Music and language offer unique pathways into studying the human mind. This interdisciplinary course explores the parallels and differences between music and language by investigating their functions and structures, as well as the variety found in each across the globe. We will examine how both past experiences and cognitive processes shape perception in real time. Through a variety of interdisciplinary readings, guest lecturers, and hands-on activities, the course aims to highlight current lively debates and provide students with the background and tools needed to study the relationship between music and language from multiple perspectives.

Cognitive neuroscience is a young and exciting field with many questions yet to be answered. This course surveys current knowledge about the neural basis of perception, cognition and action and will comprehensively cover topics such as high-level vision, attention, memory, language, decision making, as well as their typical and atypical development. Precepts will discuss the assigned research articles, pertaining to topics covered in class with an emphasis on developing critical reading skills of scientific literature.

Stress has been linked to a wide range of physical and mental illnesses, yet stress is part of everyday life and most organisms respond to challenges with adaptation and recovery. This course will consider both foundational and contemporary research regarding stress effects on the body and brain with the goal of gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of both resilience to stress and stress-induced pathology. The course will be divided into three modules, each covering basic themes in stress research.

The brain is made up of billions of neurons, each sending and receiving signals from thousands of other neurons. This densely connected network of neurons gives rise to rich spatial and temporal dynamics. This course will investigate these dynamics. The course will present experimental results from systems-level neuroscience and then discuss the theoretical implications of these findings, particularly as they relate to higher-order, cognitive behaviors.

Introduction to a mathematical description of how networks of neurons can represent information and compute with it. Course will survey computational modeling and data analysis methods for neuroscience. Example topics are short-term memory and decision-making, population coding, modeling behavioral and neural data, and reinforcement learning. Classes will be a mix of lectures from the professor, and presentations of research papers by the students. Two 90 minute lectures, one laboratory. Lectures in common between NEU 437/NEU 537.

Computers now exceed humans in many complex, real-world tasks. However, humans remain unique in the range of tasks they can perform, and the ability to generalize their knowledge to new ones. This course will consider the components and characteristics of a computational architecture needed to achieve these capabilities. Topics will span work in cognitive, brain, and computer science. Students will come away with a broad view of how these fields are informing each other, and how together they are beginning to provide an outline of the computational architecture responsible for the (still) uniquely human form of intelligence.

A survey of modern neuroscience that covers experimental and theoretical approaches to understanding how the brain works. This semester builds on 501, focusing on how the circuits and systems of the brain give rise to cognition. The course covers the neural mechanisms responsible for vision, long-term memory, sleep, motor control, habits, decision making, attention, working memory, and cognitive control. How these functions are disrupted in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders are also covered. This is the second term of a double-credit core lecture course required of all Neuroscience Ph.D. students.

Advanced seminar that reflects current research on brain and behavior.

Introduction to a mathematical description of how networks of neurons can represent information and compute with it. Course surveys computational modeling and data analysis methods for neuroscience. Example topics are short-term memory and decision-making, population coding, modeling behavioral and neural data, and reinforcement learning. Classes are a mix of lectures from the professor, and presentations of research papers by the students. Two 90 minute lectures, one laboratory. Lectures in common between NEU 437/NEU 537. Graduate students carry out a semester-long project.

Survey of different types of abnormal behaviors and different models of explanation. Students will come to understand the conflicting viewpoints and treatment approaches that characterize the clinical field, and will understand what is presently known and not known about abnormal functioning.

An exploration of original texts in the history of thought about the workings of the human mind starting in Antiquity and leading to the development of the empirical discipline of psychology in the 19th century and some of its modern trends. Subsequent developments, including the child study movement, are explored though 20th century writings, culminating with Sartre's philosophical psychology and sources in Eastern thought to put the Western trajectory in perspective.

Science searches for patterns in data. Quantitative methods are tools for finding and evaluating these patterns. This course introduces foundational concepts in quantitative methods, including data visualization and common statistical tests used in psychological research.

