Ethology
Faculty of Life & Earth Sciences
MODULE: Ethology
Program delivered by distance learning higher education up to a maximum of 24 credits. This module may be combined or completed with other online university courses from this faculty.
DESCRIPTION:
This program achieves a good balance between recent research and classic studies of animal behavior. It integrates both psychological and biological approaches and provides current information in the areas of animal learning and cognition, parasitism, and mutualism. It includes all phases of scientific animal behavior investigation.
Courses list (each subject accounts for 3 credits):
1 BIU Earned Credit = 1 USA Semester Credit (15 hours of learning) = 2 ECTS Credit (30 hours of study).
Diversity in Animals
Animal Behavior Domestic Animals Animal Human Bond Ethology Cognitive Ethology Human Ethology Neuroethology
Academic Supervisor: Jose R. Vazquez
More information about this supervisor and online university course instructors at BIU Human Network.
This module is applicable to Specialist, Expert, Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. (Doctor) Programs. This distance learning degree program is designed at the postgraduate level – Master’s or Doctoral. This module may be easily adapted to complete the Specialist, Expert or Bachelor’s adult degree program requirements. A further option is the enrollment into the online university courses listed in this module.
* University Course (3 credits): Select 1 subject from this module.
* Specialist Diploma (15 credits): First 5 subjects or select 5 subjects from this module.
* Expert Diploma (21 credits): First 7 subjects or select 7 subjects from this module.
* Bachelor's Degree (130 credits): The Admission certificate issued after submission of the application for admission will show the amount of credit transferred and validated from previous education and experience, and the amount of credits required to complete this undergraduate program's major. Additional courses from other modules of this faculty will be assigned in case that the credits displayed on this module are not enough to complete the bachelor's required credits.
* Master's Degree (35 credits): Select from 3 to 9 subjects from this module depending on the amount of credits transferred from previous education and experience. Add 13 credits corresponding to a final project to the selected subjects.
* Ph.D. (Doctor) (45 credits): Select from 3 to 9 subjects from this module depending on the amount of credits transferred from previous education and experience. Add 18 credits corresponding to a final thesis to the selected subjects.
BIU issues an admission certificate after receiving your complete application for admission. This document will show the amount of credits transferred and validated from previous education and experience, and the amount of credits required to complete the degree program's major. BIU can not perform this evaluation without the complete application for admission.
Courses Description (each subject accounts for 3 credits):
Diversity in Animals
This course presents the morphological, functional, and ecological diversity within the major phyla of animals. It surveys the ontogeny, function and behavior in a variety of species, and their interaction with the environment.
Instructor: María del Mar Sánchez Conde
Animal Behavior
This course deals with understanding animal behavior. It reviews the behavior of animals under natural conditions, with emphasis on both mechanistic and evolutionary approaches. Topics include ethology, behavioral endocrinology; behavioral genetics; learning; signaling, deceit and animal consciousness; orientation, migration and biological rhythms; optimization and game theory; parental investment and mating systems; selfishness, altruism, and reciprocity; and sociality in vertebrates and invertebrates.
Instructor: Jose R. Vazquez
Domestic Animals
This course explores how to understand horses, dogs & cats. It explains their behavior, their instinctual reactions, their history in man's life, as well as insight into their interaction with their human mates. It examines the mechanisms and control of pet behavior in a domestic context. It also reviews the behavior of cattle, horses, sheep, goats and swine for their management.
Instructor: María del Mar Sánchez Conde
Animal Human Bond
This course studies the psychosocial benefits of animal companionship. It explores the conceptualization of the animal-human bond and the understanding of animal assisted therapy. It considers the effect of animal companions for human well-being and health, and an historical exploration of the value of human-animal relationships.
Instructor: María del Mar Sánchez Conde
Ethology
This course achieves a good balance between recent research and classic studies of animal behavior. It integrates both psychological and biological approaches and provides current information in the areas of animal learning and cognition, parasitism, and mutualism. It includes all phases of scientific animal behavior investigation.
Instructor: María del Mar Sánchez Conde
Cognitive Ethology
This course studies learning mechanisms in animals and humans. It explores the bases of sensation-perception, memory and learning, arousal-sleep-attention, emotions and motivation. It examines complex sensory and perceptual phenomena with emphasis on the relationship between perception and motivation, cognition, creativity, instinct, and learning/experiential factors in higher level perceptual processes.
Instructor: María del Mar Sánchez Conde
Human Ethology
Using cross-cultural and cross-species data, this course conducts an exploration of human development and behavior, including the cultural and evolutionary origins of language, non-verbal communication, laughter, sleep, deception, morality, infant behavior, parenting, human aggression, sexual behavior, gender development, and human courtship rituals.
Instructor: Ruben Von Stopeck
Neuroethology
This course provides a comparative analysis of cellular and systems neurobiology, and neuroethology. It examines the evolution of nervous systems, their diverse structure and complex functions. Study of receptor mechanisms, somato-visceral activity, reflexes, proprioception, muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs, visual system, auditory system, vestibular activity, olfaction and gustatory sensation.
Instructor: Jose R. Vazquez
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Professionally recognized and validated degrees.
Accredited (Non USA CHEA). International legalization available.


