Assignment 1

Weight: 15% of the course grade

Length: 1500-2000 words

Due: When you have completed Unit 4

It is a good idea to review the “Writing Essays” section of the Course Information before you begin this assignment.

In this assignment, you will familiarize yourself with a particular primate species, as most primatologists do before beginning a new research project. The assignment is also designed to help you get an overview of the relationships between behaviour and ecology. The preparation of this paper can serve as an opportunity to review some of the major concepts you will need to know for the midterm examination.

Select a species, and present, in a paper of six to eight pages (1500-2000 words) long, the following information.

• common name
• scientific name
• physical characteristics or attributes
• geographic range
• habitat
• diet
• social structure
• average group size (if appropriate)
• life span and chronological development
• interesting or typical behaviours.

You may use sources from the course (CD-ROM, videos, readings, etc.), as well as other resources from the Library or the Internet (see “Appropriate Use of Internet Sources” in the “Writing Essays” section of the Course Information.

The paper should double spaced with a 4-cm (1.5-in) margin on the left-hand side, and a 2.5-cm (1-in) margin on the top, bottom and right-hand side. If you choose to include tables, pictures or graphs, they must be in addition to your six to eight pages of text. Use AAA format to list and cite your sources.

When you have completed Assignment 1, upload and submit it to your tutor for grading and feedback here. If for some reason you are unable to do this, contact your tutor about using regular post. Be sure to keep a backup copy for your records.

Assignment 2

Weight: 20% of the course grade

Length: 1500-2000 words

Due: When you have completed Unit 10

It is a good idea to review the “Writing Essays” section of the Course Information before you begin this assignment.

The second assignment is designed to allow you to do a more in-depth study of a particular topic related to the study of primates. You have a choice of three possible topics, listed below. You may use any of your course materials, items you find on the Internet (see “Appropriate Use of Internet Sources” in the “Writing Essays” section of the Course Information), and materials you request from the Library. For this essay, however, you are expected to rely less on your course materials and to conduct research using primary sources such as academic books and journal articles. You are expected to go beyond the information provided in the course package. The preparation of this paper can serve as an opportunity to review some of the major concepts you will need to know for the final examination.

Select one of the following topics, and discuss it in a paper six to eight pages (1500-2000 ) long.

1. Primate conservation. Choose either a particular species of primate or a region of the globe that is of interest to you and discuss the conservation issues your subject species or the primate species in your region face. What are the main threats specific to your species or region? What initiatives have been proposed to combat these threats? Have they been successful? If so, why, and if not, discuss their shortcomings.
2. Primate cognition. Choose a species of primate and, using evidence from the field /or from captive studies, or both, discuss what is known about the cognitive abilities of your species. What specific behaviours does your species display in the wild that might yield insight into their minds? If your species is used in captive studies, what are the cognition experiments specifically designed to test? Why is your species used as an experimental subject? What hypotheses have been put forward to explain the adaptive function of the specific cognitive abilities displayed by your species?
3. Methods and problems facing researchers in the field. All the papers you read on primates are made possible by the efforts of researchers who often work in difficult conditions. You can discuss the basic methods used in the field and the various problems encountered during most research, particularly by those who study in the tropical rain forests. The video What Do Primatologists Do? provides a good starting point.

The paper should be double spaced with a 4-cm (1.5-in) margin on the left-hand side, and a 2.5-cm (1-in) margin on the top, bottom and right-hand side. If you choose to include tables, pictures or graphs, they must be in addition to your six to eight pages of text. Use AAA format to list and cite your sources.

When you have completed Assignment 2, upload and submit it to your tutor for grading and feedback here. Be sure to keep a backup copy for your records.