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Animal behavior is associated with a rich scientific literature
because of the multiple levels at which behavior can be studied.
The Journal Club will serve as a way into that literature and
provide us with opportunities to: (a) hone our critical thinking
and analytical skills as we critique experiments, and (b) practice
our oral presentation skills as we present and lead discussions
on research papers.
JOURNAL CLUB PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
Presenter: will assign one article from
primary literature - access
JOURNAL CLUB on Moodle
Use the course Literature Guide
to help in searching for behavior-related research papers. YOU
MUST HAVE YOUR CHOICE OF A PAPER APPROVED BY YOUR INSTRUCTOR AT
LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE YOUR PRESENTATION DATE (to allow
time for copying and distribution of the paper to the class, and
discussion of your paper with your instructor).
| Week |
Day |
General topic area |
Presenter
|
| 2 |
FRI |
communication |
Ann |
3 |
FRI |
genetics of behavior / learning |
Katie D. & Andrea |
5 |
MON |
orientation, navigation, homing or migration |
Jaime & Naseem |
5 |
FRI |
territoriality, dominance and game theory |
Paige and Katie M |
6 |
WED |
foraging behavior & optimality theory |
Zach S & David |
6 |
FRI |
optimality theory |
Ryan & Mark |
7 |
THUR |
sexual selection and mate choice |
Katy M & Margaux |
7 |
FRI |
mating systems and parental care |
Jackie & Kristen |
8 |
WED |
antipredator behavior |
Nick & Zach G |
9 |
FRI |
social behavior, cooperation |
Joey K & Carolyn |
In the Journal Club you will work in pairs to select, present
and lead a short discussion of a paper on a selected theme relevant
to the week’s course theme. Each pair will choose a current
paper (published in the last four years) from the primary research
literature (an original research article published in a peer-reviewed
journal) and prepare a 15-20 minute presentation that provides:
- background and context for the paper (what larger questions
motivate the study; what background do we need to understand
the importance of this study?)
- an overview of how the study was conducted (the methods)
- what the study’s finding were (the results –
here you may focus on just one aspect of the paper and not all
experiments and results if it is a multi-faceted paper)
- some comments on the interpretation, conclusions and broader
implications of the study (the discussion and additional material
you may have)
At the end the leaders will field questions and prompt further
discussion from class members.
The evaluation criteria for the presentation are provided on
the backside of this sheet.
The clarity and content of each pair’s presentation, as
well as the handling of questions and discussion will be evaluated
anonymously by three of classmates, as well as by the course instructor.
It is expected that each member of the pair will share in the
preparation and presentation of the material. Both members will
receive the same grade for the presentation.
In preparing for your presentation, you should do additional
background research that will give you a broader perspective of
the topic and help you understand terms and concepts that may
need clarification during your presentation. It may be necessary
to introduce these to the class during your presentation. Think
of this as you “teaching” this material to the rest
of the class.
You should prepare visual aids that will help illustrate the
study system, methodology, data, etc. where appropriate (if you
aren't familiar with the techniques or study organisms, others
probably aren't either). For a 15 min presentation you should
have a maximum of 15 slides (the general rule is 1 slide per minute).
Links to helpful hints on preparing a PowerPoint presentation
can be found on the course Moodle site.
Participation in journal club discussions
Everyone is expected to be an engaged and active participant in
discussions of paper presentations. You should prepare by reading
the assigned paper (several times over) prior to class, paying
attention to the presenters and what they have to say during their
presentation, and generating relevant and thought-provoking questions
in preparation for the discussion to follow.
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