2007-2008 Junior Seminars

The Biology of Conscious States: Waking, Sleeping, and Dreaming (spring term)

Robert Stickgold / Medical School / rstickgold@hms.harvard.edu

*Mind, Brain, and Behavior 93, Tuesdays 1 - 3 p.m., 14 Story St., Room 412

Focuses on waking, sleeping, and dreaming as examples of conscious states in both humans and animals. Original papers and books by Allan Hobson (The Dreaming Brain) and Antonio Damasio (The Feeling of What Happens) from the background for discussions of waking, sleeping, and dreaming from the perspectives of neurology, physiology, psychology, and cognitive neurosciences. Discusses various approaches to understanding the functions of sleep and wake (consciousness) and reviews several theories on the topic. (catalog # 4017)

Can We Learn about How We Learn? Neurogenetics in Learning and Memory (fall term)

Yun Zhan / Organismic and Evolutionary Biology/ yzhang@oeb.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95a, Mondays and Thursdays 4-5:30 p.m., Bio Labs 2080

Learning is a remarkable function of the nervous system. This seminar series is focused on the genetic effects on learning processes. We will first review the basic physiology of and molecular signaling in neurons. We will then discuss current understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms of learning based on studies in Aplysia, C. elegans, Drosophila and mammailian hippocampus. Finally, we will discuss current progress on addiction and drug abuse, and possible treatments. Prerequisite: LS 1a, MCB 80, and permission of the instructor. (catalog # 9013)

Conscious Experience: Image, Space, and Self (spring term)

Daniel Pollen / Psychology / PollenD@ummhc.org

*Mind, Brain, and Behavior 92, Mondays 2-4 p.m., 14 Story Street room 412

Join renowned neuroscientists from Harvard and elsewhere who will lead highly interactive seminars addressing core problems underlying the emergence of conscious visual experience. Topics include the requisite neuronal representations of the content of visual images, their localization within extrapersonal space and the sense of ownership of such images by a self. Subsidiary topics include selective attention, the binding problem, binocular rivalry, change blindness, recursive neuronal networks and distinction between phenomenal and access consciousness. (catalog # 7390)

Critical Experiments in the Human Sciences: Conference Course (spring term)

Rebecca Lemov / History of Science / rlemov@fas.harvard.edu

*History of Science 174, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Science Center 252

An examination of critical experiments drawn from the related fields of social psychology, anthropology, sociology, and psychoanalysis—Pavlov, Milgram, Hawthorne, Mead, and Rosenhan—that changed the human sciences and also changed modern social life. (catalog # 1750)

Darwin Seminar: Evolution and Religion (spring term)

Peter Ellison / Anthropology / pellison@fas.harvard.edu

*Human Evolutionary Biology 1355, Mondays 3 – 5 p.m., Peabody Museum 52H

A course on the intellectual history of evolution with rotating topics. The focus this year will be on the relationship between evolution and religion which has been a significant force in the social response to evolutionary theory from the 19th century to the present. We will consider this relationship from a number of perspectives, relying on the reading of primary texts from Paley to Dennett. We will consider both religious critiques of Darwinian evolutionary theory and evolutionary approaches to understanding religion. (catalog #8314)

Drug Use, Behavior, and Choice (fall term)

Gene Heyman/ Medical School / gmheyman@mclean.harvard.edu

*Mind, Brain, and Behavior 95, Tuesdays 4 - 6 p.m., 14 Story Street room 412

Current advances in the understanding of choice (sometimes called behavioral economics) provide a framework for understanding addiction and other forms of excessive consumption. Topics include key findings in the study of choice, the history of opiate use, heroin addiction, epidemiology of drug dependence, obsessive compulsive disorder, genetic influences on alcohol and drug use, and drug-induced neuroadaptation. (catalog # 4890)

Experience-Based Brain Development: Causes and Consequences
(half course throughout the year)

Takao Hensch / Molecular and Cellular Biology / takao.hensch@childrens.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95hfc, Tuesdays 2-3:30 p.m., Bio Labs 1079

At no time in life does the surrounding environment so potently shape brain function as in infancy and early childhood. This course integrates molecular/cellular biology with systems neuroscience to explore biological mechanisms underlying critical periods in brain development. Understanding how neuronal circuits are sculpted by experience will motivate further consideration of the social impact on therapy, education, policy, and ethics. Guest lecturers from Harvard Schools of Education, Public Health, and Medicine.
Prerequisite: LS 1a, MCB 80, and permission of the instructor. (catalog # 5390)

