EEB 281
Carmine Bee eaters; Photo copyright Frank Gallo
Basic Course Information
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.
Teaching Assistant: Susan Meiman Office: PharmBio 310
Office Phone: 486-3005 Office Hours: MW 12:00 - 1:00 pm
email: susan.meiman@huskymail.uconn.edu
Required text
ORNITHOLOGY, 3rd Edition (Freeman) by Frank B. Gill
See also online materials at: http://www.whfreeman.com/gill3e
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
Lecture # | Date | Subject (click for lecture notes) | Required Reading in Gill | Optional reading from Proctor & Lynch [in brackets], and other resources |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jan 23 | Microsoft_Word_-_EEB_281_-_Lecture_notes_01_2008_Why_study_birds_.pdf What are birds and why would we study them? | Pgs. xxi- xxvi and Chapter 1 | [1–6] |
2 | Jan 28 | Birds of the World | Chapter 1 & online at: www.whfreeman.com/gill3e | |
3 | Jan 30 | Climate Change & Birds | Pgs. 269 - 271 | |
4 | Feb 4 | Avian evolution | Chapter 2 | [13 – 21] |
5 | Feb 6 | Feathers | Chapter 4 | [81–115] |
6 | Feb 11 | Flight | Chapter 5 | [117,136–139, 148–151, 156–163] |
7 | Feb 13 | Physiology: Endothermy and Thermoregulation | Chapter 6 (pgs. 150-164) | |
8 | Feb 18 | Feeding, feeding structures and feeding behavior | Chapter 1 (pgs. 13-15) | [122–130, 152-154] |
9 | Feb 20 | Physiology: Digestion and Excretion; Water Balance | Chapter 6 (pp. 164-179) | [175-187, 219-239] |
10 | Feb 25 | TEST 1 | Lectures 1-9; all associated readings | |
11 | Feb 27 | Physiology: Respiration and Circulation | Chapter 6 (141-150) | [189-217] |
12 | Mar 3 | Sensory Biology and Intelligence | Chapter 7 | [241-262] |
13 | Mar 5 | Communication: Visual | Pgs. 344-359 | |
14 | Mar 17 | Communication: Vocal | Chapter 8 | |
March 10 - 14 | SPRING BREAK | NO CLASS | ||
15 | Mar 19 | Annual Cycles | Chapter 9 | |
16 | Mar 24 | Migration | Chapter 10 (pgs. 273-295) | |
17 | Mar 26 | Navigation | Chapter 10 (pgs. 295-306) | |
18 | Mar 31 | Social Behavior | Chapter 11 | |
19 | Apr 2 | TEST 2 | Lectures 10-18, all associated reading | |
20 | April 7 | Reproduction: Mating Behavior | Pg. 359 through Chapter 13 | |
21 | Apr 9 | Reproduction: Physiology | Chapter 14 | [219-239] |
22 | Apr 14 | Reproduction: Nests and Nesting | Chapter 15 | |
23 | Apr 16 | Reproduction: Growth and Development of Young | Chapter 16 (pgs. 467-482) | |
24 | Apr 21 | Reproduction: Parental Care | Chapter 16 (pgs. 482-502) | |
25 | Apr 23 | Avian Conservation I: Rare and Endangered Species | Chapter 21 | |
26 | Apr 28 | Avian Conservation II: Population Monitoring | Pgs. 558-569 | |
27 | Apr 30 | Over-runs, review? | ||
May 7 | FINAL EXAM | ALL MATERIAL TO DATE |
Grading
Grading in this course is done on a straight percentage-of-points basis, i.e., to obtain an A, you need to earn 90% or more of the available points on tests and minute papers. The grades will not be "curved", and there will be no opportunities for "make-up" or "extra-credit" points. If you miss a test or minute paper, you will receive a score of zero. If you have a legitimate reason (click here for a sample of legitimate vs. lame excuses) to miss a test or minute paper, you may be excused (at the discretion of the instructors) IF AND ONLY IF you provide written documentation (for example, a doctor's note documenting illness; an obituary documenting a death in your family). In cases where the instructors determine you have a legitimate excuse, there still will be no make-ups administered: you will be graded only on the basis of the points contained in the tests and minute papers you did complete. NOTE that this method reduces the number of points you can afford to lose and still do well in the course.
Attendance is not taken, and is not required; however, if you miss class you may miss in-class minute papers (see below). As noted above, there are no opportunities for making-up missed minute papers.
These policies have been developed over years of teaching this and other courses, and are designed to ensure fair treatment of everyone by eliminating discrepancies in testing and evaluation, and by eliminating differences in the amount of study time available to students. I am very willing to discuss my reasoning for these policies, but if you try to talk me into making an exception to them for you, you will fail, and probably make me grumpy to boot.
Tests/Minute Papers
COURSE POINT TOTAL 310 POINTS
Test 1: 75 points, Feb. 25 (Covers material from Lectures 1-9)
Test 2: 75 points, April 2 (Covers material from Lectures 10-18)
Final: 150 points, May 7 (75 points are dedicated to material from Lectures 19-27, 75 points are dedicated to material from the WHOLE COURSE)
TEST TOTAL 300 points
Minute papers: are short (it takes a minute!), UNGRADED (if you write something relevant, you're good -- there are no "right" answers) responses to questions we will pose in class. They are worth 1 point each, and there will be 10 of them over the whole semester. Ten points may seem trivial, but it's worth remembering that it's the equivalent of 3 percentage points, enough in borderline cases to make the difference between a B+ and an A. The questions on the minute papers are designed to provide us with feedback on your background preparation for certain material, to assess whether you understood what we just tried to teach you, and to prompt you to assess your own understanding of the material.
MINUTE PAPER TOTAL 10 Points
Academic Rules/Conduct
All students should be aware of the guidelines on academic integrity contained in the Student Conduct Code. The Conduct Code is available at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_conduct.html.
Questions
If you have questions, by all means collar me or email me and ask. I will post both the questions (questioners will be anonymous) and answers here.
Useful and Amusing Links
Coming soon!