Freshman Pathways Program: Neurons in Context — Psychology (PSYCH) 22

Course Format: Three hours of lecture and discussion per week.
Hub course taught with Scandinavian 75 and Philosophy 2

Psychology 22 – Neurons in Context

This will be a small course for freshman as part of the Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Society track in the new L&S Pathways program.

Psychology 114 – Biology of Learning

The biology of learning and neural plasticity is critical to our understanding of development, culture, behavioral change, the uniqueness of individuals, and limits to an organism’s potential. We will study experimental investigations of behavior and neurobiology at the cellular and circuit level to get a basic introduction to what is known and unknown about learning and neural plasticity. Topics may include associative learning, habit formation, fear, memory systems, neurons, synapses, dendritic spines and axonal boutons, LTP, and adult neurogenesis. We will discuss these topics in the context of normal development and disease. Format: Two hours of lecture per week and one discussion section.

No classes in Spring 2024

Psychology 194 – Honors Seminar

This course supports students in writing up their thesis research. We cover the scientific method, careers, ethics, rigor and reproducibility and work through writing all the sections of a thesis.

Public Health 290 – Behavior Change in Adolescence: A framework for integrating developmental neuroscience and public health

Instructors: Ron Dahl, Linda Wilbrecht, & Ahna Suleiman

This will be an innovative, interdisciplinary seminar using problem-based learning to explore the integration of public health and neuroscience building on the example of the unique opportunities for behavior change during the developmental period of adolescence – including a broad range of approaches to intervention, prevention, education, health, and well-being. The course will integrate several levels of understanding these unique opportunities: a) heuristic models of adolescent brain development (especially social, affective, and cognitive neuroscience approaches); b) models of behavior change that range from clinical psychology, education, and public health, to behavioral economics; and c) policy implications and opportunities to leverage behavior change to impact public health and well being.

NS245: Behavioral Neuroscience

Lectures and discussion of primary research concerning the neural basis of behavior. Topics will include basic concepts of learning and neuroethology with examples from vertebrate and invertebrate systems. A comparative approach will be taken to understanding psychological constructs such as motivation, emotion and decision-making. Emphasis will be placed on neural circuit analysis of behaviors such as singing, drug self-administration, and conditioned fear.
Director: Patricia Janak and Linda Wilbrecht