PSYC 385 - Mad Dogs, Vampires and Zombie Ants: Behavior Mediating Infections

1 unit(s)

(Same as BIOL 385) Viruses, bacteria and parasites use host organisms to complete their lifecycle. These infectious agents are masters of host manipulation, able to hijack host processes to replicate and transmit to the next host. While we tend to think of infections as just making us sick, they are also capable of changing our behavior. In fact, many infectious agents are able to mediate host behavior in ways that can enhance transmission of the disease. In this inquiry driven course we explore the process of host behavior mediation by infectious agents, combining aspects of multiple fields including infectious disease microbiology, neurobiology, epidemiology and animal behavior. Mathematical models and computer simulations are used to address questions that arise from class discussion. Mr. Esteban and Mr. Holloway.

Prerequisite(s): two 200-level biology courses, or Psychology Research Methods Course and either PSYC 241 or PSYC 243, or one 200-level biology course and either NEUR 201 or PSYC 241, or CMPU 250 and one of the previously listed courses.

One 3-hour period.

Not offered in 2013/14.

Open to seniors. For majors, satisfactory completion of a research methods course (PSYC 209, PSYC 219, PSYC 229, PSYC 239, PSYC 249, PSYC 259) is a prerequisite for these courses. Seminar seats are assigned according to a department lottery system. Please contact department office for lottery information. Non-majors and juniors should consult the instructor.