This course provides an introduction to the structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Fundamental concepts and topics in neuroscience will be discussed using molecular/cellular, behavioral and/or cognitive frameworks; clinically relevant conditions (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders) will also be explored. Methods and techniques used by neuroscientists in research laboratories and clinical settings will be used to understand how neuroscience knowledge is constructed.
This course explores the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and cognition. Topics may include motivation, learning and memory, emotion, stress, sleep and circadian rhythms, attention, and decision-making. Neuroscience methodology and preclinical models of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders will be discussed.
This lecture and laboratory course utilizes electrical recordings from a variety of invertebrates to build upon topics discussed in NEUR 208, illustrating the principles of nervous system communication in sensory and motor systems. The course will also include the roles of hypothesis testing, models, data analysis, and the scientific method in understanding how experimental data can lead to knowledge of nervous system function.
This lecture and laboratory course utilizes electrical recordings from a variety of invertebrates to build upon topics discussed in NEUR 208, illustrating the principles of nervous system communication in sensory and motor systems. The course will also include the roles of hypothesis testing, models, data analysis, and the scientific method in understanding how experimental data can lead to knowledge of nervous system function.
A seminar on a topic related to neuroscience. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic differs.
Philosophy
Topics and themes in philosophy related to central questions of philosophy: Is there a meaning to human life? What can we know? What is the nature of reality? And how should we live? These questions are addressed through a rigorous examination of philosophical texts, works of literature, films, and contemporary issues.
Topics and themes in philosophy related to central questions of philosophy: Is there a meaning to human life? What can we know? What is the nature of reality? And how should we live? These questions are addressed through a rigorous examination of philosophical texts, works of literature, films, and contemporary issues.
Topics and themes in philosophy related to central questions of philosophy: Is there a meaning to human life? What can we know? What is the nature of reality? And how should we live? These questions are addressed through a rigorous examination of philosophical texts, works of literature, films, and contemporary issues.
An examination, through classical and contemporary texts, of the ways in which our economic actions and interests are shaped by our political values and institutions, and also by more general considerations of justice and fairness. Special attention is given to the following questions: Do the political values cherished most highly presuppose a market economy? Or would they be better served by a socialist economy? Can a market economy flourish in the absence of these values? Which sort of economic structure is most conducive to the common good? Can a just society tolerate economic inequality?
An analysis of the major turning points in the development of the concept of the self in Western philosophical thought. The point of the analysis is to elucidate our contemporary conception and the problems with it in order to point to a solution to these problems. In so doing, possible answers to the questions of the nature of rationality, knowledge, faith, and the meaning of life will be proposed.
Examines a wide range of controversial issues concerning the moral responsibilities of human beings toward the natural environment with special attention to competing philosophical theories on the moral status of non-human species and natural ecosystems.
An examination of the moral dimensions of business activity, especially within the context of a democratic society. Topics may include social and economic justice, the nature of corporations, corporate accountability, social responsibility, the morality of hiring and firing, employee rights and duties, advertising, product safety, obligations to the environment, and international business.
An examination of philosophical problems and issues which commonly attend western religious belief and practice. Major topics of inquiry include the theistic conception of God, classical and contemporary arguments for and against the existence of God, the epistemic significance of religious experience, the relationship between faith and reason, and the extent to which religious belief is undermined by the findings of modern science.
An examination of the philosophical revolution that accompanied the rise of modern science and its distinctive set of philosophical problems. The following problems will be emphasized: the nature of knowledge and perception, the existence and nature of God, the existence of the material world, the nature of linguistic meaning, the mind-body relationship, and the nature of personal identity. Not open for credit to students who have already received credit for PHIL 204.
This historically oriented program of reading and discussion focuses on the basic issues and fundamental problems of metaphysics. Particular attention is paid to the place of metaphysics in traditional philosophical thought and to its contemporary status and significance.
The aim of this course is to provide students with a working knowledge of modern logic through an examination of three increasingly powerful methods of representing the logical structure of ordinary language arguments. Emphasis on developing strategies for proving validity and invalidity.
Examines selected writings from The Birth of Tragedy to The Will to Power. Emphasis is given to close reading of texts and critical evaluation of their main ideas.
An examination of contemporary debate on a selected topic such as ethical relativism, the relation of mind to body, or the nature of free will.