Postgraduate Course: Animal Communication and Sociobiology (LASC11002)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Language Sciences |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course has two sections:
One explores different approaches to the study of communication and cognition in primates, birds, and invertebrates, and reflects current ethological and psychological research.
The other* explores sociobiological approaches to the understanding of behaviour: it will cover the sociobiology of aid-giving, parental behaviour, reproductive strategy and mate choice, group life, contests and contest resolution, and it will make particular reference to the use of sociobiological ideas in understanding signalling and communication.
* This section (50% of the teaching) will be shared with P01577, Evolutionary Psychology. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
- explain and evaluate the ways in which comparative studies have offered an understanding of the evolution of behaviour
- to describe the kinds of information that animals can transfer in their natural communication and evaluate the techniques that have been used to study this
- to explain the similarities and differences between communication in non-human primates and in animals such as the honey bee and other social insects, and language-based communication in human beings
- students will be able to identify and evaluate the key sociobiological ideas relating to aid-giving, parental behaviour, reproductive strategy and mate choice, and contest resolution
- to give an account of sociobiological approaches, including simple game-theoretic models
- to evaluate sociobiological analyses of the evolution of 'honest' signalling-systems among animals |
Assessment Information
| One literature review essay of 5000 words plus references |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Peter Caryl
Tel: (0131 6)50 3451
Email: P.G.Caryl@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk |
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