Course Descriptions

Neuroscience

Course Descriptions (for Core, Lab, & Capstone)
Refer to Program Checksheet for detailed course listing.
From 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog.

Core Courses (35-36 s.h.)

BIOL 1100, 1101. Principles of Biology and Laboratory I (3,1) (F,S,SS) (FC:SC) 3 lecture and 3 lab hours per week. P/C for 1101: BIOL 1100. Molecular biology, bioenergetics, cellular structure, and physiology. Molecular basis of inheritance and control of gene expression.

CHEM 1160, 1161. General Chemistry and Laboratory II (3,1) (F,S,SS) (FC:SC) 3 lecture and 3 lab hours per week. P: CHEM 1150, 1151; C for 1160: CHEM 1161; C for 1161: CHEM 1160; RC: MATH 1083 or 1085. Continuation of CHEM 1150. Topics include solutions, kinetics, equilibrium, acid-base theory, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. Introduces organic, nuclear, and coordination chemistry.

MATH 2228. Elementary Statistical Methods I (3) (F,S,SS) (FC:MA) For students with limited mathematical training. May not count toward MATH major or minor. May receive credit for one of MATH 2228, 2283. P: MATH 1065 or equivalent. Collection, systematic organization, analysis and interpretation of numerical data obtained in measuring certain traits of a given population.

• Or PSYC 2101. Psychological Statistics (4) (F,S,SS) (FC:SO) 3 lecture and 2 lab hours per week. P: MATH 1065 or equivalent or MATH 1066; PSYC 1000 or 1060. Descriptive statistics. Measures of central tendency, variability, and correlation. Probability, with emphasis on sampling distributions used for prediction and hypothesis testing. Selection, computation, and interpretation of parametric and nonparametric inferential statistics, including introduction to analysis of variance.

PHYS 1250, 1260. General Physics (3,3) (F,S,SS) (FC:SC) P for 1250: MATH 1065 or 1066; P for 1260: PHYS 1250. Basic principles of physics, including mechanics, heat, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, light, wave motion, and modern developments in physics.

PHYS 1251, 1261. General Physics Laboratory (1,1) (F,S,SS) (FC:SC) 2 lab hours per week. C for 1251: PHYS 1250 or 2350; C for 1261: 1260 or 2360. Experiments involving general concepts.

•Or PHYS 2350, 2360. University Physics (4,4) (F,S,SS) (FC:SC) P: MATH 2121 or 2171; P for PHYS 2360: PHYS 2350. Calculus-based introduction to basic principles of physics. Mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics.

PSYC 1000. Introductory Psychology (3) (F,S,SS) (FC:SO) May receive credit for one of PSYC 1000, 1060. General survey of fundamental principles underlying human behavior. Introduction, learning, memory, development, physiological, motivation, social and abnormal behavior, and one or two additional topics as time permits.

•Or PSYC 1060. Honors Introduction to Psychology (3) (F,S) (FC:SO) May receive credit for one of PSYC 1000, 1060. Introduces fundamental concepts in psychology in seminar format.

PSYC 2210. Experimental Psychology (4) (WI) (F,S) (FC:SO) P: PSYC 2101or equivalent. Methods of experimentation, including problems of experimental control and data evaluation.

PSYC 3310. Introduction to Neuroscience (3) (F,S,SS) (FC:SO) Same as NEUR 3310 P: PSYC 1000 or 1060. Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology and their relationship to behavior.

NEUR 4950, 4951. Neuroscience Senior Thesis I, II (3,3) (F,S,SS) (WI) P: PSYC 2101 or MATH 2228, PSYC 2210, consent of instructor. Research under the direction of full-time faculty member on neuroscience project culminating in senior thesis.

Lab Courses - Two of the following (5-6 s.h.)

NEUR 4201. Laboratory Methods in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (2) (S) 6 lab hours per week. May not count toward foundations curriculum science requirement. Basic lab methods for research in cellular and molecular neuroscience. Principles of measurement of electrical properties of excitable cells, current voltage and patch clamp, electronic instrumentation, biochemical and radiological methodology, molecular radio and fluorescence labeling, microscopy, and cell and tissue culturing.

PSYC 4312. Laboratory Methods in Behavioral Neuroscience (3) Formerly PSYC 5312, 5313 1 lecture and 4 lab hours per week. P: PSYC 3310, 3311; or consent of instructor. Basic techniques of animal surgery, histological, examination, drug administration, and behavior testing.

PSYC 4315. Neuroscience: Literature and Laboratory Experience (3) (F,S) Formerly PSYC 5315, 5316 1-hour seminar and 8 hours lab per week. May be repeated for maximum of 12 s.h. May count a maximum of 12 s.h. toward PSYC major. P: PSYC 2210; 3310 or 3311; consent of instructor. Recently published research in behavioral neuroscience and lab work on ongoing research project.

Capstone (6 s.h.)

NEUR 4900. Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (3) (F) Formerly NEUR 5000 P: Senior standing and consent of instructor. Introduces cellular mechanisms and molecular basis of neuron and glial function and interaction. Topics include membrane trafficking, action potentials, receptors, and signal transduction, gene transcription factors, neuroimmunology, and developmental neuroscience.

NEUR 4901. Behavioral and Integrative Neuroscience (3) (S) Formerly NEUR 5001 P: Senior standing and consent of instructor. Introduces neural systems and neural basis of behavior. Topics include basic neuroanatomy; computational neuroscience, learning and memory; sensory and motor systems, neural basis of affective behavior, consciousness and cognitive neuroscience, neural plasticity, and brain lateralization and language.

Neuroscience Electives (B.A. - 9 s.h., B.S. - 21 s.h.*)

*Foreign language required for B. A. degree only; must complete through 1004 in one language.
Download the program checksheet for a detailed listing of neuroscience electives.