Cognitive Neuroscience

Syllabus for Junction 2009

Cognitive Neuroscience

Instructor:

Abby Noyce bio

Class Description:

Often labeled "the biology of the mind," cognitive neuroscience attempts to understand the relationship between the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, and the subjective phenomena of mental processes. In this class we'll cover four big areas of cognitive neuroscience (vision, executive processes, learning/memory, and language) in detail, with occasional forays into other topics. We'll discuss the research the improves our understanding of these areas, and even read some original journal articles. In-class writing and short projects will require students to synthesize evidence from multiple sources, organize their ideas, and practice writing clearly about science. As well, we'll do labs and demos, and maybe take a few field trips.

Lecture Schedule

Is available as a PDF here (not completely set in stone).

Prerequisites:

We'll be discussing in depth the physiology of the nervous system. A solid high-school biology background is expected, as is a willingness to be creative, thoughtful, and focused.

Application Question:

For one day, pay attention to the tasks your brain is doing. Pick an interesting one and describe the component steps as well as you can. Think about information coming in, how it's used or processed, and what (if any) output occurs.

The 2009 Junction Application: APPLY! due by April 30th