Course Expectations


PSY/BIO 226: Comparative Animal Behavior
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Course Expectations		This is a 200-level course in Psychology and Biology, equivalent in workload to Psychology 247 (Abnormal Psychology), Psychology 250 (Psychoanalysis), Biology 244 (Introductory Physiology), Biology 255 (Comparative Chordate Anatomy), or Biology 211 (Genetics). It meets a major requirement for 3 different majors: Psychology, Biology, and Psychobiology. You should expect to work at the 200-level or higher in this class.
The prerequisites for this course include an introductory Psychology course AND an introductory Biology course. I will not review in any detail some basic concepts from Biology such as what a gene is, how cells divide, how a neuron fires, etc. Because having had the prerequisites significantly predicts your success in this course, only students who meet these requirements will be allowed to enroll. REPEAT: If you do not currently meet the prerequisites for this course, you will not be allowed to enroll. If it has been a long time since you had any Biology, you may wish to borrow a friend's introductory Biology text book, and use that as a reference throughout this course. I repeat: some knowledge of Biology is expected in this course. PSY/BIO226 also meets Wheaton's requirements as a Natural Science course. Thus, in this class you are expected to think and work like a natural scientist. The basic course meets in 3, 50-minute periods per week. At Wheaton College, the institution expects you to put in about 2 hours of work outside of classtime for each 50-minute period that you spend in class. Thus, in order to make satisfactory progress in this course, you should be spending a minimum of 6 hours a week on the material--reading, writing, reviewing your notes. If you wait until the last minute to do this work, (say, until the weekend of the first exam), then you will have 12 hours of work to do in the 48-hour weekend, even before you attempt the exam. Don't make this mistake. College should be your full-time job. (That's why most colleges require that you live on campus.) If you don't treat it that way, you're wasting your time and money. Take all that you can get from here! And that especially includes KNOWLEDGE!! If you are not being asked to work this much in any of your other courses, you are getting ripped off. Demand more from your professors. It's your future that you're paying for now. Be sure to get what you pay for!
Other Expectations		I expect you at all times to treat me, your fellow students, and the animals that we observe and study with respect. For example, I expect you to abide by and uphold the Wheaton Honor Code, and by the Six Commandments of PSY/BIO 226.
I expect you to handle gently and humanely any animals that you might be asked to observe in this course, and to report to me any injuries or ill treatment that you see. And I expect you to provide me with due notice if you are unable to complete an assignment or exam on time. Similarly, I promise to treat you with respect as responsible adults. I promise to do my best to answer all of your questions and respond to all of your suggestions so that we can be effective partners in learning. Please let me know either in person or through the suggestion box if there is any way that I can help to improve your learning in this course.
	The Suggestion Box	Most every day I bring to class with me a box into which you may place your suggestions, comments, or questions. Please take advantage of the opportunity to ask me about things that you didn't get the chance to ask about in class, or to suggest a particular exercise or comment on a particular class day. Also, please feel free to suggest questions for future quizzes or exams! If I use your question, you may have a head-start on the next test!

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