Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46
Residential field course designed to introduce you to the main groups of parasitic invertebrates and protozoa in our indigenous wildlife and provide you with training in field identification and sampling techniques.
Field work provides opportunities to observe, identify and collect host and intermediate host species, and training in field identification and sampling techniques.
Lab work provides for the morphological and molecular identification of parasites, and experiments on parasite physiology and manipulation of host behaviour.
Group based project work provides skills in team working, data collection, analysis and presentation.
We aim to pack as much experience into this course as we can in 6 days, so we work long and quite intensive days to allow you to develop deep understanding of parasitology, but there is always time at the end of the day to unwind with peers and staff in the excellent social facilities and to enjoy the unique environment of the Isle of Cumbrae.
Dates for 2023/24 are 24th May 2024 to 31st May 2024.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Parasitism is to be found all around us and we (humans living in the developed world) are exceptional in generally not harbouring a diverse parasite fauna. This course will introduce the diversity of parasites and exquisite complexity of their life cycles in our indigenous wildlife. A central theme will be understanding the ecological relationships in life cycles and transmission strategies, and for this reason much of the time will be spent in the field, observing, identifying and collecting hosts and intermediate host species. These will include fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates. To place parasites in the context of host ecology, there will be an opportunity to apply ecological survey methods in both terrestrial, marine and freshwater habitats. Laboratory work will allow exploration and discovery of parasites in the context of host anatomy and physiology. Group projects allow the development of skills in experimental design, data analysis and hypothesis testing. We also will introduce you to the field application of molecular approaches such as DNA bar-coding to identify species in different helminth taxa.
For this academic year we will be running the course at Millport Field Centre on the Isle of Cumbrae. This offers us unparalleled access to marine, intertidal, freshwater and terrestrial habitats, all within a radius of just a few km. The Centre offers comfortable accommodation, and is fully catered. It has great lab facilities, an excellent natural history library, aquarium, and social facilities.
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Associated cost. | 350.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Individualised written feedback. In common with all field courses there is a high level of interaction between staff and students and formative assessment in the form of informal feedback will be given based on close observation of field work skills, lab skills and critical interpretative skills and general level of application effort. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will receive oral feedback following the presentation |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | To learn to conduct field work in the context of parasite ecology |
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