Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Copenhagen offers a Master's program in Biology with a focus on Social Behaviour and Communication. This program aims to provide students with an in-depth understanding of animal social behaviour and communication, covering topics such as levels of socialisation, motivation and emotions, communication networks, and social cognition.

Program Details

• Program Name: MSc Programme in Biology with a minor subject
• Course Code: NBIK14010U
• Credit: 7.5 ECTS
• Level: Full Degree Master
• Duration: 1 block
• Placement: Block 3
• Schedule: A
• Course Capacity: 30

Learning Outcomes

By completing the course, students will have obtained detailed knowledge of behavioural and communicative processes fundamental for animal social behaviour and organisation. They will be able to:

• Explain animal social behaviour and organisation in terms of function, mechanism, ontogeny, and evolution
• Present in detail the connecting and organising function of signals for animal social behavior and explain the evolutionary forces that shape signals and signaling
• Explain the relative effects of physical, biological, and social environments on individual behaviour
• Propose alternative hypotheses to explain a behaviour, design an appropriate experiment to test them, and suggest predictions
• Measure behaviour using different methods and analyse the data obtained in different manners
• Critically discuss results with respect to the hypothesis tested, place them in a broad general context, link them to other behavioural issues, and propose further lines of inquiry

Literature and Academic Qualifications

• Textbook and Scientific Articles: Provided through Absalon for details
• Recommended Academic Qualifications: Basic knowledge about evolutionary biology (e.g., obtained in the course "Evolutionsbiologi") and academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course includes a combination of plenary lectures, discussions of recently-published scientific articles, and experiments using specialised software for measuring behaviour and analysing vocalisations, as well as hand-on statistical analyses.

Workload

• Lectures: 33 hours
• Preparation: 121.5 hours
• Practical Exercises: 27 hours
• Project Work: 20 hours
• Guidance: 4 hours
• Exam: 0.5 hours
• Total: 206 hours

Assessment

• Type of Assessment: Written assignment (5-page essay, 7 days) and oral examination (20 minutes)
• Examination Prerequisites: Students must hand in at least three of the four exercise reports to take the exam
• Aid: No aids allowed
• Marking Scale: 7-point grading scale
• Censorship Form: No external censorship, two internal examiners

Re-exam

The same as the ordinary exam. The written assignment must be reused at the re-exam. If the written assignment is not handed in as part of the ordinary exam, the student must hand in an assignment based on a new topic provided by the teacher no later than three weeks before the re-exam.

Criteria for Exam Assessment

To obtain the grade 12, the student should convincingly and accurately demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and competencies described under Learning Outcome.

Course Information

• Language: English
• Study Board: Study Board for the Biological Area
• Contracting Department: Department of Biology
• Contracting Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Course Coordinators: Elodie Floriane Mandel-Briefer
• Lecturers: Elodie Mandel-Briefer, Torben Dabelsteen, Björn Forkman, guest teachers, and teaching assistants.