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This course (BIO488/ZO588) is currently taught every Fall semester. It offers an overview of the incredible field of neuroscience. Through the use of case studies and interactive lectures, students learn about the nervous system at multiple levels of analysis, from molecular to behavioral. Graduate students and undergraduates who have completed BIO/ZO250 or BIO183 or equivalent are invited to register.
I teach graduate (and advanced undergraduate) seminars on various topics in neuroscience every
Spring semester. Topics are chosen from the cutting edge of neuroscience. Seminars will focus on discussion and analysis of primary articles. In all cases, BIO488 is highly recommended as preparation. Because I vary the topic each time, the schedule on which each course is offered can be hard to predict. If you are interested in learning what I plan to teach next Spring, feel free to contact me via e-mail.
Experience and the Brain
This seminar course (BIO 518) focuses on how interactions with the environment influence the structure and function of
the nervous system in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Maternal caregiving, social status, and stress were among the topics covered last time.
Emphasis is on reading and discussing primary literature. BIO 488 (or ZO 588) is strongly encouraged
as preparation for this course.
Offered: Spring 2009
Honors Seminar on Creating a Learning Module based on Epileptic Seizures
This course is part of the Honors Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
(CALS). Students worked together to create a problem-based learning module to be used in an introductory neurobiology course at the college level.
Offered: Spring 2009
The Neurobiology of Addiction
This seminar was co-taught with Dr. Heather Patisaul (Dept of Biology).
The course focused on the neurobiology of addictive substances and behaviors. We addressed topics from the molecular basis of addiction to
the evidence regarding an “addictive personality” to the neurobiological effects of various treatments.
Offered: Spring 2008
Honors Seminar on Sex Differences in the Brain
This course is part of the Honors Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
(CALS). We commonly hear and read about sex differences in brain function and behavior. The (former) president of Harvard University reinvigorated
a popular debate about the ability of women to succeed at the highest levels in scientific and mathematical fields. But what is the scientific basis
for such claims? How strong is the evidence? Is there evidence that any such differences are strictly genetically determined? Or is there evidence
that experience plays an important role? Is the science accurately represented in the popular media? What are the implications for individuals and
for society as a whole? Students will select an area within the field of sex differences in brain function and explore it through a critical examination
of primary research articles. We will consider how the research is interpreted and presented by scientists and by the popular media.
Offered: Spring 2008
Brain, Sex, and Gender
This graduate seminar (ZO 508) was taught in conjunction with Dr. Mary Wyer (Department of Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies). The course
explored the evidence for differences between the sexes in the structure and function of the nervous system, as well as the societal influences
on how/why such research is done and how it is interpreted by scientists and by the popular media. Undergraduates require consent of instructor
to register.
Offered next: uncertain
Neurogenesis in the Adult Brain
This graduate seminar focuses on a fairly recent paradigm shift in neurobiology. Contrary
to previous dogma, we now know that new neurons are produced in the brain throughout life. Current debates center on the extent of neurogenesis
in different brain regions and in different species. We will read the primary literature to explore the basis of this new view, some of its history,
current debates, and potential implications. Undergraduates require consent of instructor to register.
Offered next: uncertain