Discover how evolutionary behavioural science develops testable hypotheses to establish what instances or kinds of behaviour are, and are not, adaptations.
Behaviour gives an organism a flexible, adaptive or even plastic ability to respond to a finite set of changeable variables that they are likely to encounter in their lives. The term behaviour captures an array of phenotypic responses to ecological variables. A good working hypothesis is that behaviour has evolved and has therefore been selected for. This does not mean that all instances of behaviour, or even all kinds of behaviour, are adaptations.
This course will introduce you to core evolutionary theory, from Darwin to behavioural ecology, game theory and beyond. Through workshops and independent research you will learn how to address how to apply this theoretical knowledge in order to produce testable scientific hypotheses.
With our MSc by Research you will join the research community and undertake independent research.
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This programme is a unique, research-based course, which doesn’t follow the traditional model of lectures and exams.
You will join the research community through an ongoing series of workshops, building to your final thesis. The MSc by Research will prepare you for novel application areas with individually tailored learning experiences, enabling you to excel in both the academic sector and the job market.
Assessment will be based on a final dissertation of approximately 30,000 words. Two independent examiners will be appointed who will read and evaluate the dissertation, following which you will be invited to make an oral defence of your work.
We will look at the classic work of Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen and others, discussing the models of instinct and evolution at play. The workshop will focus upon the methods invented and deployed throughout the development of this field.
The workshop will explore evolution as a kind of change caused by natural selection and genetic drift. We will look at the development of evolutionary theory from Darwin, through the Modern Synthesis, right up to modern debates around evolutionary developmental biology. Examples will be focused upon the behavioural phenotype, but we will also discuss non-behavioural aspects when appropriate.
Behavioural catalogues, ethograms, sample coverage, and general field practice will be covered. We will generate some simple questions about the behaviour of readily observable animals and then we will generate some basic protocols for collecting data. We will also introduce you to Observer XT software for behavioural analysis.
In this workshop we will design and run a number of short data collection protocols with a focus upon the kind of data collected and the kind of statistical analyses that are most suited. We will then analyse the data and discuss the limitation of the work.
There will be a two-week field trip to Lundy, an island off the north Devon coast. This will be an opportunity to collect data for your thesis as well as an opportunity to put into practice all that you have learnt during the workshops. The trip will consist of fieldwork and evening seminars and discussions arising from each day’s work. There are also on-going projects on the island which you can contribute to.
You can find more information about this course in the programme specification. Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: September 2024
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Code: PGB90A (MSc)
Start: September 2024
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Code: PGL713
Start: September 2024
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Code: PGD110