Biology of Whales

Time: check here

Place: check here

Lecturer:
Stephanie WatwoodWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Office hours: By appt. 1/2 hour before and after class
By phone Fridays, 10AM - 12

Course Texts:
1. Conservation and Management of Marine Mammals, 1999. John Twiss, Jr. and Randall Reeves. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., ISBN 1-56098-778-2.
recommended, not required
2. Biology of Marine Mammals, Reynolds & Rommel, eds, Smithsonian Institution Press

Administrator: Roger Stern, Executive Director, Marine Studies Consortium; Phone: 781-444-3643; Email: rjstern at bsn1.net.

For Possible Cancellations (due to inclement weather):
check Weather Alert. Cancellations will also be aired on WCVB Channel 5 and announced by voice message at 781-444-3643.

Course Overview:

This course will provide the biological background necessary to understand conservation issues as they pertain to whales. A thorough grounding in cetacean biology will prepare students to understand conservation problems. Several guest lectures will provide case studies of conservation topics. Prerequisites: 1 year general biology and two upper level biology courses.

Grading:
Two in-class exams, worth 40% of final grade each, as well as weekly quizes based on the reading assignment, worth a total of 20%.

100%-90% = A;
89%-80% = B;
79%-70% = C;
69%-60% = D;
Below 60% = F

Your grade will be based only on the above; there is no provision for extra credit.

Class participation 10% Assignments 25% Midterm exam 30% Final exam 35%

Reserve Readings: TBA

Reading Assignments:
The reading assigments are an essential part of this class. Come to class having read the assigned chapters from the text, and prepared to discuss them.

Academic Policy
Academic honesty requires, but is not limited to the following: (1) appropriately citing all published and unpublished sources, whether quoted, paraphrased, or expressed otherwise in all of the student's oral and written work; (2) completing your own work.

Plagiarism occurs when someone claims as their own the ideas, literal works or paraphrased works of another. These works may or may not be published. The minimum penalty for plagiarism will be a 0 on your paper. Cheating is 1) attempting to present as your own work that you have not performed or 2) using improper means to pass an examination. The minimum penalty for cheating on an exam is a 0 for a score. Students should also be aware that academic dishonesty includes stealing, copying, or destroying another person's work (in our case exams or papers); and/or theft or unauthorized removal of books or reserved readings from the library.