BIO 345 Animal Behavior is taught by Karen Cangialosi at Keene State College. If you are taking this course, you will examine the complex ways that genes, physiology, development and the environment interact to determine animal behavior, how behavior contributes to the survival and reproduction of animals, and how behavior has changed over evolutionary time. You will have the opportunity to explore neural and hormonal mechanisms of behavior, behavioral development, and the evolution of foraging, habitat selection, mating systems, parental care, and social behavior. You will also have the opportunity to share your learning and connect with a much larger audience outside of our classroom.
During the semester, you can complete a research project that you design yourself in collaboration with others. This will allow you the opportunity to gain experience in the methods of scientific research in animal behavior including hypothesis and prediction formation, experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, and presentation. Beyond that, you have a unique opportunity to practice Open Science by doing your research project openly. Read more about this on the Practicing Open Science page.
This course is designed to incorporate principles of Open Pedagogy, Open Science, Connected Learning and Social Justice. This means that you are encouraged to:
- reach out beyond the walls of the classroom and laboratory, and to participate in learning with others, beyond your professor, your peers and the boundaries of Keene State College.
- use a web domain space of your own design to communicate widely and to consider the local, regional and global ramifications of your work.
- use social media and other web-based tools to connect with the larger community.
- use, create and share Openly Licensed resources.
- take ownership of what and how you learn.
- connect your learning to relevant social, political, environmental and economic issues, and to consider social injustices and impacts on peoples of the world.