Objectives
Zoology is the study of animals from their genes and behaviour to their role in ecosystems and their interactions with each other, pathogens, plants and microbes. Zoology addresses such questions as: - Are animal populations controlled by disease, predation or competition? - How do genes and physiology determine the ability of animals to adapt to extreme environments? - Why are there so many more insects than mammals? - What are the most effective strategies for conserving threatened animal species? We offer our Zoology course as a three-year Bachelor of Science (BSc) or a four-year Masters in Biological Sciences (MBiolSci). Taking animals as the focus, this three-year Zoology BSc explores such diverse topics as genetics, behaviour, population dynamics, and evolution. Understanding these is key to understanding how animal distribution and abundance responds to both human induced and natural environmental change. Underpinning the Zoology course is a strong evolutionary theme and an emphasis on the importance of advances in genetics and DNA technology for our understanding of the biology of animals at every level from behaviour to conservation. You will participate in the exciting ongoing developments in zoology and gain an excellent range of modern biological skills and knowledge. The course is taught by experts on a wide range of animals from microscopic protozoa, through crustaceans and insects to fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. The Department of Animal & Plant Sciences is a leading and internationally recognised centre of excellence in teaching and research in zoology, with specialists in mating systems and evolution, community ecology, molecular ecology, parasitism and disease, and effects of environmental pollution and global change on animals. Our expertise across these fields involves genetic and cellular aspects of animals through to ecology, environmental interactions and conservation biology, and encompasses both field and laboratory approaches. Our teaching is linked to our research expertise, a key element being training in methods, techniques and core skills of observation, testing of ideas, data collection, analysis and critical interpretation that are central to scientific investigation. This training provides excellent preparation for level 3 project work where students apply these skills to their own research, under the guidance of an experienced researcher. During the first two years of the course, some unrestricted modules may be selected from those run by the other two biology departments (Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences; may require AS Chemistry), providing opportunities to gain access to an exceptional breadth of expertise in most of the major areas of modern biology, including human biology, genetics and biochemistry. You may have the opportunity to attend field courses in the UK (ecology), Portugal (animal behaviour) or Borneo (tropical rain forests) in the summer between your second and third levels of study. The department has outstanding modern facilities for studying terrestrial insects, birds, fish and aquatic invertebrates. The Times Good University Guide consistently ranks us in the top six for whole organism biology. In the 2006 National Students Satisfaction Survey, courses in bioscience at Sheffield are ranked joint fourth out of 58 UK universities for overall student satisfaction with teaching quality.
