NEUR 300: Capstone Seminar
In this capstone seminar for neuroscience majors, students will give group presentations of articles on cutting edge areas of neuroscience research. The authors of these articles will be invited to campus to present their research and meet with the class. Potential topics to be discussed include: developmental neuroscience, computational and systems neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, cognitive neuroscience, learning and memory, and neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, careers in neuroscience will be discussed.
NEUR 310: Neuroethology of Decision Making
What are the neuronal mechanisms and computations that allow an animal to translate sensory information into appropriate decisions and behavior? Neuroethology seeks to answer these questions by applying techniques from neurobiology to a whole-animal approach. In other words, neuroethology seeks to understand how a nervous system translates information from the external and internal environment to behavior by examining the whole animal in its natural (or as close to natural as possible) state. Topics will be introduced via textbook and primary literature and reviewed in lecture, followed by student-led presentations and discussions. What are the moral and societal implications of gaining a better understanding of how the brain controls behavior? We will end with an introduction to the neuroscience of morality and philosophy.
NEUR 100: Introduction to Neuroscience with Practicum
This course will provide a broad introduction to neuroscience, focusing on examples and approaches from cellular and molecular, cognitive, behavioral, systems, and computational neuroscience. The lecture aspect of the course will be accompanied by a 70-minute practicum in which students will engage directly in experimental neuroscience.