Courses taught at IU

Kim teaches BIOL-Z460 Animal Behavior every fall semester (junior or senior standing required, or permission of instructor). This introduction to the biological study of behavior emphasizes both internal and external factors shaping how behavior is expressed, how it’s regulated, and how it evolves. The course is a fast-paced upper-lever undergraduate science course, and students complete a scaffolded research project, which is presented at a public poster session in the last week of classes.

Every other spring, Kim teaches BIOL-Z581 Behavioral Ecology. This reading-intensive graduate seminar walks through the foundational works that led to today’s field of behavioral ecology, which seeks to understand how life history and ecology shape the evolution of behavior. Students are asked to lead the discussion on select topics, ranging from the classics (Darwin’s chapter on “Instinct”, Gould & Lewontin’s Spandrels) to sexual selection, mating systems, foraging, kin selection, and more.

As a teacher and mentor, I aim to show students the power of the scientific method and the interesting questions that logical experiments can answer. When basic biological principles and expectations are presented clearly, students move beyond memorization, towards high order critical thinking. My teaching methods emphasize this approach, so that when it comes time to write a paper or take an exam, students are better prepared to draw links between concepts and to excel at critical thinking. My undergraduate classes typically include a short activity where students in small groups are asked to solve a short problem, watch a quick YouTube video, or work through a game to illustrate a concept. (Check out the Mating Game, one of my favorite in-class activities!) Not surprisingly, active learning exercises and similar types of 'research based instruction' have been shown to improve student learning, attendance, and engagement.

Graduate students typically report excellent training in the science portion of being a scientist; however, successful scientist wear many different hats (mentor, teacher, manager, advisor, mediator, etc.) I have implemented a series of professional development modules aimed at graduate students. These have included: an anonymous survey of faculty/students about lab management, discussion of anonymous letters from faculty re: 'What type of school is right for you,' guides for how to get a postdoc, targeted readings of how to manage a lab (inspired by Mohamed Noor's blog). I have taken an active role in discussing these issues with undergraduates as well. 

Ethical decision-making lies at the heart of many of the issues we encounter in our roles as teacher, mentor, and researcher. At IU, I have also emphasized this arm of scientific training as a panelist at a university-wide eithics workshop and also as a co-instructor for Scientific Ethics for the BioBehavioral Sciences.