NSCI 209
Animal Communication
Last Offered Fall 2013
Division III Writing Skills
Cross-listed BIOL 209
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

Animal communication systems come in as many varieties as the species that use them. What they have in common are a sender that encodes information into a physical signal and a receiver that senses the signal, extracts the information, and adjusts its subsequent behavior accordingly. This tutorial will consider all aspects of communication, using different animal systems to explore different aspects of the biology of signaling. Topics will include the use of syntax to carry meaning in chickadee calls, the “piracy” of signaling system by fireflies, statements of identity and affiliation in the form of toothed whales’ signature whistles, long-distance chemical attractants that allow male moths to find the object of their desire, and cultural evolution within learned signaling systems.
The Class: Format: tutorial
Limit: 10
Expected: 10
Class#: 1136
Grading: OPG
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based on five 5-page papers, five short response papers, & the student's effectiveness in tutorial presentations.
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis
Prerequisites: BIOL 101 and BIOL212/PSYC212/NSCI201; open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Enrollment Preferences: Biology majors and senior Neuroscience concentrators who need a Biology elective to complete the concentration
Unit Notes: satisfies the distribution requirement in the Biology major
Distributions: Division III Writing Skills
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
BIOL 209 Division III NSCI 209 Division III
Attributes: COGS Related Courses
NSCI Group A Electives

Class Grid

Updated 5:29 pm

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