Fundamentals of Neuroscience

Description of Course Goals and Curriculum

The course focuses on learning the basics in neuroscience, such as neural networks, physiology, and circuits concerned with the 5 senses, emotion, memory, etc. The goal of the course is to encourage students to obtain a broader understanding of the topics and how it may be applicable in research and may be connected to other fields. By the end of the course, students are expected to understand how these topics are interconnected.

Learning From Classroom Instruction

There are two lectures each week and a precept where students go over the homework/topics in lecture that may still be confusing.The lectures go well into detail that reflect topics from the textbook and may include additional information. In precept, students are expected to participate through offering answers to the homework or asking questions. There are three exams throughout the semester which as multiple choice and fill in the blank; each exam is not cumulative. There is also a final exam which is cumulative and students are expected to be well informed about the topics.

Learning For and From Assignments

Each week students will be assigned a problem set (graded on completion) and are expected to be able to answer them and reflect on the questions during precept. If a particular question is difficult, students should read more on the topic in their textbooks or in the powerpoints. The exam questions are multiple choice, but require a great deal of knowledge about the details of the topics. The powerpoints were the most useful resource to turn to to succeed on the exams and office hours are also useful if there are any questions. Students should not just memorize the information, but be able to apply certain concepts/skills across all topics to connect them.

External Resources

The textbook is a really good source to learn assigned topics and also to learn about connected topics that may build upon the understanding of those topics. Furthermore, the instructor and preceptors have office hours where they are willing to talk more. Though there isn’t McGraw group tutoring, talking with the dean at your college about individual tutoring could help you if you feel like individual tutoring would help.

What Students Should Know About This Course For Purposes Of Course Selection

Students don’t necessarily need a particular background, but an interest in the sciences (such as biology) would be helpful as this course focuses more on biological concepts in neuroscience than psychological. The course is valuable in understanding the basic neurological occurrences in our daily lives. It fulfills a SEN distribution requirement, and is a prerequisite for the NEU major and certificate.