Syllabus 2003

 
Home Topics & Notes Syllabus 2003 Applied Behavior Project

 Click here for "pdf"/acrobate reader version of syllabus

Time schedule and Classrooms:

This course is on an accelerated schedule, meeting 4 hours per week through the first week in April. During the first part of the semester, the class will meet at Washington State University in Room 204 Johnson Hall.  During the second part, it will meet at University of Idaho at 213 Natural Resources Building.

Course objective:

Students will explore theory of foraging ecology, especially diet selection, of both wild and domestic herbivores and how it applies to practical issues of managing animals and habitats through lecture, current literature, discussion and hands-on activities,

Source Materials:

Required readings will be available at WSU on Reserve at the Agricultural Science Library in Johnson Hall and at UI at Copy Center in the Basement of the Natural Resources Bldg.

Recommended text:

Van Soest, P.J.  1994.  Nutritional Ecology of Ruminants.  Second Edition.  O & B Books, Covallis, OR.  Recommended especially for students without an animal nutrition background.

Topic Outline

  1. Introduction:  Origins of Behavior (Jan 14, WSU)
  2. Diet selection (Jan 16, 21, WSU)
    1. What is it?
    2. How do you measure it?
  3. Theory of evolutionary-based foraging behavior ( Jan 23, 28, WSU)
  4. Mechanics of foraging
    1. Harvesting food (Jan 30, Feb 4, WSU)
    2. Digesting food (Feb 6, Feb 11, WSU)
    3. Regulation of intake (Feb 13, WSU)
     
  5. Theory of learning-based behavior (Feb 18, 20, 25, and 27, UI)
    1. Learning models
    2. Aversions & preferences
    3. Social learning

   6.  Searching for food (March 4 & 6, UI)

   7.  Operant landscape (March 11) Barriers to selecting the best diet (March 13, UI)

  1. Putting diet selection into context: Panel discussion (March 25, UI)
     
  2. Applied aspects of foraging behavior of herbivores: student symposia (April 1, UI, April 3, WSU)

Evaluation: 600 pts

3 Exams @ 100 pts. each:  You will  complete 3 take-home, open-book exams in which you will be asked to demonstrate an understanding of concepts covered in class and apply these concepts to real-world problems and your own “plant-animal system”.  Exams will be distributed on Thursday and due on the following Tuesday.

Projects:  Applied behavior assignment (200 pts) You will identify a troublesome foraging situation, research the topic, write a research paper on the situation, write a short “fact sheet” on the issue to publish on BEHAVE webpage, and share your insight with the class and invited guests in an oral presentation at a symposium on  “Applied Foraging Behavior.” 
More details on this project will be provided.                               

Grade distribution:

% of total points      Grade

90-100                           A
80-89                             B
70-79                              C 
60-69                              D 
<60                                  F 

 Important Dates:

Exams: Jan 30, Feb 20, Mar 13
Topic summary: Jan 30
Draft paper: Mar 27
Peer review: April 1
Final paper:  April 8
Fact sheet: April 8
Oral presentations: April 1 & April3