Professor: Barbara Welker, MA, Ph.D.

Department of Anthropology
State University of New York @ Geneseo
1 College Circle
Geneseo, New York 14454
585-245-5204
E-mail: welker@geneseo.edu

Welcome to the Ometepe Winter Field Course at Ometepe Biological Research Station, Nicaragua. Our goals are for you to:
• learn more about higher-order thinking skills (critical thinking, experimental design, careful listening, etc.),
• develop and refine communication skills including writing, oral presentation, and data presentation
• learn how to discuss basic topics related to basic tropical ecology and primatology
• understand and appreciate biological diversity as well as become familiar with features of the flora and fauna at Ometepe
• learn and become part of the scientific process, a method you can use for the rest of your life
• demonstrate experience in carrying out a field-based research project that includes formulating and justifying a research question, collecting and analyzing data, and articulating conclusions;

This course covers the behavior and ecology of Old & New World primates from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis will be given to the species present at Ometepe Nicaragua. The material and topics covered in this course are equivalent to a university course in primate behavior and ecology and field methods. A background in biology or physical anthropology is helpful but not required. It is far more important to have a serious interest in learning about primates and a desire to do field work in a tropical rainforest. Each day will be a combination of lectures, seminars, data collection, and forest exploration.

OPTION FOR: Advanced Version of Primate Behavior and Ecology
For those students who have already taken primate behavior, there is the opportunity to take an advanced version of the course that involves the submission and approval of a research proposal.  You would need to conduct a literature review and submit a proposal (including literature review, project outline, and proposed methods) to the instructor(Dr. Barbara Welker, welker@geneseo.edu) in advance of the course, in order to get her approval to take the advanced version.  You would spend more time in the field collecting data, conduct data analyses under her supervision, and write a research report during/after the conclusion of the course.

You may apply for up to 3 cr hr of undergradute coursework for the course, through your university, if you so choose.

You probably have and may want to develop your own, specific goals for this class. Our philosophy is that this course should be a learning environment, not a ‘teaching’ environment. That means that we will focus on you, the learner, rather than on us, the teachers. Although this class will concentrate on content because there is a certain amount of information you will be required to learn, we also will focus on process. You will actually be responsible for much of the learning in this class. We will give lectures on background information on general topics. Each of you will report on information from a specific journal article and we will discuss issues related to the study. In addition, you will present your research project to the class. Thus, for some of you, this may be a new academic experience. Regardless, we promise you that we will focus on your learning.

General expectations
The educational endeavor is a two-way street. To insure a productive and stimulating learning environment, students and instructors must meet certain expectations. It is our expectation that students will go to the forest daily, attend lectures regularly, prepare for each class, exactly follow directions for completing assignments, complete assignments on time, participate meaningfully and respectfully in class, ask questions, monitor their performance, and seek assistance whenever they need help. Students are expected to make themselves aware of the provisions set forth in this syllabus.

Students can expect from us a genuine interest in and enthusiasm with field work and the course material, organized lectures and presentations, current information on the subject, thoughtful evaluation of assignments, timely return of graded assignments, access for consultations, and guidance in completing course requirements. Please come see us if you have any concerns during the course. We are here for you.

Course requirements and grades: What is expected of you? What will your grade be based on? At the end of the course, it will be our responsibility to evaluate your accomplishments and learning in this course and to assign a grade to you. You will have completed various tasks to demonstrate your knowledge and learning. Students who attain the following points will receive the grades listed below. Final grading will be based on points accumulated across class participation, a hand-written research paper, an exam, a computer-generated research paper, an oral presentation of a journal article, and an oral presentation of your research project. Each of these is described in more detail.

Grading scale
90+ points A Outstanding
80-89 points B Excellent performance; exceeds course requirements
70-79 points C Average
60-70 points D Passed, but not at the average achievement standards
< 60 points F Failure to meet minimal class requirements

The activities and the point value of the activities are as follows.
Class participation 30 points
Hand-written research paper 30 points
Final Exam 20 points
Computer-generated research paper 10 points
Oral presentation of journal article 5 points
Oral presentation of research project 5 points
Total 100 points

Class participation and attendance
Although many universities do not allow instructors to grade students on attendance, you are expected to go to the field every day and to attend scheduled classes. In fact, in this course, attendance is mandatory. Your participation in the field, at lectures, and during evening discussions is essential. Most of your learning will be facilitated by your presence and participation in the forest and in class.

