Course Policies Insect Behavior 819 - Summer 2007

 

INSTRUCTOR:	Dr. W. Wyatt Hoback
ADDRESS:	Department of Biology Room 302 C Bruner Hall of Science University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE 68849
OFFICE PHONE	(308) 865-8602
HOME PHONE	(308) 236-8484 (no calls after 9:00 P.M.)
FAX	(308) 865-8045
EMAIL	hobackww@unk.edu

Lecture: DVDs of lecture material will be mailed to you

Website: blackboard.unl.edu

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Behavior offers an organism the ability to alter its location or actions in such a way as to maximize its survival and is important in both basic and applied disciplines. For example, insect behavior explains both the migration of monarch butterflies (important for conservation issues) and unintentional exposure of monarch butterfly larvae to transgenic crop pesticides such as Bt.

Learning about insect behavior requires students to gain background knowledge through lectures and by examining insect behavior through videotaped examples and experiments. After taking this class, students will be able to understand insect behaviors which will allow both classroom teaching enhancements and better use of pest-control tactics. Students will learn about predator-prey relationships, foraging, insect defense mechanisms, insect communication, sexual and natural selection theories, and behavioral ecology. Along with being able to understand common behaviors, students gain a thorough understanding of the evolutionary relationships of the insects and learn to recognize behavior as an evolutionarily adaptive trait.

On a practical level, the assessment of crop damage and medical and veterinary pests is necessary in many fields and in many cases can be assessed by the damage from the insect's feeding or mating behavior. In an applied context, understanding how behavior affects response to treatment is essential for the proper use of appropriate pesticides reducing both environmental harm and cost of treatments.

For the above reasons, Insect Behavior will benefit any student pursuing an advanced degree in Entomology.

SPECIFIC COURSE GOALS

• Function of behavior
• Proximate causes of behavior
• Development and control of behavior
• Insect communication
• Insect Predator-Prey interactions
• Insect mating systems

GRADES AND GRADING

Your grade for this course is split fairly evenly between two exams (midterm and final), a term paper, short writing assignments based on observations of insect behavior, and Blackboard discussion participation.

Your Grade will be calculated as follows:

Lecture
Midterm Exam	100
Final Exam	100
Term paper	100
Short writing assignments (approximately 3)	75
Blackboard discussion	25
Class Total:	400

Assignments will generally provide 1 week for completion. Assignments should be submitted via Blackboard on the Assignments links. All materials will be graded and returned via mail within 1-2 weeks. You should make a point of collecting graded material not only to have a record but also to help you prepare for exams.

LECTURE NOTES

Outlines for each lecture will be posted on Blackboard. This is not a substitute for doing class work. It does allow you to listen and participate (mentally, with a friend or spouse, or by yelling at the television when you disagree with me) during lecture without the need to frantically copy all of the notes off the DVD. In lecture I will elaborate on the points made in the notes. This means that total reliance on the notes will result in poor test grades.

WEB SITE RESOURCES

In addition to grades and notes you will find other useful material at the class web site. Among the things on the webpage will be the syllabus, and links to other sites that have information I use in lecture.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

Animal Behaviour by John Alcock. Published by Sinauer. ISBN: 0-87893-005-1

It is available online for about $90.00 new and $59.00 used.

PAPER GUIDELINES

General guidelines:

 

• Papers must within the page limits specified, typed and double-spaced so there is room for the instructor to write comments and other feedback. Use either Arial or Times New Roman font, size 11. Margins should be 1 inch all around. If your paper does not meet the page limits (too long or too short) when formatted in this way, then you need to revise it. (Page limits do not include references cited.)
• Find outside references that include journal articles.
• Use the author-year format for in-text citations. Include an alphabetical list of references cited at the end of the paper.
• Write in a professional, scientific style. Use proper punctuation and grammar. Spell-check the paper and read it for organization (and to be sure you addressed the topic of the assignment) before submitting. It may be helpful to have someone who is not in the class read your paper.
• Save the document in Microsoft Word or (if using a program other than Word) Rich Text Format (RTF). For most word processing programs, you can save in RTF by selecting "Save As" and then choosing RTF from the list of file types (usually a pull-down list under the file name). Important: If you do not use either MS Word or RTF, I may not be able to open your file, resulting in delays and frustration for all of us.
• Number all pages. If you use a header, you can use the "Page 1 of 10" format, which will help me to separate your term paper from the many others I will have to print out to grade.
• Submit your paper to Blackboard under the Assignment link. Be sure to submit your final version as you cannot "undo" your submission. Your paper is due by 5:00 PM Central Daylight Time on the day specified. Please do not submit your assignment more than 3 days in advance of the due date. Papers that come in very early are likely to be "lost in the shuffle." If you will not be able to meet the deadline for the assignment, email the instructor immediately to make arrangements for completing the work.
• Late papers will be penalized 5% per day.

PLAGIARISM

There are severe penalties for academic dishonesty and in particular plagiarism. Plagiarism is taking the ideas, writings, figures, tables, or information from others and presenting it as one's own. All academic work will be done by the student to whom it is assigned without unauthorized aid of any kind. In all cases of academic dishonesty the first offense will result in the student receiving at least a "0" on the assignment. Depending on the violation, academic dishonesty can result in the student's expulsion from the University.