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== Ornithology == | == Ornithology == | ||
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'''Syllabus''' | '''Syllabus''' | ||
Revision as of 03:38, 22 January 2008
Ornithology
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This article is still under construction. Expect it to change frequently until this notice is removed. |
Syllabus
Spring 2008
Meets: Monday & Wednesdays, 11:00 - 11:50, CLAS 434
Instructor: Dr. Margaret Rubega Office: PharmBio 500
Office Phone: 486-4502 Office Hours: By appointment
Email: margaret.rubega@uconn.edu (Your emails to me MUST contain the phrase "EEB 281” in the subject line; email received without that phrase, and especially those with a blank subject line, will be DELETED without being read.)
Required texts: ORNITHOLOGY, 2nd Edition (Freeman) by Frank B. Gill
Optional texts: MANUAL OF ORNITHOLOGY (Yale Univ.), by N.S. Proctor and P.J. Lynch; BIRDS OF STORRS (Natchaug Ornithological Society) by G.A. Clark, Jr.; SIBLEY GUIDE TO BIRD LIFE AND BEHAVIOR (Knopf), ed. by C. Elphick, J.B. Dunning and D.A. Sibley.
Class Schedule:
| Date | Subject | Required Reading (in Gill) | Optional Reading and Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23 | What are Birds, and why would we study them? | Intro and Chapter 1 | Proctor & Lynch, p 1-6 |
| Jan 28 | Avian Evolution | Chapter 2 | Proctor & Lynch, p 13-21 |
| Jan 30 | Dr. Jane O'Donnell | Tour of the EEB Research Collections Facility | MEET IN THE LOBBY OF THE BIOSCIENCES/PHYSICS BUILDING |
| Feb 18 | Tobias Landberg | Graduate research; salamander evolution, development and function | [[1]] |
| Feb 25 | Presenters from the Office of Undergraduate Research and The Office of National Scholarships | Support at UConn for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship | [[2]], [[3]] |
| Mar 3 | Dr. Kurt Schwenk | How lizards feed and snakes smell: functional morphology of reptiles | [[4]] |
| Mar 17 | Dr. Eric Schultz | Student Research Projects in the Fish Lab | [[5]] |
| Mar 24 | Susan Herrick | Graduate Research; Bullfrogs and green frogs: Living with the enemy, successfully | |
| Mar 31 | Clint Morse | Botany research in EEB: Tour of the research facilities | [[6]] |
| Apr 7 | Carrie Fyler | Adventures in Parasitology: Systematic Biology of Tapeworms Parasitizing Sharks, Skates & Rays | [[7]] |
| Apr 14 | Dr. Chris Simon | Using molecules to understand species. An example using periodical cicadas | [[8]] |
| Apr 21 | Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch | Evolution and development of beetle antennae | [[9]] |
| Apr 28 | Wrap up/Discussion | What did you learn? How will you use it? | BRING YOUR TWO-PAGE SCIENCE NEWS CRITIQUE TO CLASS! |
REQUIRED TEXT: The New York Times, Science Section:
Every week I will expect you to come to class having read that day’s Science section of the New York Times newspaper. If you are an Honors Student living in Honors Housing, a limited number of hard copies of the NYT will be available for free in common areas. If you are not living in Honors Housing, you can obtain a subscription to the NYT at (discounted) student rates at the Coop Newstand in the library. Here's a link to the student subscription for: [10] The science section can also be read (along with most of the rest of the paper) online at www.nytimes.com.
Course Objectives:
• Familiarize you with faculty and research in the areas of organismal biology – biodiversity, conservation biology, ecology, and evolution. Learn how researchers ask questions, what resources are available, and how to go about “doing” science. • Interact with biologists who are guest speakers in class. • Read and assess science news in the popular print press (e.g., newspapers, magazines)
Grading:
Seminar 5-minute papers 45
Science news summaries 30
Leading discussion 15
Science news critique 10
100 points total
Letter grades will be assigned on a 10-point numerical basis (i.e. 90-100 = A).
Seminar 5-minute papers (nine at 5 points ea): At the end of class sessions we will take 5 minutes to write SHORT papers summarizing what we learned from that day’s lecture. These will be structured around a set of questions, provided in class by me, that will help you assess each lecture.
Science news summaries (six at 5 points ea): At the end of class sessions we will also take 5 minutes (for a total of 10 minutes) to write SHORT summaries, again structured around set questions provided in class, of science news drawn from that date’s New York Times. You may use any article from that day that you wish, but it must be drawn from that day’s NYT. You may bring your copy of the paper/article to class for reference, but be forewarned that there will not be enough time in class to both read your article, and complete the assignment. If you are finding it challenging to get to class early enough to do your science summary, you can retrieve the form earlier in the day / here, print it out, complete it and turn it in NO LATER THAN THE END OF THE CLASS FOR WHICH IT IS DATED. The questions will change week to week; each week's form will be posted no later than noon of the day of the class for which it is dated.
Leading discussion (5 points ea): In a scientific setting, the audience to a lecture is expected to take an active part in discussing and providing feedback to the presenter. Often this participation is expressed in the form of questions that clarify, or extend, the content of the lecture. Over the semester I expect each of you to come to class prepared to engage with the day’s lecturer in this manner. You MUST sign up to be a “Discussion Leader” at least three times, which commits you to coming to class having done some background work to learn about the speaker (from their web page, for instance) and to use that background work to provide some leadership in the discussion. You should identify yourself on the sign-in sheet and to the speaker when you enter the discussion.
Science news critique (10 points): At the end of the semester you will turn in a two page typed critique of any science news piece longer than 500 words, drawn from any newspaper published during the fall semester. The focus news piece must be attached to your critique. In class news summaries will provide you with the skills required to assess a piece of science writing; in general your critique will address clarity, balance, accuracy and significance. See detailed guidelines / here
Academic Rules/Conduct: All students should be aware of the guidelines for the Student Conduct Code, plagarism, etc. Section VI of the Conduct Code is available at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu, by clicking on Judicial Affairs, then Student Code, then Part VI: Academic Integrity in Undergraduate Education and Research. Also see the link to Judicial Process FAQ.
