Lecture Notes on Animal Behavior (Class 920)
Instructor: Schneider
Date: [Insert Date]
Course Introduction
- Creative Commons License: Support MIT OpenCourseWare for free educational resources.
- Class 920 overview: Discuss organization, procedures, and assignments.
- Duration: 4:00 PM to minimize schedule conflicts.
- Class materials: Slides and audio recordings (MP3 format) will be posted online.
Purpose of Taking Class 920
- Non-practical reasons for interest in animal behavior:
- Understanding human behavior through animal behavior.
- Focus on ethology (fixed action patterns, instinctive behavior) and sociobiology (adaptive and social behavior).
- Instructor's background: Neuroscientist with research experience in animal behavior.
Course Structure
- Class format:
- Undergraduate survey transitioning to seminar-style discussions.
- Assignments:
- PowerPoint presentation due Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
- Include detailed notes in PowerPoint for clarity.
- Regular posting of study questions and class materials on Stellar website.
- Readings:
- Textbooks with classical ethologists (e.g., Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen).
Key Concepts in Animal Behavior
- Ethology:
- Study of natural animal behavior patterns.
- Sociobiology:
- Focus on social behaviors and their evolutionary significance.
- Important questions to explore:
- Instinctive behavior, fixed action patterns, migration, and animal behavior complexities.
- Darwinian puzzles in behavior (e.g., killing of infants, ant behavior based on queen's mating strategy).
Recommended Readings
- Textbook by John Alcock: "The Triumph of Sociobiology".
- Additional readings will include works by Jim Corbett and Graham Scott.
- Supplementary readings are optional but beneficial for deeper understanding.
Historical Context
- Overview of how knowledge about animal behavior developed through:
- Pets, hobbies, folklore, and ancient scholarship (e.g., medieval bestiaries).
- Contributions of amateur naturalists and zoologists (Whitman, Heinroth).
Behavior and Human Interaction
- Discussions on how animal behavior relates to human behavior.
- Impact of cultural beliefs on understanding animal behavior.
- Overview of the role of animals in science and research, particularly as models for human diseases.
Conclusion
- The class will integrate various fields: ethology, sociobiology, psychology, and ecology.
- Emphasis on using scientific methods to analyze animal behavior.
- Importance of understanding historical perspectives and modern contributions to the field of animal behavior.