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Campus | Bryn Mawr |
Semester | Fall 2020 |
Registration ID | BIOLB202001 |
Course Title | Introduction to Neuroscience |
Credit | 1.00 |
Department | Neuroscience |
Instructor | Greif,Karen F. |
Times and Days | MTh 09:40am-11:00am
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Room Location | |
Additional Course Info | Class Number: 1016 An introduction to the nervous system and its broad contributions to function. The class will explore fundamentals of neural anatomy and signaling, sensory and motor processing and control, nervous system development and examples of complex brain functions. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisite: One semester of BIOL 110-111 or permission of instructor.; The nervous system plays the central role in coordinating virtually all functions in complex multicellular animals. This class will explore aspects of the nervous system organization and function, with focus on mammalian systems. Central topics include: the neuron and the basis of signaling, sensory and motor systems, development and plasticity, and complex brain functions. Additional readings will provide mechanisms to explore topics not covered in detail in lecture; on-line class projects will provide a means to extend discussions begun in class. The class assumes a strong background in introductory biology, and has one semester of Bio 110-111 (or its equivalent) as a prerequisite. This class will be flipped; lectures will be prerecorded on Panopto, and class time will be spent exploring the implications of the lectures via Zoom. On-line projects will explore topics not covered in detail in class; students will research and post short responses to assigned readings. Five short on-line exams will test mastery of material. A 5-6 page paper on the neurobiology of disease due at the end of the semester will build on ideas covered in class to explore how dysfunction can lead to disease. Textbook (required): The class text is Dale Purves et al, Neuroscience (6th edition), Sunderland MA, Sinauer Associates, 2018. However, students wishing to save money may use the fifth edition (2012), which is available at considerable savings. Chapter numbers in syllabus refer to the sixth edition. Additional materials will be posted on the Moodle course site. Grading: 40%: five short open-book “exams” will be posted on Moodle in lieu of long exams. These exams should be submitted to the Moodle site by the deadline. The last exam will be due the end of finals, although it is not a cumulative “final” exam. 30%: on-line projects/homework problem sets 10%: 5-6 page paper due at the end of the semester on the Neurobiology of disease 20%: class participation/attendance Approach: Scientific Investigation (SI); Haverford: C: Physical and Natural Processes (C), Natural Science (NA) Enrollment Limit: 40; Postbacc Spaces: 4; If the course exceeds the enrollment cap the following criteria will be used for the lottery: Sophomore; Junior; Senior; Major/Minor/Concentration; flipped class: prerecorded lectures on-line with synchronous Zoom class sessions. |
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