MICDS Winter Term 2021

In this course, students learn about the basics of behavior and methods of animal research. They explore behaviors that are used for communication, navigation, reproduction and parental care, foraging, learning, and social bonding. They learn about the proximate and ultimate causes of behavior, examine the costs and benefits of behavior, and put the idea of behavior into an evolutionary context. The course has an extensive laboratory component, including investigations of live animals, as well as video and audio recordings of behavior. A representative from the St. Louis Zoo Outreach Program will give a presentation on animal research to the students. All students are required to make observations of animals at the zoo outside of class time. Students will end the course by making a presentation over a specific animal.