Although we will be responsible for ‘teaching’ most of the course material, learning in this class will be a team effort in an international setting. Each of us needs to help all of us learn. As such, we urge you to participate in class discussions. The more involved you are in class, the more fun it is for you, for us, and for your classmates. Class participation grades will come from your comments and/or questions in the field and during lectures and discussions. There is usually a positive correlation between class participation and high grades. Class participation comprises thirty points (30 %) of your grade.

Hand-written research paper
You will conduct an individual field-based research project, for which you will collect data for a minimum of 25 hours. You will write about your project in a scientific research paper, which will include the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results (including figures), and Discussion. You will need to use three (3) original references from appropriate texts and scientific journals to complete the background information or ‘Introduction’ section of your paper. You will need to cite properly each of the references in your paper. For single authored papers, the proper citation format is (Huettmann, 2004). For two-authored papers, the citation is (Huettmann & Paciulli, 2004). For papers with more than two authors, the proper citation format is (Paciulli et al., 2004). This project is worth thirty (30) points of your grade. The grading rubric for the thirty (30) points is as follows:

Hand-written research paper grading rubric
Introduction (background information on topic) 7 points
Research question / problem stated clearly 2 points
Methods (thoroughly described) 7 points
Results (including graphical representation of data; figures) 7 points
Discussion (interpretation of results, etc.) 7 points
Total points for research project paper 30 points

I hear, and I forget
I see, and I remember
I do, and I understand
- Chinese proverb

Exam
A final exam will be given to test your knowledge of information from the field, required readings, class discussions, and lectures. The exam is worth twenty (20) points of your grade.

Computer-generated research paper
Although you will turn in a hand-written research paper before you leave (as stated above), you also will write a typed version of your research paper. The computer-generated research paper (suggested format PC MS WORD) is due by an email attachment sent to both of our email addresses within one week of the last day of class. This version of the paper is worth ten (10) points of your overall grade.

Oral presentation of journal article
You will choose / be assigned one research article and be responsible for writing a brief summary of the article. Instead of turning in the article summary, you will present it orally to the class. In the summary, you will mention the title and authors of the paper and when it was published. You will describe the background information / context of the research (from the introduction), and state the research question. You will describe the methods used to gather the data and the main findings / results. You will describe how the results are discussed within the context of the body of knowledge at the time of publication. Also, you will mention any research problems, the meaning / implications / applications of the research, recommendations for future research, etc. that the authors talk about. Last, you will critically assess the paper. The oral presentation of the journal article is worth five (5) points of your overall grade.

Oral presentation of research project
You will present your research project and findings to the class in the form of an oral and overhead presentation. Your presentation should have four main sections – a brief Introduction (that should end with the main issue / research question), Methods, Results (with figures), and a Discussion. You will have four overheads to use for your presentation. The oral presentation of your research project is worth five (5) points of your grade.

Class notes / missed class
Everyone is required to 1) take notes and keep a separate notebook and 2) collect data and keep a separate data book for this course, in which the main points from 1) the lectures and discussions and 2) the field should be written down. It may happen that you miss a lecture or do not quite get an assignment, even though you are actually present. For a missed class please ask one of the other students what you missed.

Late assignments
Two skills that are important to acquire in academia are time management and responsibility. Because there is no way you can ‘make-up’ a missed class discussion or participation points, and because we have so little time here, no assignments will be accepted late.

