The term project for this class is an 8-10 page paper due in class on the last day (or alternatively an in-class 15-20 min presentation during the last week of the semester). Note that presentation format is only available for 8 students, on a first come first served basis, and topics to be presented in class must be unique. Please let me know of your preference of format (and topic if you have chosen a presentation) by October 31st.
This assignment will require you to consult the timeline of neuroscience history presented in class (http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html) and select a particular discovery or development listed (if you wish to select a more recent discovery, please see me). Investigate the discovery and the scientist(s) associated with it. Your paper should include a description of the discovery/technology (and if appropriate, the discoverer), in sufficient detail to understand its monumental significance. Discuss how the technology/discovery affected future advances and theories, or describe an unexpected consequence of the discovery. You may find yourself consulting and using several different kinds of sources, but the best papers will incorporate descriptions of research findings drawn from the primary literature (i.e., empirical journal articles) that are relevant to the points you are trying to make in the paper. For example, if discussing the 1798 description of red-green colorblindness, one could include recent findings that illustrate the particular genetic mutation giving rise to this disorder. One might also describe the relationship between the discovery and the later trichromatic theory of color vision, which was consistent with the existence of red-green colorblindness.
Resources:
You have several resources at your disposal, but you will need to think ahead since some materials may need to be requested from off campus. The reference librarian in the INSC library can serve as an important resource, to identify appropriate sources in the Tri-Co and off campus. The Society for Neuroscience website (http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=HistoryofNeuroscience_main) contains links to online neuroscience history sites. Always follow up to ensure that a website contains legitimate information, and cite your online resources appropriately.
Wikipedia is a fine place to get started on a topic and for getting a general overview of a subject with which you are unfamiliar. However, although your research may BEGIN with Wikipedia, it should never END there. Remember that Wikipedia entries are "crowd sourced"--they are subject to the review of whoever is looking at them (and who may choose to edit the entry for accuracy), but there is no editorial board to verify that the entries are correct. You must follow through on the citations that are linked to a Wikipedia article, and cite the primary source (or other legitimate secondary sources) only.
Statement on plagiarism and appropriate citations:
Representation of any ideas or images that are not your own in your paper or presentation without appropriate citation or attribution is a violation of the Haverford Honor Code, and will be treated as such. It is recommended that you review the Writing Center's guidelines on avoiding plagiarism in your writing: http://www.haverford.edu/writingcenter/resources.php