Eye Can't Hear You: Blindness and Deafness in Society
(half course throughout the year)

Jonathan Matsui / Neurobiology / jmatsui@fas.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95hfi, Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., Leverett House Seminar Room F1 (Tower); first meeting September 18th, 7:30-9 p.m., Bio Labs 2080

This course presents the ear and retina as model systems to investigate neural degeneration and regeneration. We will first examine how the loss of hearing and vision though genetics, aging, and the environment affects the individual and their families. We will then examine different mechanisms by which partial restoration of these senses may occur through the use of stem cells, prosthetics, and other treatments. Prerequisites: LS 1a, MCB 80, and permission of the instructor. (catalog # 9859)

Human Sexuality: Research and Presentation Seminar (fall term)

Judith Chapman / Anthropology / jflynn@fas.harvard.edu

*Human Evolutionary Biology 1312, Fridays 1 - 3 p.m., Quincy House Spindell Private Dining Room

An examination of human sexuality from a scientific perspective. Students will read and present primary scientific literature that highlights current research on a variety of topics including: sexual development, gender identity, sexual orientation, cross cultural variations in mating systems, promiscuity, the evolution of monogamy, sexual attraction, sexual communication, including an exploration of the existence of human pheromones, libido and sexual dysfunction. Enrollment: Limited to 15. (catalog # 5008)

Managing the Mind (spring term)

Charles Rosenberg / History of Science / rosenb3@fas.harvard.edu

*History of Science 172, Thursdays 2-4 p.m., Science Center 469

Focuses on efforts to prevent, cure, and manage emotional and behavioral ills. The readings and discussion examine relationships between law and medicine, efforts to prevent mental illness ("mental hygiene"), and efforts at therapeutic management ranging from institutional care to lobotomy. Prerequisite: HS A-87 ("Madness and Medicine") provides good background for this course, but is not a requirement. (catalog # 1216)

Meaning, Quantification and Number: Proseminar (spring term)

Paul Pietroski / Philosophy and Mind/Brain/Behavior / pietro@umd.edu

*Philosophy 146y, Wednesdays 2-4 p.m., Emerson 310

An examination of issues concerning quantificational and numeric expressions like "every", "most", and "seven". What do such words mean? How are they special, grammatically and semantically? How do children understand such words? How can the tools of logic, linguistics, and psychology be used to formulate and evaluate interesting hypotheses in this domain? (catalog # 7494)

Mechanisms of Neurological Disease (half course throughout the year)

Eng Lo / Medical School / lo@helix.mgh.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95hfk, Thursdays 2-4 p.m., Bio Labs 2080

Advances in molecular and cellular biology have revealed similar basic mechanisms of brain cell death in a wide range of disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke etc). These pathways include excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. This seminar examines (1) the molecular mechanisms of cell death, (2) the evidence that implicates specific pathways in specific disorders, and (3) rational therapeutic targets for disease. Prerequisite: MCB 80 and permission of the instructor. (catalog # 7431)

Medicine and Deviance: Conference Course (fall term)

Charles Rosenberg / History of Science / rosenb3@fas.harvard.edu

*History of Science 145, Wednesdays 2-4 p.m., Science Center 252

behaviors as the consequences of disease rather than culpable choice. I refer to a variety of behaviors ranging from homosexuality to substance abuse, from chronic fatigue syndrome to premenstrual syndrome. This course will focus on the interrelated legal, medical, policy, and professional history of such problematic "diseases" during the past century and a half. Enrollment: Limited to 15. (catalog # 2795)

Music and the Brain (spring term)

Mark Tramo / Medical School / mark_tramo@hms.harvard.edu

*Mind, Brain, and Behavior 98, Wednesdays 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., 14 Story Street room 412

This seminar course takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding neural systems that govern music perception and cognition. Students master relevant topics in psychophysics, cognitive psychology, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and neurology. Individual seminars are thematic (e.g., melody and harmony perception; talent and creativity). The course also provides students with the opportunity to develop oral presentation skills and to learn how to read science literature critically. (catalog # 3562)

