Applied Animal Behaviour

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

72 hours in a total contact time of 120 hours

One physiology subject at Level 2 such as:

Recommended Background Knowledge:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject allows students to examine the behaviour of farm, companion and laboratory animals and highlights the processes and factors involved in cause and effect manipulating behavioural functionality. The subject will train students to describe, record and measure behaviour, examine the development of behaviour in a range of species; examine the effects of stimuli and communications; motivation, decision making, learning and memory; genetic and hormonal basis of behaviour; organisation, social, sexual, maternal, and dam-neonate interactions.

Topics covered include:

• describing, recording and measuring behaviour; development of behaviour;
• stimuli and communication;
• motivation and decision making;
• learning and memory;
• genetic influences on behaviour;
• hormonal influences on behaviour;
• organisation of behaviour;
• social behaviour; sexual behaviour; and
• maternal behaviour and dam-neonate interactions; and behavioural problems.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of animal behaviour, and identify factors that are essential in the humane care and efficient management of these domestic animals.
2. Describe and examine the behaviour of farm, companion and laboratory animals
3. Demonstrate our understanding of the causation and function of behaviour.

A 3-hour examination (end of semester), which may include essay and short-answer sections (50%) and up to three written assignments of not more than 1500 words each (50%).

• Farm Animal Behaviour and Welfare (A F Fraser and D M Broom), CAB International, 1990
• The Ethology of Domestic Animals. An Introductory Text. (P. Jensen), CAB International, Oxon, U.K., 2002.
• An Introduction to Animal Behaviour (A Manning and M S Dawkins), 4th edn, CUP, 1993

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

On completion of the subject the students should have developed the following generic skills: Academic excellence, greater in-depth understanding of scientific disciplines of animal behaviour and its application to the humane care and efficient management of farm and companion animals. The student’s flexibility and level of transferable skills should be enhanced through improved time management and enhanced ability to communicate their ideas effectively in both written and verbal formats

This subject involves the use of animals. Students should be aware that this is an essential part of the course and exemption from this component is not possible.