Harvard Summer School and Mind Brain Behavior Interfaculty Initiative
June 4th - July 31st
Application due January 28th, 2016
HARVARD SUMMER SCHOOL TRENTO WEBPAGE
This webpage provides budget application details: http://www.summer.harvard.edu/programs/study-abroad/trento-italy
OVERVIEW
The 2016 Harvard Summer Program in Mind/Brain Sciences in Trento, Italy, is the seventh time we have offered this 8-week study abroad program that provides both a stimulating academic environment for learning about the mind/brain and a unique cultural experience of living and traveling with Italian college students. This year courses will be taught by faculty from the Mind Brain Behavior (MBB) Interfaculty Initiative at Harvard and the University of Trento. Students enroll in two 4-week courses. Instruction is in English. Courses run Monday through Thursday. Fridays are dedicated to program outings. The program enrolls US and Italian students to foster a cross-cultural learning environment. For the duration of the program, students are housed in University of Trento housing and are enrolled in the University of Trento meal plan. Outings and trips immerse students in Italian culture and tradition. Past events have included hikes in the Italian Alps, a weekend getaway on Lake Garda, and day or overnight trips to cities such as Venice, Verona, and Florence. On free weekends, students can organize additional trips to explore Italy (past students visited Rome and Milan in small groups).
COURSE OFFERINGS
MBB S-101, Windows into the Structure of the Mind and Brain - Alfonso Caramazza (Psychology/FAS) and John Assad (Harvard Medical School)
The mind/brain can be studied at multiple levels of description and with various methodologies. The course reviews methods from psycholinguistics to neuroimaging, and from computational modeling to cellular and clinical neuroscience. Each method is illustrated through laboratory demonstrations. This course is mandatory for all program participants, and it is meant to provide the neuroscience and cognitive science foundation necessary to explore specific topics in the field. Prerequisite: None.
MBB S-98, Inside the Minds (and Brains) of Other Animals – Giorgio Vallortigara (University of Trento)
Studies on the ontogenetic origins of human knowledge suggest that cognition does not arise as a blank slate. On the contrary, the human mind appears to be built on a set of core knowledge systems that represent significant aspects of the environment such as physical objects, living beings, spatial relationships, and number. Core knowledge systems are evolutionarily ancient, and they can be investigated from a comparative perspective. The course focuses on the evidence showing precocious abilities in nonhuman species to represent (a) inert objects with their basic mechanical properties, (b) the cardinal and ordinal aspects of numerical cognition, (c) the geometrical relationships among extended surfaces in the surrounding layout, and (d) the abstract and statistical regularities of environmental stimuli. Controlled rearing studies suggest that the abilities associated with core knowledge systems of objects, number, and geometry are observed in animals in the absence (or with very reduced) experience, thus supporting a nativist foundation of such cognitive mechanisms. Prerequisite: MBB S-101 or equivalent.
COURSE CREDIT
This program counts as two half-year courses (4 credits each) of degree credit. A combination of MBB S-101 and MBB S-98 will fulfill the Science of Living Systems requirement in General Education.
MBB S-101 and MBB S-98 will count as MBB electives for the MBB secondary field. In general, tracks will give one course (4 credits) for completion of the program. Please consult with concentration advisor to confirm. Note: MBB S-101 does not substitute for either MBB foundational course (SLS 20 or MCB 80).
CONTACT INFORMATION