Courses:

When you click the Amazon logo tothe left of any citation and purchase the book (or other media) from Amazon.com, MIT OpenCourseWare will receive up to 10% of this purchase and any other purchases you make during that visit. This will not increase the cost of your purchase. Links provided are to the US Amazon site, but you can also support OCW through Amazon sites in other regions. Learn more.

The introductory topics will cover various approaches to the study of animals and their behavior. Key concepts in studies of animal behavior, emphasizing ethology, are covered in class and in the assigned readings from Scott (2005), supplemented by selections from other books, especially from classics in the field as well as selected videos. Next, key concepts in sociobiology are covered using readings from Alcock (2001), supplemented by selections from additional books and some video presentations.

Topics for special emphasis include:

• Key concepts in learning.
• Habitat selection. Nest site selection; territoriality; dispersal; migration.
• Feeding. Foraging or stalking; prey capture; storage/hoarding; consummation.
• Antipredator behavior. Detection; tricking the predator; defenses - individual, social; other adaptations.
• Sexuality. Dimorphisms in body and behavior; social organization, dominance structures; evolution of sexual signals, emancipation from original uses.
• Mating and reproduction. Pair bonding varieties and advantages; brood tending and its evolution; similarities of emancipated actions across widely different species.
• Cooperation among conspecifics.
• Tool use.

The class sessions will include:

• Lecture/discussion of key concepts in readings, using the study questions for guidance.
• Some sessions will include viewing of selected videos.
• Student discussion and presentations.

Scott, Graham. Essential Animal Behavior. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2005. ISBN: 0632057998.

Alcock, John. The Triumph of Sociobiology. Oxford, UK; New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN: 0195143833.

Additional books for selected readings and reference are listed in the readings section. The other listed texts we will not have time to read despite their value. Effort on the readings is expected outside of class. Students should read for key concepts and their illustration in actual examples. Always try to answer the study questions, which will be posted on the course Web site.

• Do all assigned readings. Attempt to answer study questions before class; these will be discussed in class, along with additional material.
• Weekly short quizzes or homework assignments.
• Midterm and final exams.
• Project paper and short presentation, late in the term.