Free Animal Behavior Course - University of Melbourne

Coursera, the website dedicated to providing free university level courses to the public, has announced that Raoul Mulder and Mark Elgar will be presenting a course on animal behavior. The course is planned to be six weeks long but currently does not have a specified start date yet. You can find more details here:

Many of us derive inspiration from watching natural history documentaries and their astounding catalogue of wild animal behaviours.  In this course, we will explore how scientists study animal behaviour, and in particular how behaviour is shaped by the evolutionary forces of natural and sexual selection. Topics include resource acquisition; avoiding enemies; mate choice and sexual conflict; cues, signals and communication; parental care and social behaviour; and the role of genes, hormones and learning in regulating behavioural diversity.  We draw on examples from across the animal kingdom to illustrate the complex mechanisms underlying adaptations, and complement these with natural history videos that highlight key concepts. We evaluate the scientific rigour of studies used to test theory, and highlight the often ingenious methods adopted by researchers to understand animal behaviour. 

It sounds like it could be quite interesting, so sign up before all the spaces are filled!