The course is designed to accommodate students that have at least one course of background in biological sciences. Instruction is usually organized into morning lectures and discussion, and afternoon field studies. During these trips we focus on field studies, of course.
Students are responsible for having read material the night before class.
I also plan to incorporate case studies from a supplementary book of readings in animal behavior. Afternoon field studies will first focus on familiarizing students with the biota of the region. The first few afternoons are usually spent identifying dominant flora and fauna of the region. As we do this, we will be keeping a notebook of behavioral observations of various animals and generating ideas for individual research projects as well as a group project to be conducted during our extended, 8-10 day canoe trip into the Quetico park of Canada. We will also implement a series of outdoor labs exploring various techniques and ideas in behavioral ecology and using a variety of animal taxa from insects and spiders to birds and mammals, in both the terrestrial and aquatic environments.