The brain is one of the most complex, diverse, and mysterious anatomies in the animal kingdom. Phylogenetic and ontogenetic processes that affect an animal’s response to its environment can lead to dramatic variation in nervous system anatomy. The most elusive diseases that humans have to deal with involve the brain. The human brain is, just as much as anything else in nature, a result of the patterns and processes of evolution. Understanding these patterns and processes, particularly how they affect the brain, is crucial for our understanding of brain disease. A zoological approach to neuroscience will help us understand these patterns and processes. This class will highlight some of the most extreme and exciting examples of brain anatomy, behavior, and cognition across the animal kingdom.
By the end of the class, you will be equipped to:
• Appreciate and assess the diversity in the biological foundations for complex behaviors and actions.
• Evaluate the evolutionary processes that lead to these structures.
• Understand how researchers approach questions in the intersecting fields of zoology and neurology.
The class is designed for all majors, freshman-senior who have an interest in animals, neurology, evolution, environmental biology, or nature as a whole.
To earn a “P” in this class, you need to earn a minimum of 125 points in the class. Here is how you can accumulate points:
Attending class: 5 points
Weekly Homework: 3 points
Field trips: 10-15 points
Short essays: 0-10 points
Final exam/essay: 0-30 points
Note that how you accumulate these points is up to you. For example, if you go to every class, do all the homework, and go on two field trips, you can get about 66% on the final and not even have to do any essays.
Pictures from the Fall, 2016 semester of this class: https://goo.gl/photos/AQehSBpbmX4M45pFA
Section | Facilitator | Size | Location | Time | Starts | Status | CCN(LD) | CCN(UD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Section 2 | Alexander Ehrenberg, Jayden Robert, and Ryan Schendel | 80 | 101 Moffitt | [Tu] 6:30PM-8:00PM | 01/17/2017 | Open | -- | 33484 |