J D.R. Rubenstein & J.Alcock, Ethology (IV Italian Ed. XI American Ed.) Zanichelli 2020.
E.Coco e R.Cervo. Atlante. Il comportamento degli animali. Giunti 2008-2017.
Books available in the library. Readings, papers and additional topics in Moodle.
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired: naturalistic observations and experiments, the development, the phylogeny, the physiology and the adaptive value of behaviour.
Competence acquired: to frame the diversity of animal behaviour inside an evolutionary background, to apply the comparative method.
Skills acquired at the end of the course: appropriate ethological terminology, evaluation of costs and benefits of behaviour in terms of fitness by testing the evolutionary hypotheses.
Prerequisites
none
Teaching Methods
Lessons: the history of ethology and the evolutionary processes and behavior, animal and human, are analyzed in detail, the experiments discussed in an historical background.
Further information
Seminars on specific issues of animal behaviour: expression of emotions, cognitive ethology, dream, play, theory of mind, language, culture.
Type of Assessment
Final oral examination. Laboratory: student’s PPTX elaboration and discussion
Course program
The course is focussed on the evolutionary approach to animal and human behaviour: the adaptive value of a behavioural trait, its genetic, neural and hormonal basis, its costs and benefits in terms of Darwinian fitnessstudents', the human behaviour (Chapters 1-5 an 14 Rubenstein & Alcock)
Seminars on Darwinian paradoxes: the function of play and dream, language and culture Coco e Cervo. Atlante. Giunti 2008-2017)