really into behavioral ecology, we recommend the following books:

Evaluation and Assessment of Learning

Grading system:

Attendance to lectures and labs

Students are expected to attend all lectures and labs. It is not the instructor’s responsibility to repeat material for students who miss class or are late to class.

Excused absences include: (a) illness or injury to the student, (b) death, injury, or serious illness of an immediate family member, (c) religious reasons, (d) jury duty or government obligation, and (e) University sanctioned or approved activities. The instructor should be informed about excused absences within 48 hours.

For more information, please read the CSULB attendance policy carefully at: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/grad_undergrad/senate/documents/policy/2001/01/

Class participation

Students are expected to actively participate in the lecture classes by asking good questions to the Instructors based on the lecture material or assigned primary literature papers. Each good question is worth 5 points, and students can accrue up to 25 points over the semester.

Graduate student lecture (552 students only)

Each graduate student will present one 45 min lecture on one of the following topics:

These lectures should have a broad conceptual framework illustrated by examples from the primary literature. Students are encouraged to choose one primary literature paper for the class to read prior to their lecture. We will provide full instructions on how to prepare these lectures in the first lab class.

Rubric for graduate student presentations

Make up exams

Make-up exams will ONLY be allowed for justified absences (see above). Instructors must be informed within 24 hours of missing the exam due date. Make-up exams may be oral exams.

Late work

Students will be penalized for late work by deducting 7% per day of the total point load of that activity for three days. Afterwards, the work will not be graded, and students will not earn credits for that activity (= 0 points).

Policy on Withdrawals

It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from classes.  Instructors have no obligation to withdraw students who do not attend courses, and may choose not to do so.  Please, download this file to find information about withdrawing from classes.

Accommodation

It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor in advance of the need for accommodation of a disability.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Written work that you hand in is assumed to be original unless your source material is documented appropriately. Using the ideas or words of another person, even a peer, or a web site, as if it were your own, is plagiarism.

Cheating and plagiarism are serious academic offenses. Students should read the section on cheating and plagiarism in the CSULB catalog.

Furthermore, students should be aware that faculty members have a range of academic actions available to them in cases of cheating and plagiarism from arranging a conference, to failing a student on that particular work, to failing a student in a course, to referring the case to judicial affairs.

The use of computers.  Announcements and messages for the class may come by e-mail through BeachBoard.  If you do not check your CSULB e-mail account regularly, but use another account instead, please set your CSULB account so that it will forward messages to your other account.

Computer Help! The CSULB Technology Help Desk is now available for students. You may check the Help Desk at: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/academic_technology/thd/ or call 985-4959.

Selection of papers (primary literature) for the term project

You should select papers from primary literature (try to balance classic and recent papers). Many journals include ecological articles. You can search for these papers in databases (MY RECOMMENDATION: Web of Science). Otherwise, you can browse the journals listed in the following website: http://www.csulb.edu/~efernand/links.htm

IMPORTANT: If you do not find a copy of a paper at the Library, you could request it from the Library (free service for CSULB students, but it takes about 10 days to get the papers) or directly from the author through e-mail (stop by my office, and I will explain how to do it).

Reading primary literature: general guidelines

While reading papers (preparing for lectures, research project) please, try to connect the ideas to the broader context of ecology. Focus on how the paper solves a problem/answers a question/tests a hypothesis.

General assessment of a paper:

• Identify the novelty of the paper.
• Identify the hypothesis/es and prediction/s.
• Identify a flaw in its design or in the analyses or in the interpretation of data.
• Identify the relevance of the study to other areas.  

Some specific questions you are expected to ask/answer:

What are the assumptions of the hypotheses being tested? Do the results support the hypotheses or more work is necessary? Are the results consistent with the conclusions of the paper? Are the experimental and statistical methods appropriate? Are there alternative ways of testing the same hypotheses using different methodologies and data? Does the paper provide a novel insight? Why? What are the theoretical and practical implications? Is the paper difficult to understand because it is poorly presented or because you lack sufficient background in the topic area?  

Spring 2007: Class schedule