{"id":2264,"date":"2016-01-14T12:57:39","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T17:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/?page_id=2264"},"modified":"2021-01-04T15:41:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T20:41:43","slug":"course","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/course\/","title":{"rendered":"Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Current Courses: <\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Neur 105: Introduction to Neuroscience and Behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This course provides a broad introduction to neuroscience and behavior, focusing on examples and approaches from cellular and molecular, cognitive, behavioral, and systems neuroscience. Basic principles of neuroscience are covered including how the cells in the nervous system develop, process signals and transmit information, basic brain anatomy and an introduction to human and comparative systems in neuroscience and behavior. Students gain an understanding of brain-behavior relationships with particular interest in identifying the biological mechanisms important for human and animal behavior. Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n

Biology 228: Animal Physiology\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In this course we will explore the common physiological tasks animals must conduct during their lives including acquiring and using energy (feeding, digestion, nutrition, metabolism); obtaining and circulating oxygen (respiration and circulation); staying hydrated (osmotic regulation and excretion); navigating the world (movement, muscles, biomechanics); and coordinating physiological function with the environment (information and sensory systems; neural control and integration, the endocrine system). We will use a comparative approach to understand how physiological systems and functions evolved in different taxa. We will also use a comparative approach to understand the importance of the relationship between ecology and physiology. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n

Neuroscience and Behavior 249: Research Methods in Physiological Psychology<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The study of experimental methods in physiological psychology. In addition to exploring issues related to the ethics, design, measurement, analysis and reporting of research, laboratory topics may include: neuroanatomy, behavioral responses to pharmacological and\/or surgical interventions, electrophysiology, neuropsychology, neurochemistry and histology.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> <\/em>this section is for NSB majors only.\u00a0 We will be using black-capped chickadees as a model system and will be exploring techniques that are used in neuroethology studies including field-based measurements of behavior, vocalization and signal analysis, and electrophysiology.<\/p>\n

Biology 375: Sensory Ecology (Formerly Biology 389)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are many behaviors that are critical to the survival and reproduction of\u00a0animals including finding food, avoiding predators, attracting mates, and\u00a0raising offspring. The ability to successfully engage in these behaviors is\u00a0dependent on the ability of organisms to acquire and respond to information\u00a0in their environment. In this course we discuss the concept of information,\u00a0the types of information available in the environment, the diversity of\u00a0sensory systems animals have evolved to exploit that information, and how\u00a0sensory information and processing influence behavior. Sensory ecology is a\u00a0highly interdisciplinary field and we make use of mathematical, physical,\u00a0chemical and biological principles. The class is divided among traditional\u00a0lectures, student led discussions of the primary literature, and hands-on\u00a0experiences with sensory ecology data collection and analysis. \u00a0 \u00a0Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n

Biology 382: Animal Communication\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All animals use communication to navigate interactions with other\u00a0individuals. At its most basic animal communication is a feedback loop.\u00a0Senders produce signals which travel through the environment and are\u00a0picked up by a receiver. The reception of the signal changes the behavior of\u00a0the receiver through either voluntary or involuntary neural and hormonal\u00a0changes; this, in turn, changes the behavior of the sender. In this course we\u00a0discuss (1) how animal signals are produced, transmitted, and received; (2)\u00a0how information transfer has evolved and been optimized; (3) how animals\u00a0use communication in mate attraction, social integration, and predator-prey\u00a0interactions; and (4) the controversy surrounding the definition of\u00a0communication. Animal communication is a highly interdisciplinary field\u00a0and we explore the chemical and physical properties of signals, as well as\u00a0the mathematical models, neural and hormonal control, and the ecological\u00a0and evolutionary underpinnings of animal communication. \u00a0Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n

