Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Course Description:
Behavioral Neuroscience (B320) is an upper level course in Psychology intended to provide a basic
understanding of the relationship between the nervous system and behavior. Given significant
advances in our understanding of this relationship, a well-rounded student of psychology can no longer
ignore biologys contribution to the field. Our primary focus will be on the structure and function of the
brain, with a heavy emphasis on the behavioral consequences of the particular structure and function
under consideration. Thus, although it might seem tedious to learn the structure and function of a
neuron or the organization of the brain, I hope to convince you of how a basic understanding of these
concepts can help us understand the way we see, think, and feel, as well as how abnormal behavior is
brought about. My hope is that this course will provide you with exciting new perspectives on and
appreciation for both normal and abnormal human behavior.
Course Policies:
1. Canvas (http://canvas.iu.edu) will be the primary mode of correspondence in this course. I will
communicate with the class via Canvas approximately once per week. Therefore, you are
encouraged to check Canvas daily for important announcements and course-related materials.
Furthermore, a Canvas class discussion forum will allow you to communicate with me and your
peers. The forum will be a great place to post questions that you need help with. Finally, you
should communicate with me via the messaging option in Canvas.
2. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. If I have reason to believe that you are cheating on a
quiz or exam, or Turnitin.com indicates that you have plagiarized a document, you will receive a
zero and may be subject to campus action. Students are referred to http://www.iupui.edu/code/ for
more information on the campus policy on cheating and plagiarism.
3. You are part of a diverse class consisting of students of different gender, race, religion, sexual
orientation, interests, and even learning styles. Treatment of your peers, myself, or the TA with
anything less than your full respect will not be tolerated. Students are referred to
http://www.iupui.edu/code/ for more information on campus policies concerning student conduct.
4. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me to arrange for appropriate
accommodations.
Quizzes:
A short quiz will be taken immediately after viewing the short lectures each week (130 total points
possible, constituting approximately 20% of your final grade). The quizzes will be timed, and consist of
five multiple choice questions (2 points each) that will most often test your understanding of the material
covered in the learning module. However, every now and then I will present you with a quiz question
that I did not cover in a short lecture, but that was instead discussed in the assigned textbook reading.
Thus, reading the associated book chapter before viewing/listening to a learning module will increase
your chances of earning all the points possible on these quizzes. Importantly, some of these same
multiple choice questions will appear on the exam! Short lectures must be viewed and quizzes taken
by Friday night at 11PM each week to earn quiz points.
Book Report:
You will be required to read the book Still Alice, written by Lisa Genova, and write a 3-4 page double-
spaced (Arial font, 1-inch margins) personal reflection on the story, due by 11PM on Monday, April 17
(50 total points possible, constituting approximately 8% of your final grade). Your grade will be
determined based in part on how well you respond to each of the following questions (30 points). (1)
Can you relate to the story line as a friend or family member of someone diagnosed with a
neurodegenerative disorder, addictive disorder, or severe mental illness? (10 points) (2) Which book
character do you think youd most relate to if someone close to you received such a diagnosis? (10
points) (3) What has he book taught you about the human impact of such disorders of the mind? (10
points) Use specific examples with page numbers from the book to illustrate your points. The remaining
20 points will be awarded based on length, spelling, and grammar.
Exams:
Three 100-point exams will be taken online over the course of the semester: Monday, February 13;
Monday, March 27; and Monday, May 1 (300 total points possible, constituting approximately 45% of
your final grade). These exams will consist of a combination of 50 multiple choice questions (2 points
each). On the scheduled exam day, the exam will open at 12AM, and close at 11PM, and will be
accessed via Canvas. Importantly, the exam will be timed. Once you access the exam, you will have
not more than 60 minutes to complete it.
Final Grades:
Point totals will be converted to a %age of total points available (660 points), and the following letter
grades will be assigned: A+ = 97-100%; A = 94-96%; A- = 90-93%; B+ = 87-89%; B = 84-86%; B- = 80-
83%; C+ = 77-79%; C = 74-76%; C- = 70-73%; D+ = 67-69%; D = 64-66%; D- = 60-63%; and F =
59%.
Required Reading:
Kolb, Whishaw, and Campbell, An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, 5th edition (available at the
bookstore)
OR
Kolb and Whishaw, An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, 4th edition (available through Amazon.com)
AND
Genova, Lisa. Still Alice. New York: Pocket Books, 2009 (available through Amazon.com)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Course Schedule:
Monday, January 9 Introduction to Online B320
Introductory module
Week 1 (Jan 9-15) Chapter 1: What Are the Origins of Brain and Behavior?
Short Lecture 1
Week 1 Thought Question
Week 2 (Jan 16-22) Chapter 2: How Does the Nervous System Function
Short Lectures 2, 3, and 4
Week 2 Quiz (Chapters 1-2)
Week 2 Thought Question
Week 3 (Jan 23-29) Chapter 3: What are the Nervous Systems Units?
Short Lectures 5, 6, and 7
Week 3 Quiz (Chapter 3)
Week 3 Thought Question
Week 6 (Feb 13-19) Chapter 6: How Do Drugs and Hormones Influence the Brain?
Short Lectures 16, 17, 18, and 19
Week 6 Quiz (Chapter 6)
Week 7 (Feb 20-16) Chapter 7: How do we Study the Brains Structure and Function?
Short Lectures 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24
Week 7 Quiz (Chapter 7)
Week 7 Thought Question
Week 8 (Feb 27 Mar 5) Chapter 8: How does the Nervous System Develop and Adapt?
Short Lectures 25, 26, and 27
Week 8 Quiz (Chapter 8)
Week 8 Thought Question
Week 9 (Mar 6-12) Chapter 9: How Do We Sense, Perceive, and See the World?
Short Lectures 28, 29, 30, and 31
Week 10 Quiz (Chapter 9)
Week 10 Thought Question
Week 11 (Mar 20-26) Chapter 12: What Causes Emotional and Motivated Behavior?
Short Lectures 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36
Week 11 Quiz (Chapter 12)
Week 15 (Apr 17-23) Chapter 15: How Does the Brain Think?
Short Lectures 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52
Week 15 Quiz (Chapter 15)
Week 15 Thought Question
Week 16 (Apr 24-30) Chapter 16: What Happens When the Brain Misbehaves?
Short Lectures 53, 54, 55, and 56
Week 16 Quiz (Chapter 16)
The above schedule and assignments are subject to change at the discretion of Dr. Boehm.
Honors Contract Options: Students interested in Honors credit are encouraged to contact Dr. Boehm
to discuss options.