Foundation Courses 2011-2012
A major challenge in a broad multi-disciplinary area like Mind/Brain/Behavior is the development of a common core of basic knowledge. This common language can allow students and scholars from a wide range of fields and backgrounds to communicate fruitfully on topics beyond the areas of their immediate expertise. The MBB tracks seek to help students develop such a knowledge base by offering a set of "foundation" courses. In the first two years, two lecture courses -- Science of Living Systems 20 (Psychological Science) and Molecular and Cellular Biology 80 (Neurobiology of Behavior) -- help students gain a broad exposure to the physiological and behavioral bases of concerns addressed in the MBB disciplines. Supplementing these MBB courses are other introductory course requirements for the specific areas covered in each track. In the final two years, the emphasis moves from breadth to depth of knowledge and toward more independent work. As juniors, students select from a number of Interdisciplinary Seminars in Mind/Brain/Behavior to gain an appreciation for the detailed study of a particular phenomenon or issue. As seniors, these students prepare honors theses and share their thesis research in a thesis seminar, Interdisciplinary Research Workshop in Mind/Brain/Behavior. Catalog listings and more detailed descriptions of the foundation courses follow.
First Year: Science of Living Systems 20 (Psychological Science)
This courses provides MBB students with a general introduction to topics relevant to all the MBB tracks. It addresses foundational questions such as, “How can the mind be studied scientifically? Is the mind a computer? How did evolution shape the mind and brain? How should we think about nature and nurture? How can the brain generate thought and perception? What is consciousness?” It addresses specific faculties of the brain such as visual and auditory perception, memory, attention, reasoning, imagery, language, the social and nonsocial emotions, self-knowledge, love, sex, and violence. It presents the neural, computational, developmental, phylogenetic, and adaptive dimensions of our psychological faculties, and discusses research from psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, linguistics, anthropology, philosophy, and the arts.
fall term, Professor Daniel Gilbert
Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m., and a weekly ninety-minute section, Science Center B
spring term, Professor Steven Pinker
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., and a weekly section, Science Center C
An introduction to the sciences of mind, including foundational concepts from neuroscience, evolution, genetics, philosophy, and experimental methods, and specific topics such as perception, memory, reasoning and decision-making, consciousness, child development, psychopathology, personality, language, emotion, sexuality, violence, and social relations.NOTE: Students who have taken Science B-62 or Science B-29 may use one of those courses to fulfill this MBB foundational requirement. Students who have taken Science B-62 or Psychology 1 may not take this course for credit but may use those courses to satisfy the General Education requirement for Science of Living Systems or the Core area requirement for Science B. This course, as well as Science B-62 and Psychology 1, meet the Tier 1 requirement for Psychology. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Science B.
Sophomore Year: Molecular and Cellular Biology 80 (Neurobiology of Behavior)
This course covers the topic central to all students in MBB tracks: the fundamentals of brain structure and function. These fundamentals will provide a common background knowledge important for all tracks. For example, for students in History and Science, it is important to understand theories of neuron and brain function in order to trace the development of these views. For students in Philosophy, it is important to have a realistic conception of how the brain actually works when, for example, discussing the relationship between mind and body. For students in Computer Science, it is important to understand how real neurons work in order to develop more biologically realistic computational models. For students in Psychology, it is important to understand behavior in terms of cellular function and anatomical circuitry to provide new insights on psychological theories. For Neurobiology, this course provides an initial view of cellular processes and systems which will be further developed in higher level courses. Even if the final focus of the concentration designed by individual students does not include biological experimentation, it is important that all students keep in mind the constraints of biological knowledge.
fall term, Professors Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 - 2:30 p.m., and a weekly ninety-minute section, Lowell Lecture Hall
An introduction to the ways in which the brain controls mental activities. The course covers the cells and signals that process and transmit information, and the ways in which neurons form circuits that change with experience. Topics include the neurobiology of perception, learning, memory, language, emotion, and mental illness. Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Science B. The course is open to students with little formal training in biology.