Special Offered Courses - Spring 2007

Special offered Courses | Regularly offered Courses

Students in the B&B program should consider taking or auditing courses in other departments that are relevant to their interests.

Please Note: These courses are for Spring 2007. They will change each semester.

Neurobiology Laboratory in Computational Neuroscience
Course: Biol 4180, 6180
Instructors: Gennady Cymbalyuk & Don Edwards
Time: Tues, Thurs, 1-5PM
Location: 334 NSC

Students will learn how to build, use, and test computational models of neurons, synapses, neural circuits, and the neurally controlled behavior of simulated animals.
Students will learn to use different software packages such as Neurosim, Neuron, Matlab, AnimatLab, and Content to build and test models, analyze data, and present graphs
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Brains Rule! Neuroscience Exposition Internship
Course:  BIOL 4915 / 6915 010 CRN 16644
Instructor: Kyle Frantz
Credit:  2 hrs.
Time:  Every-Other-Friday from 2:45-4:25pm
Location: GCB 317.  

Earn credit for designing, implementing, and evaluating neuroscience teaching modules at the spring 2007 Neuroscience Exposition at Zoo Atlanta.   Internship course content includes introductions to the Expo, reviews of basic neuroscience concepts, introductions to constructivist learning theory, and experience with science education research.  Grades based on effective design and implementation of hands-on teaching modules, data analysis, and class participation.  Instructor permission required.  Email kfrantz@gsu.edu.
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Prerequisites: PhD student and permission of instructor
This course will focus on the training of doctoral students in the design of neurobiobehavioral experiments and the statistical methodologies appropriate for analyzing biological and behavioral data.  Course includes parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses, as well as applied problem sets using biological data.  Multivariate regression analysis, ANCOVA and probability theory will also be covered. 
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Concepts in Neurobiology: The Chemical Senses
Course: Bio 8110
Instructor: Charles Derby
Time: Wednesdays 1:00-2:40 pm
Location: 425 Sparks Hall

Course Objectives and Topics.
The title is simple: The Chemical Senses.  The course will be a comprehensive overview of the chemical senses, so that students develop a broad background and overview of the topic.  Our approach will be comparative and thus will include vertebrates, invertebrates, and unicells.  We will examine stimuli, sensory cells, integration, behavior, and perception.  We will study experimental approaches from molecular to psychophysics.  Obviously, we cannot study it all.  What we study will in part depend on student interests.  We will study as much as we can, broadly and deeply.

Neurobiology Concepts: The Mechanisms of Sexual Determination and Differentiation
Instructors: Matthew Grober & Laura Carruth
Credit: 2 hrs.
Time: Thursdays from 2:45-4:25pm
Location: GCB 429.  

"The Mechanisms of Sexual Determination and Differentiation" This course will cover both invertebrates and vertebrates, aread the classic papers, plus explore new directions in the fields of neuronal and gonadal differentiation.
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Philosophy of Mind
Course: PHIL 4330/6330
Instructor: Eddy Nahmias
TIme: MW 12-1:15

What does it mean to have a mind?  Are our minds our brains?  How do we know when other creatures are conscious?  Could computers have minds?  Do animals have minds?  What does it mean to “lose one's mind”?  Would we lose our minds if we were brains in a vat (or in a Matrix)?  In this course, we will explore these questions as we examine various theories of mind and views on the relationship between the mind and the brain.  We will study some of the traditional philosophical questions about the mind, including consciousness, self-awareness, free will, reason, intentionality, and language, sometimes as they are informed by research in psychology, neuroscience, and other cognitive sciences.  And we will study the main philosophical theories of mind, including dualism, behaviorism, functionalism, and mind-brain identity theory.
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Behavioral Neuroscience
Course: Psyc 8610 or (Biology 8060)
Instructor: Dr. Marise B. Parent
TIme: 9:00 - 11:30 am Friday
Location: General Classroom Building

Course Objectives:
1.  Students will learn about the history of the field of behavioral neuroscience.
2.  Students will learn about the structure and function of cells of the nervous system, neural communication, and the structure of the nervous system as a whole.
3.  Students will learn about methods used in behavioral neuroscience research.
4.  Students will learn how the nervous system produces sensation, perception, and movement.
5.  Students will also learn about the brain mechanisms of reproduction, emotion, and learning and memory.
6.  Finally, students will learn about the hypothesized biological bases of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression.
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Topics in Behavior and Neurobiology: Neuromics
Course: Biol 8950-010 / CRN: 16685
Instructor: Paul Katz
Time: Weds 10-10:50
Location: Room 320 General Classroom Building

For this course, we will be reading papers that define the emerging field of Neuromics. Neuromics is analogous to Genomics. Just as Genomics is the cataloging and study of the genes of an organism and their interactions, Neuromics is the cataloging and study of the neurons in an organism. The course will be student-led discussions. We will read papers about how neurons are categorized and how neural circuitry is worked out in invertebrates. We will then explore how this applied to vertebrates. We will discuss the concept of homology as it applies to neurons and neural circuits. We will discuss emerging methods for cataloging neurons and their connections including expression profiles, developmental lineages, gal4 lines, and hox gene expression. This course assumes an advanced knowledge of neuroscience. It is intended for Ph.D. students and advanced Masters students.
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Topics in Behavior & Neurobiology: Companion Course to the Brains & Behavior Distinguished Lectures series
Course: BIOL8950
Credit: 1 Hr.
Instructor: Anne Murphy
Time:  to be determined
REQUIRED for all Brains & Behavior Scholars, however ALL graduate students interested in neuroscience should enroll

Course Description:
This Graduate topics course will be a student-led discussion based on the papers of the speakers from the Brains & Behavior Distinguished Lectures series. There will be ten invited speakers for the 2005-2006 academic year representing the research interests of the four B&B groups:  social behavior, adaptability, molecular, and computer science. There will be a PIZZA LUNCH for students at noon on Tuesdays following the seminar to meet the speakers and discuss the work further. Grading:  S/U  - In order for a student to receive credit for attending the class, the student must participate in the discussion of the papers.  In addition, students are required to attend the monthly 10AM Tuesday seminars by the speakers in the B&B Lecture series. Grounds for receiving a U include:  missing more than three sessions, lack of participation in class, and coming to class unprepared. Format: Discussion leaders will be chosen for each speaker. Each meeting, the class will read papers pertaining to the upcoming lectures.  Students will run the discussion of the papers.  Readings are not limited to the papers of the lecturer, but may include papers on the same topic. In addition, the hosting research division will provide background information.

NOTE:  This course is required for all Brains & Behavior Scholars. However, ALL graduate students with an interest in neuroscience are encouraged to apply.

NOTE 2:  This course is not yet listed in GoSolar, but will be shortly.

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Brains & Behavior Participating Departments: