Psychology 3226A-001 (Online for 2020-21)
Hormones and Bahaviour
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
An in-depth review of current research problems in the field and the biological mechanisms by which hormones can affect behaviour. Topics may include hormones and brain development, sexual differentiation, sexual and courtship behaviour, parental behaviour, aggressive behaviour, stress, food intake, and endocrine disorders in humans.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
3 lecture/discussion hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Professor Scott MacDougall-Shackleton
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7412 x84629
Office Hours: Fridays 9:30-10:30 by zoom only
Email: smacdou2@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Maddie Brodbeck
Email: mbrodbec@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Asynchronous remote delivery via OWL
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
An Introduction to Behavioral Endocrinology, 5th edition
Nelson and Kriegsfeld (2017) Sinauer ISBN 9781605353203
This text can be ordered through the campus bookstore.
An electronic version can also be purchased at this link, or via other online textbook businesses:
https://www.vitalsource.com/en-ca/products/an-introduction-to-behavioral-endocrinology-randy-j-nelson-lance-j-v9781605356587?term=9781605356587
Used copies of this textbook are widely available
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course will examine how hormones modify behaviour. Students completing this course will acquire a strong foundation in behavioural endocrinology and will understand current research topics in the field on a variety of species. There will be a strong emphasis on biological processes that regulate behaviour.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning Outcome |
Activities that support outcome |
|
Identify and describe key concepts in behavioural endocrinology |
Lectures, assignments, quizzes, exams |
|
Identify major hormone systems and how they affect brain and behaviour |
Lectures, quizzes, exams |
|
Describe how hormones are similar and different to other chemical messengers |
Lectures, quizzes, exams |
|
Critique news articles covering hormones and behaviour |
Short written assignments |
|
Interpret evidence used to determine the effects of hormones on behaviour |
Lectures, exams |
5.0 EVALUATION
Evaluation in this course will be based on the following:
Weekly Online Quizzes (Best 8 of 11) 8% total (1% each)
Short Written Assignments (2) 22% total (11% each)
Midterm Exam 1 (delivered via OWL) 20%
Midterm Exam 2 (delivered via OWL) 20%
Final Exam (take home final) 30%
Weekly quizzes will consist of about 5 questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc) that are based strictly off the textbook readings for that unit. Deadlines for quizzes will be posted on the OWL site. There are no make-ups for missed quizzes. Only the best 8 quiz grades count towards your final grade. Quizzes are open-book and are submitted through OWL. The quizzes are designed to be completed in 10 minutes (excluding the time you spend reading your text), but you will be allowed 30 minutes to complete them.
Assignments will include written responses (usually 500 words maximum) to assigned readings and may also involve peer evaluation of other students’ written work. Information about the assignments will be posted on OWL and you will submit assignments through OWL. Assignments will posted well in advance of due dates, so there is a strict policy that late assignments will not be accepted and late assignments will be given a grade of zero. There are no make-ups for a missed assignment.
The midterms and final exam will be based on the material presented in each unit’s video lectures and the associated textbook sections.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
You will receive the grade calculated based on the assignment weightings described. Grades will be rounded to the nearest whole number, however no further rounding will be done (e.g., marks of 84 and 89 will NOT be bumped up to 85 and 90). No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade, nor will any requests be considered for additional marks because they are needed for a grad/law/med school application, etc. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assignment during the course.
Please note that in the event that we are required to return to lockdown during the semester, there will be no changes to the course grading scheme.
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Weekly Quizzes due every Wed morning (online)
Assignment 1 due 2020-OCT-02 by 16:00
Assignment 2 due 2020-NOV-20 by 16:00
Midterm exam 1 2020-OCT-07 9:30 to 11:00
Midterm exam 2 2020-NOV-10 9:30 to 11:00
Final Exam (Take home) TBA during December final exam period
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Tentative Schedule: Check OWL site for updates.
Weekly unit materials will be posted on Wednesday mornings, and weekly quizzes will need to be completed by Wednesday noon of the appropriate week.
|
Week |
Date |
Assessments |
Topics |
|
|
Unit 1 |
09-Sep |
Introduction |
||
|
Unit 2 |
16-Sep |
Quiz 1 |
Endocrine System |
|
|
Unit 3 |
23-Sep |
Quiz 2 |
Sexual Development and Differentiation |
|
|
Unit 4 |
30-Sep |
Quiz 3 |
Sex Differences in Brain and Cognition |
|
|
07-Oct |
Midterm 1 (9:30-11:00 AM) |
|||
|
Unit 5 |
14-Oct |
Quiz 4 |
Sexual Behaviour |
|
|
Unit 6 |
21-Oct |
Quiz 5 |
Parental Behaviour |
|
|
Unit 7 |
28-Oct |
Quiz 6 |
Aggression and Affiliation |
|
|
Fall Reading Week |
||||
|
10-Nov |
Midterm 2 (9:30-11:00 AM) |
|||
|
Unit 8 |
11-Nov |
Quiz 7 |
Eating and Drinking |
|
|
Unit 9 |
18-Nov |
Quiz 8 |
Biological Rhythms |
|
|
Unit 10 |
25-Nov |
Quiz 9 |
Stress |
|
|
Unit 11 |
02-Dec |
Quiz 10 |
Learning and Memory |
|
|
Unit 12 |
09-Dec |
Quiz 11 |
Hormones and Affective Disorders |
|
|
TBD |
Final Exam |
|||
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
