Sections offered FALL 2019:
#33860 |
WILLIAM SHOFNER |
TuTh 11:15am-12:30pm |
HU 111 |
CLASS NOTES: IUB GenEd N&M credit – Natural Science; COLL (CASE) N&M Breadth of Inquiry credit
Acoustic communication in animals, including humans, involves both a sender and a receiver. The sender produces an acoustic signal that is then processed by the receiver to ultimately produce a behavioral response. Thus, there are two aspects concerning acoustic communication in animals: (1) the production of a vocal signal and (2) the processing of sounds by the auditory system. Comparative studies have a long history in hearing science and allow us a glimpse into the auditory world of other species. Comparing acoustic communication and hearing in humans and non-human animals allows us to understand hearing and communication as a general biological phenomenon and thus, place our understanding of human hearing and acoustic communication within the realms of evolutionary biology and neuroscience. This course will address these issues by considering both vocal production (how sounds are produced) and hearing (how sounds are processed) in vertebrate animals, including humans.