The scientific study of social behavior, with an emphasis on social interaction and group influence. Topics covered will include social perception, the formation of attitudes and prejudice, attraction, conformity and obedience, altruism and aggression, and group dynamics.

Principles of psychology relevant to the theory and practice of education. Through selected readings, discussion, and classroom observations, students study theories of development, learning, cognition (including literacy), and motivation, as well as individual and group differences in these areas; assessment; and the social psychology of the classroom. The course focuses on how learning by children and adolescents at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels is influenced by their own characteristics and experiences and the various contexts in which they learn: family, school, community and culture.

The objectives of this course are to understand the bio-psycho-social/processes that influence health-related behaviors, health and wellness, and health-care delivery. Topics to be examined are the psycho-physiological and socio-cultural bases of health and illness; pain; adaptation to chronic illness; stress; personality and illness; death, dying, and grief; substance use; obesity and nutrition; health promoting behaviors; patient adherence; physician-patient communication; and health care utilization.

In this class we will explore gender and sex diversity in humans. We will read and listen to classic medical cases and scientific studies, anthropological reports, the first-person narrative accounts of intersex and nonbinary adults, and podcasts from expert researchers. Throughout the class we will dive into deep ethical dilemmas emerging in the current cultural moment and learn what social and life scientists think about these topics to develop our own views.

This course explores the neural foundations of social cognition and social emotions. The objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of research topics relevant to the emerging field of social neuroscience. We will also discuss questions that cut across the specific topics that will be covered. Do neural systems exist that are specialized for social cognition or do the systems that participate in social cognition have more general cognitive functions? Can neuroscientific research shed new light on social cognition? How can different disciplines in neuroscience and the social sciences contribute to social neuroscience research?

We will take a modern, integrative view of animal learning phenomena from experimental psychology, analyzing them through the lens of computational models of reinforcement learning and current neuroscientific knowledge. The goal is to explore how theoretical concepts apply to every-day attempts to change people's minds, and how computational modeling is a useful framework for understanding human behavior. To maximize learning and skill acquisition, the course will include group work and class presentations, and will follow the 'teaching without grades' method, primarily motivated by progress towards your own goals, rather than by grades.

Decision-making is ubiquitous to everyday life and crucial to survival. Good choice is subject to evolutionary selection; poor choice accompanies many neurological and psychiatric disorders. But theoretical understanding of a function is needed to manipulate and measure it experimentally. Recently, this has led scientists studying choice to seek insights from economics. This course explores how humans and animals make decisions, focusing on how psychological and neural mechanisms implement, or fail to implement, economic theories of choice. We consider choice in many sorts of tasks; eg, in animal foraging and human competitive interactions.

Adversity is a powerful force in the human experience. From scarcity, to disasters, to marginalization, experiences of adversity play a pivotal role in how people think, feel, and act. This seminar will explore the psychological consequences of adversity, including its effects on beliefs, attitudes, decision-making, morality, self and identity, health and well-being, close relationships, and communities. We will consider not only the deleterious effects of adversity, but also how it can foster resilience, strengthen ties, and spark creativity. The course will balance psychological theories and research with personal and historic narratives.

This course will provide an introduction to the scientific study of sensation and perception, the biological and psychological processes by which we perceive and interpret the world around us. We will undertake a detailed study of the major senses (vision, audition, touch, smell, taste), using insights from a variety of disciplines (philosophy, physics, computer science, neuroscience, psychology) to examine how these senses work and why. We will begin with physical bases for perceptual information (e.g., light, sound waves) and proceed to an investigation of the structures, circuits, and mechanisms by which the brain forms sensory percepts.

Introduction to graduate level social psychology for first year graduate students in psychology. This course will serve as the basis for more advanced graduate courses on specific topics in this area.

Current research and issues in cognition, perception, and learning. Seminar participants present ongoing research and discuss current topics of interest in the literature.

An advanced seminar that considers current research in social psychology. Contemporary research conducted by the seminar participants is discussed.