Neurobiology of Decision Making (half course throughout the year)

Naoshige Uchida / Molecular and Cellular Biology / uchida@mcb.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95hfb, Wednesdays 7:30-9 p.m., Bio Labs 2080

How does an animal learn from an ever-changing environment and adjust their behavior? What is the neuronal underpinning of decision-making? Recent advances in neuroscience have provided insights about neuronal processes underlying decision-making. This tutorial examines key literatures on neurophysiological studies of decision-making. Through these readings, students learn recent advances in research, various key concepts and quantitative analysis methods used in neurophysiological studies of decision-making. Prerequisite: MCB 80 and permission of the instructor. (catalog # 6972)

Other Minds: Proseminar (fall term)

Cheryl Chen / Philosophy / ckchen@fas.harvard.edu

*Philosophy 158y, Mondays 2-4 p.m.

An investigation of the "problem of other minds" and related issues. How do you know that other people have thoughts and experiences similar to your own? What is the relation between psychological states and behavior? What assumptions must you make in order to interpret a person’s linguistic utterances? What reason do you have to take the testimony of other people at face value? (catalog # 6371)

Physicalism: Proseminar (fall term)

Daniel Stoljar / Psychology / dstoljar@coombs.anu.edu.au

*Philosophy 158x, Thursdays 2-4 p.m.

This course discusses the philosophical role of the thesis of physicalism, its various formulations, and arguments for and against it. Topics will include: the concept of the physical, skepticism about the concept, supervenience and emergentism. (catalog # 5248)

Problem Solving in Neuroscience: An Interactive Case-Based Online Network (ICON) (half course throughout the year)

James Quattrochi / Medical School / jquattr@fas.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95hfd, Wednesdays 6:30-9 p.m., Kirkland House Senior Common Room; first meeting September 19th, 7-8 p.m., Bio Labs 2062

The ICON tutorial facilitates hypothesis-driven decision-making and collaborative team management to enhance the integration of information, and to encourage faculty-student partnerships in the learning of neuroscience. ICON is real- time simulation using online learning modules that permits students to communicate directly with faculty, specialists from different disciplines, and with the "patient" in difficult neuroscience cases. By emphasizing this student-centered process of learning, ICON can yield a new interdisciplinary competency that shapes the way the student thinks. Prerequisite: MCB 80 and permission of the instructor. (catalog # 3437)

The Science of Happiness (spring term)

Nancy Etcoff / Medical School / netcoff@partners.org

*Mind, Brain, and Behavior 96, Thursdays 1 - 3 p.m., 14 Story Street room 412

Focuses on the science of happiness, integrating findings from positive psychology, psychiatry, behavioral genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral economics. Begins with a brief history of ideas on happiness from Aristotle to Kahneman. Considers the genetics of happiness including the notion of a biologically determined hedonic set point, the brain's pleasure circuitry, and the mind's power to frame events positively, a tool used in cognitive therapies. Questions whether pleasure and happiness are our purpose. (catalog # 2517)

The Sleeping Brain (half course throughout the year)

Jeffrey Ellenbogen / Medical School / jeffrey_ellenbogen@hms.harvard.edu

Jessica Payne / Medical School / jdpayne@bidmc.harvard.edu

*Neurobiology 95hfj, Wednesdays 6-7:30 p.m., 14 Story Street room 214

The average person will sleep more than 20 years in their lifetime. What are the operations of the brain during this altered state of consciousness? In this seminar, we will broadly explore the neuroscience of sleep, including anatomy and physiology, human disease (parasomnias, narcolepsy etc.), animal and computation models of human sleep, and neuro- imaging. Behavioral and cognitive neuroscience of sleep will be emphasized. Students will learn to critically appraise scientific literature. Prerequisite: LS 1a, MCB 80, and permission of instructor. (catalog # 6361)

Theories of Violence (fall term)

Alan Stone / Law School and Medical School / stone_law@harvard.edu

*Mind, Brain, and Behavior 94, Tuesdays 2 - 4 p.m., 14 Story Street room 412

Consider how law and science "construct" violence. Review clinical examples of violence (videotapes of a serial killer, a sexually violent predator, and a case of maternal infanticide) and the responses of law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Then examine the spectrum of scientific theories that seek to explain human violence and their relevance to law. (catalog # 7611)