Code of Student Life
Although we do not expect this to be an issue, we fully endorse the typical university Code of Student Life that forbids scholastic dishonesty. To be clear, scholastic dishonesty includes cheating on a test, plagiarism, and turning in academic work that someone else has completed, while claiming it to be your own. Plagiarism is a common error in undergraduate courses, in particular, in a course like this (i.e., one that includes a lot of writing). Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s work without giving the author credit. Some people regard plagiarism as stealing. Please don’t do it. If you are uncertain what is or is not plagiarism, please ask us. Again, although I do not expect plagiarism or cheating to be a problem in this course, just so we are completely clear with one another, you should know that The Code of Student Life at most universities specifies that scholastic dishonesty may be sanctioned by one of two methods. Academic sanctioning occurs when the matter is treated in a way that will affect the students' grade, e.g. grade F. Disciplinary sanctions occur when the matter is referred to the Dean of Students at your institution for review and possible resolution. The strongest sanction for academic dishonesty is indefinite suspension from your university. We will be checking papers for plagiarism so please do not do it. It is not worth it!

Special circumstances
If you have emergency medical information to share with us please make an appointment to see one of us during the first couple of days of class so we know how to better serve you.

You will need various materials for this class. They are as follows
• Rite-in-the-Rain data book
• Rite-in-the-Rain pen
• Watch with a timer that will sound every few minutes
• Binoculars
• Flagging
• Compass

Texts
You are not required to purchase textbooks for this course as several copies will be available at Ometepe for your use including:
• Karen Strier (2003). Primate Behaviorial Ecology.
• Lucinda A. McDade, Kamaljit S. Bawa, Henry A. Hespenheide, and Gary S. Hartshorn (eds.) (1994). La Selva - Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Rainforest. University of Chicago Press: Chicago. ISBN: 0-226-03952-8.

Readings
• Additional readings are on reserve in the Ometepe Biological Research Station Library.

Other helpful resources
• Noel Rowe (1996). The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates. Pogonias Press. ISBN: 0964882515.
• Guy Cowlishaw and R.I.M. Dunbar (2000). Primate Conservation Biology. University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0226116360.
• Reference material on nonhuman primates: http://primatelit.library.wisc.edu/
• The Physical Anthropology website (www.csus.edu/anth/physanth) has a number of resources that you may find valuable.

Please get to know us and let us get to know you. Also, please do not hesitate to come see one or both of us about any concerns you have about this course. Our job is to facilitate your learning and we love our job! I know that we will have an exciting and wonderful winter break that will be packed with learning for you and us.

Please note: This schedule and syllabus are tentative. In other words, both are subject to change.

Daily Routine
4:30am - 5:30am: Breakfast (depending on your data collection schedule)
4:45am - 6:00am: Leave research station (depending on your data collection schedule)
10:00am: Leave the field (depending on your data collection schedule)
10:00am-12:00pm: Reading, writing
12:00pm-12:30pm: Lunch
12:30pm-3:00pm: Lecture
3:00pm-6:00pm: Reading, writing
6:00pm: Dinner
7:00pm-8:00pm: Journal article presentations and discussions
8:00pm-9:00pm: Free time
9:00pm: Lights out

Syllabus Modifications
Please note that every attempt will be made to adhere to the following schedule, but adjustments may be made when necessary. Changes to the course schedule will be announced.

Tentative Schedule
Day / Topics
1 Introductions
2 Syllabus Review / Lecture: Tropical Ecology 101
3 Field: Techniques / Lecture: Introduction to Primates / Project Consultation
4 Field: Pilot study / Lecture: Survey Design & Mapping Wldlf Distributions
5 Field: Pilot study / Lecture: Primate Lives
6 Field: Data collection / Lecture: Survey Methods and Data Analysis / Project Consultation
7 Field: Data collection / Lecture: Cebids & Atelids / Research Paper Methods due
8 Field: Data collection / Lecture: Quantifying Habitats, Landscapes and Wildlife-Habitat Associations
9 Field: Data collection / Lecture: Callitrichines / Project Consultation / Research Paper Introduction due
10 Field: Data collection / Lecture: Statistical Issues for Wildlife Distributions & General Wildlife Habitat Link / Final Exam
11 Field: Data collection / Lecture: Primate Conservation Strategies / Research Figures & Graphs due
12 Research Project Presentations / Research Paper Due
13 Trip to Volcano
14 Trip to Granada
15 Leave Nicaragua 5:00pm
EST Typed Research Paper Due