Introduction to the Mind of Animals

Master of Science in Animal Psychology

PSY 539

Breyer State University

Professor: James O'Heare, CABC

Syllabus

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Introduction to the Minds of Animals. You will have written assignments and a final exam in this course. Please read the text deeply so you are ready for the exam. It is open book but some answers may be difficult to find in the allotted time. So read carefully. Hand in your assignments as you complete them. The comments I give you might be important for improving the remaining assignments. I will grade each assignment and count the mean average of them for your assignments as a whole. I will combine this to the exam grade and determine the mean of that. That will be the final grade. This course is designed to introduce you to concepts in animal psychology and cognitive ethology.

I hope you will find this course useful.

TIME FRAME: You will have 10 weeks in which to complete the necessary reading, written assignments and exams. Please have your textbook prior to enrolling so that you can use your time most effectively. Day 1 will begin when I send you your first welcome email. Please keep careful track of your due date. When you are ready to access your exam please email me and I will arrange access. You must request the exams prior to your deadline. This course is worth 3 credit hours.

TEXTBOOKS: There are two (2) textbooks required for this course

Book 1: Wild Minds What Animals Really Think. Marc Hauser: ISBN # 080505670X.

Book 2: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th. ed.) ISBN # 1557987912. ( http://www.apastyle.org/)

You can purchase any of your BSU textbooks here at the BSU bookstore:

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EVALUATION: There will be written essay assignments and a final exam for this course. The written assignments will relate to the material found in the textbook, as will the exam. I will email you your essay assignments upon enrollment and it will be due prior to 10 weeks from my first welcome email to you. Once you have studied the text you may request your exam. When requesting an exam be prepared to spend a significant amount of time on it. In your request identify a time and date you would like me to send it Eastern Standard Time. I will try to send it at that time and if I cannot I will correspond with you on an alternative. You will have 24 hours to complete it and send it back to me once I send it to you so check the time stamp on the email the exam comes in. Once you email your exam back to me I will grade it and return it to you shortly.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

COMMUNICATION: Please email me with any questions or concerns you might have through your coursework and I will endeavor to address them as fully as I can. I will usually be able to respond to questions the same day that you ask them. I will receive your email address when you enroll. If you change your email address during the course please let me and the administration office know. When you enroll please email me right away to tell me a bit about yourself, your background and your goals.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: My name is James O'Heare. I have worked as a professional animal behavior consultant for 15 years. I am the author of several books on applied dog behavior, I am an international speaker, president of The Companion Animal Sciences Institute (www.CASInstitute.com) and Director of the International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior (www.IIACAB.com), and I am the Managing Editor of the Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behavior (www.IIACAB.com/journal.html). I have studied intensively in animal behavior and applied behavior analysis. My personal web site is at www.JamesOHeare.com.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course you will have a foundational understanding of these topics in relation to nonhuman animals:

1). Object knowledge in animals.
2). Numerical knowledge in animals.
3). Spatial knowledge in animals.
4). Tool use in animals.
5). Problem solving abilities.
6). Communication and animals.
7). Honesty and deceit.
8). Theory of mind.
9). Morality of animals.
10). Self-awareness in animals.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may contact the instructor atjamesoheare@rogers.com

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