Biology 393: Biology in Board Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Board<\/span>\u00a0games<\/span>\u00a0are growing in popularity and there are a number that feature\u00a0biological<\/span>\u00a0themes from disease spread, to cell\u00a0biology<\/span>, to evolution.\u00a0Biology<\/span>\u00a0is complicated: so can you make a\u00a0game<\/span>\u00a0that is both fun to play and accurately represents\u00a0biological<\/span>\u00a0processes? In this intensive we will interrogate the representation and simulation of\u00a0biological<\/span>\u00a0processes in\u00a0board<\/span>\u00a0games<\/span>\u00a0by reading primary literature, discussing scientific concepts, and playing\u00a0games<\/span>. Following gameplay we will evaluate the ways in which the scientific concepts are or are not accurately represented by the mechanics, art and overall presentation of the\u00a0game<\/span>. For the final project, students will work in teams to design a\u00a0board<\/span>\u00a0game<\/span>\u00a0that represents a\u00a0biological<\/span>\u00a0process of their choosing, with a rulebook that includes an analysis of the\u00a0biology<\/span>\u00a0and the design choices that were used to represent the process.<\/p>\n

Neuroscience and Behavior 301:<\/strong>\u00a0Seminar in Neuroscience and Behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2018, 2019 Topic: Neuroethology<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Neuroethology<\/span>\u00a0is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the mechanistic (i.e. neural) basis of behaviors animal perform under natural conditions (i.e.\u00a0ethology<\/span>).\u00a0 Neuroethologist typically employ experimental paradigms that are explicitly comparative or based in an evolutionary framework. We’ll explore classic examples from\u00a0neuroethology<\/span>\u00a0including bat echolocation, navigation in birds and sea turtles, escape behaviors in tadpoles, prey recognition in toads and more. Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n

Neuroethology Content from Students:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Neuroethology of Spatial Navigation<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Courses:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Biology 105: The singing life of birds.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many of us have awoken on a beautiful spring morning to the sound of birds singing.\u00a0 Indeed, bird song has enchanted and intrigued humans for millennia.\u00a0 To truly understand bird song we must understand both the hows (mechanisms and ontogeny) and the whys (function and phylogeny) of singing. \u00a0\u00a0For instance, we might wonder how the brains and muscles of birds work together to produce song or how singing behavior is affected by hormones(mechanisms). We might also wonder if bird song is innate or if baby birds have to learn how to sing (ontogeny).\u00a0 From an evolutionary perspective we might wonder why natural selection has favored singing (function) and how singing behavior is distributed among different bird species (phylogeny).\u00a0 In our quest to understand bird song we\u2019ll cover topics in genetics, cell biology, physiology, neuroscience, animal behavior, ecology and evolution. \u00a0 \u00a0Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n

Biology 106: Introduction to Biological Investigation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Investigation of biological questions via extended laboratory or field projects. Emphasis is placed on observation skills, development and testing of hypotheses, experimental design, data collection, statistical analysis, and scientific writing and presentation. The department.<\/p>\n

Neuroscience and Behavior 301:<\/strong>\u00a0Seminar in Neuroscience and Behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2017 Topic: The Auditory System<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this class we will first discuss the general layout of the auditory system starting with peripheral structures (the outer and inner ear, auditory nerve) and then ascending from the brainstem to the forebrain. We will then discuss similarities and difference in the structure of the auditory system across taxa (primarily in vertebrates). \u00a0From there, we will move to function of the auditory system; discussion will focus on frequency sensitivity, frequency resolution, temporal resolution, and sound localization. \u00a0Once we are familiar with auditory processing we will discuss how different evolutionary pressures might favor different emphases across different species (e.g. frequency resolution for speech process, strong localization abilities for prey capture in nocturnal animals, etc.) and how animals might match auditory processing to salient stimuli through either development or auditory plasticity. Finally, we will discuss different pathologies in the auditory system of humans, with an emphasis on clinical diagnosis and treatment. \u00a0 \u00a0Syllabus<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current Courses: Neur 105: Introduction to Neuroscience and Behavior This course provides a broad introduction to neuroscience and behavior, focusing on examples and approaches from cellular and molecular, cognitive, behavioral, and systems neuroscience. Basic principles of neuroscience are covered including … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3789,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2264","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3789"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2264"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4101,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2264\/revisions\/4101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/sensoryecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}