HET301 The Biology of Animal Stress and Its Implications for Animal Welfare

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Inger Lise Andersen

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Limits of class size:If there are less than 5 students, the lecturing routine will be altered.

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:250 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Spring parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Spring parallel.

About this course

In the first part of the course, lectures are held on stress and stress axes, neural, physiological and behavioural responses to stress, including effects of pain and perinatal stress. After the first weeks, the colloquium work begins. The teacher is present, but the students themselves introduce the discussion. The colloquia are, to a large extent, based on the textbook and other relevant literature.

Learning outcome

After completing the course, students should have competence on stress and the mastering of stress and what relevance chronic or temporary stress has on the welfare of animals. Students should be able to describe and explain the relationship between stress and animal welfare, the brain"s regulation of the stress response, the neural endocrine regulation of the stress responses, the behavioural responses to short-term and long-term stress, stress and mastering strategies, fear and stress, the effects of chronic stress, pain and stress, the behavioural and physiological changes that occur as a result of stress acting upon foetuses and young animals as well as the effects of genetic selection as they relate to the mastering of stress.
  • Some lectures are given on the elementary part of the course, some in Norwegian and some in English. The rest of the teaching is given in colloquia with a teacher present. The problems, a short lecture and syllabus for each colloquium are given by the teacher. The colloquia are led by students. All colloquia are on campus, lectures are hybrid.
  • The students can contact supervisors when preparing colloquia.
  • HFX132, HET201, HFX201.
  • Final oral examination.
  • The person responsible for the course will have discussions with the external examiner about the arrangements for the course. The examiner will, in cooperation with the teacher, assess the oral examination.
  • All students must meet at the first lecture, to be able to plan the learning activities. Participation in discussion groups is compulsory. Each student group is responsible for planning and leading at least one discussion.Course evaluations
  • Lectures: 6-10 hours. Discussion groups: 12-16 hours.
  • M-HV
  • Letter grades
  • Special requirements in Science