3 ECTS credits
78 u studietijd
Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 4022289ENR voor alle studenten in het 2e semester met een verdiepend master niveau.
This course provides insights in the basic concepts of behavioural biology, from its molecular background to the impact of environmental factors. In five chapters, it explains how behaviour is an important way of an animal to interact with its world. This is done by teaching a combination of established concepts in behavioural biology and recent scientific publications. Theoretical fundamentals will be taught to understand questions like: Why does territoriality exist? What is associative learning? Is a hierarchic ranking in social animals determined by an individual’s behaviour? What types of behavior are predestined in the genes? How flexible is an individual’s response to changing environmental / communication circumstances? The course includes the following chapters:
1) Introduction
2) Communication
3) Genetics of Behaviour
4) Learning
5) Social behavior
In addition, to attain practical experience in the study of animal behaviour, students perform a small behavioural study as an individual practical assignment. The topic is self-chosen but needs approval by the lecturer. Students have three options for the assignment:
Option 1: behavioural study based on live observations:
Option 2: behavioural study based on online movies (e.g. Youtube)
Option 3: Critical literature study of specific behaviour + research plan
Two output forms of the assignment are possible:
form 1. Oral presentation (Options 1–2)
form 2. paper submission (Options 1–3)
Note: Option 3 is an emergency solution and requires specific approval by the lecturer. For this option, only a paper submission is possible.
Study material
- Handouts of Powerpoint slides presented in class
- Online movies material for which URLs are provided in de course slides.
- An overview of the course contents expected to be known for the exam
- Optional: text books and scientific papers cited during the course
- A few weeks after the course, a Q&A session can be scheduled to help you addressing remaining questions regarding the course contents or assignment.
After following this course, the student has knowledge on some basic concepts in ethology and he/she can make connections between them. The student can formulate critical scientific questions and hypotheses about biological and ethical aspects of studying animal behaviour and can define methods to answer these questions.
By covering an important aspect of animals, this course broadens a biologist’s general knowledge of zoology. Furthermore, the course represents an excellent preparation for any biologist interested in pursuing a research carrier in behavioral biology. After following this course, students are expected to:
De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
Examen Schriftelijk bepaalt 50% van het eindcijfer
ZELF Praktijkopdracht bepaalt 50% van het eindcijfer
Binnen de categorie Examen Schriftelijk dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
Binnen de categorie ZELF Praktijkopdracht dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
The evaluation is baseds on two parts:
1) A practical assignment involving a small behavioural study followed by an oral presentation or a paper submission (50 %).
(See Course Contents above for more details)
2) A written exam avaluating your knowledge on the course contents (50 %)
Deze aanbieding maakt deel uit van de volgende studieplannen:
Master in de biologie: ecologie en biodiversiteit
Master of Biology: Human Ecology (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)