Psyc 110 Brain and Behavior Syllabus PDF

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Syllabus of the course for 2020-2021 with Brent Hughes...

Description

The Brain and Behavior Course PSYC 110, Spring 2021 Instructor: Edward Zagha Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience for Psychology Majors 3 Lectures and 1 Discussion session each week, 10 weeks Lecture: M/W/F 10:00-10:50a https://ucr.zoom.us/j/99081513054 Instructor office hours: Tues 1:00-2:00p https://ucr.zoom.us/j/99434210604 Or by appointment Contact information (include the course number in the subject line) Instructor: Edward Zagha: [email protected] Teaching Assistants: Mahsa Shalchy: [email protected] Discussion sections: Thurs 8-8:50a, 9-9:50a, 10-10:50a Office hours: Thurs 11a-12p or by appointment https://ucr.zoom.us/j/97696002870 Behzad Zareian: [email protected] Discussion sections: Thurs 11-11:50a, 12-12:50p, 1-1:50p Office hours: Fri 11am -12 pm or by appointment https://ucr.zoom.us/my/bzare001 Erin Alderson: [email protected] Discussion sections: Thurs 2-2:50p, 3-3:50p, 4-4:50p Office hours: Thurs 1-2p or by appointment https://ucr.zoom.us/my/erinalderson Course Description/Objectives: The goal of this class is to introduce students to the biological foundations of behavior. We will begin by describing the building blocks of the brain: neurons and their ability to communicate with each other. We will then explore the major sensory and motor systems of the brain. We will end by attempting to understand how these systems work together to underlie complex and meaningful behavior. Throughout the course, we will identify how disruptions of normal brain functions underlie disease states. Grading will be based on exams (2 midterms and 1 final) and participation in Discussion sections. Prerequisites: PSYC 001, minimum Grade of C-, may not be taken concurrently. I will assume you have an introductory understanding of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. Student Responsibilities: Attendance and active participation in Discussion sections is required. Lectures will be delivered synchronously and recorded for review. Lecture slides will be posted immediately before each lecture, and lecture videos will be made available by the day after (on iLearn). Suggested reading material will be designated for each lecture. To get the most out of this course, I recommend that you: - Read the suggested material before each lecture - Actively participate in the synchronous lectures (ask questions in the chat or by audio)

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Take notes on the lecture slides provided For difficult concepts, ask questions during your Discussion section (primary) and/or at office hours (secondary)

Recommended Textbook: Carlson and Birkett (2016) Physiology of Behavior (12th Edition) Discussion sections: Attendance and participation are required. Please attend your assigned section via the appropriate Zoom link. If you have a circumstance where you need to attend another Discussion section, try to find another time administered by your assigned TA. For any changes, email your assigned TA (and if appropriate, also the TA of the section you plan to attend). Since your assigned TA will be grading your attendance, they must be informed of any changes. You do not need prior approval to attend a different section, but you do need to alert your TA before your assigned section begins. We encourage you to use video as much as possible to facilitate discussions, but it is not required. Please mute yourself except when speaking to avoid background noise. Content from Discussion sections will not be recorded. Technical notes: If, at any time, including during an exam, you have any problems with your technology (wifi, computer, etc.), please contact your TA immediately. Do not wait until after the fact. We will try and help you solve the problem or otherwise take it into account. If you anticipate having difficulty with technology or do not think your technology will be adequate, email me and your TA and we will try to find a solution. The recorded lectures and lecture slides are for your personal use only. Please do not share them outside of this course, without explicit permission from the instructor. Exams: The two midterm and one final exam will be taken via the iLearn site and will be multiple choice. You may use any notes/sources that you wish, except for other people. Do not provide or receive any help during the exam, and do not reproduce, download, or otherwise copy exam material in any way. Doing so will constitute cheating in this course (see ‘Academic integrity’ section below). Exams will include material covered in lectures and discussions and reinforced in the reading assignments. To reiterate, all exam content will be covered during lectures and/or discussion sections. Midterm exams 1 and 2 will consist of 40 questions; the final exam will consist of 60 questions, 30 of which will review material from the entire course, and the remaining 30 will cover new material (presented after Midterm 2). Midterm 2 will not be cumulative (i.e., will only cover material presented after Midterm 1). Midterm exams will be given during normal lecture hours. The final exam will be given during finals week (Fri June 11, 11:30a-2:30p). There will be no regularly scheduled makeups of exams. Students missing an exam must have a valid excuse (e.g., medical, etc.) and must take a makeup exam before the original exam is discussed. Students needing to take a makeup after this point need a Dean's excuse. Grading: Midterm 1 (40 points possible, 26%), Midterm 2 (40 points possible, 26%), Final (60 points possible, 39%), Discussion section (15 points possible, 10%). There is a total of 155 total points towards the final grade. Grading will be based on a standard point scale: A: 142-155 (92-100%) A-: 139-141 (90-92%) B+:136-138 (88-90%) B: 127-135 (82-88%) B-: 124-126 (80-82%) C+:121-123 (78-80%)

C: 111-120 (72-78%) C-: 108-110 (70-72%) D+:105-107 (68-70%) D: 96-104 (62-68%) D-: 93-95 (60-62%) F:...