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Course Description and TextbookCourse Description: This introductory course in neuroscience is intended for students who have a general interest in how the brain controls behavior. A central objective of this course is to improve observational and reasoning skills in order to evaluate scientific issues in the today's world. The course covers fundamental concepts of molecular, cellular, and systems physiology to understand 1) how individual nerves work and communicate, 2) how the nervous system controls various aspects of behavior, and 3) how experimental approaches are used to unravel the neurobiological basis for animal and human behavior. Examples are taken from various vertebrate groups. At the end of the course you will have an appreciation for how neural pathways in the brain integrate sensory input and motor output, including topics such as sexual behavior, aggression, feeding behavior, biological timing, animal orientation/migration, and learning and memory. You will be able to understand and evaluate the general concepts in these specialty fields as well as critique the literature.IPHY 3730 meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 am in E186 Museum Collections (MCOLE). Textbook: Physiology
of Behavior by Neil R. Carlson (2007) Allyn and Bacon Publishing
Company (9th Edition). The book is available in the CU and Colorado
Bookstores. Used copies of the text (8th Edition) are available at Amazon.com.
Lecture Information Lecture: Attendance
is not compulsory, but strongly encouraged, especially since part of
your grade is determined in part by classroom discussion and in-class
quizzes. Be aware that in past classes I have found a strong correlation
between class attendance and the final course grade (See:
Graph of these data). You are responsible for lecture material and
any announcements concerning changes in schedule, etc. that may be made
in lecture. You are also responsible for updates
and general announcments made on this Course Web Page.
Background for the CourseStudents enrolled in this course should have had at least a one semester course covering the fundamentals of cellular and physiological science (i.e., IPHY 1010 or PSYC 2012 or MCDB 1150 or EBIO1210) as well as one year of General Chemistry. Students who have not fulfilled the prerequisites may be adminstratively deleted from the course list. The lecture material in this course does not assume that you have a working knowledge of anatomy.
Exams and I>clickersEXAMS. There will be three mid-semester examinations (100 points each) and a final examination (100 points). Each exam will consist of objective and subjective questions. The final examination will be given at the final exam time which is scheduled for IPHY 3730. After each exam, you have one week to challenge the grade that you received. If you take all 3 mid-semester exams, the lowest of the 3 scores will be dropped. The final exam is required and is cumulative over the entire semester.Because of this liberal policy of dropping the lowest of 3 scores, there will be NO EXCUSED or LATE exams for any reason. I allow dropping one score only because some students are sick or experience a personal tragedy at the time of a scheduled exam. This drop could also be used to honor a religious holiday. View this drop option as a gift to be used only when absolutely needed. Finally, a word of advice. Not taking a mid-semester exam because
you are poorly prepared is a foolish course of action because you forfeit
the drop option which you might have to use at a later date for an unforeseen
personal circumstance. That means that if you miss a second mid-semester
exam for any reason, you will get a 0 score on that exam. I strongly
advise that you take all 3 mid-semester exams even if you feel that
you may not be well-prepared for one of them.
Structure of the ExamsMID-SEMESTER EXAMS. The mid-semester exams will consist of some combination of the following: Multiple choice, definitions, interpretation of graphs/data, short answer, matching, completion, and essay questions (See: Sample Exam Questions). You may be asked to design a controlled experiment to test a hypothesis. There will be no true-false. Finally, since calculations may be part of answering some questions, bring a scientific calculator to all exams. FINAL
EXAM. The final exam is cumulative
over the entire course and will be similar in structure to the mid-semester
exams. However, lecture notes will be strongly emphasized. Most final
exam questions will be more general and will cut across lecture topics.
Questions from the mid-semester exams will not appear on the final although
a review of past exams does provide a useful study tool. Click
here for examples of past final exam questions.
I use the following grading scale in this course:
How and What to Study for the ExamsIN GENERAL, HOW SHOULD I STUDY FOR THE EXAM? A common error made by some students is that they memorize every minute detail in the text and in their lecture notes without having an understanding of general concepts and principles. If you are unsure of what is "general", go over the "Interim Summaries" which appear in each chapter of Carlson. The author has a very effective writing style; he takes great pains to present general concepts clearly with minimal extraneous information. For lecture material, study your notes while referring to the lecture outlines on this web page. Make sure that you have the most recent revision of the lecture outline and the study questions from lecture (Look at the "Last Updated" block at the top of each lecture to determine this). Answer all of the Study Questions for each lecture. and make sure that you understand general concepts and principles. This is where studying with a group of people really helps. Study groups offer a means of determining if your understanding of a subject is correct. Study groups do help! As a rule, always emphasize general trends and concepts first and then fill in your knowledge with specific examples and details. Just memorizing endless facts will be of little help on the exams. Finally, be sure to look at the Sample Exam Questions to see what could be asked.ARE THE LECTURE NOTES EMPHASIZED ON THE EXAM? Yes, you should emphasize the notes when studying for my exams. But do so in conjunction with the Study Questions. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW IN CARLSON? Some questions will cover material explained in the text. The important concepts, which are not discussed during lecture, usually appear as a Study Question. So, preparation for the exam means using both the text and lecture notes to answer the Study Questions. The important point is that there are a number
of resources available to help you learn the material, but you need
to START EARLY. These resources will be less helpful if you start to
study two days before the exam. So, learning your notes, selectively
reading the text, answering the study questions, and using the other
resources available to you should enhance your general understanding
of the subject, as well as improve your performance on the exams.
Tips on the Best Way to Take the ExamI suggest that you quickly answer all of the questions for which you are sure of the answer. If you can not find an obvious answer, do not spend too much initial time on that question. Mark the question and go back to it after you finished the exam. If you do not understand the meaning of a word, ask Professor Lynch. In some instances knowing the meaning of a scientific term is part of the question, but he will tell you when that is the case. Finally, any clarification of a question will be projected overhead, so before you turn your exam make sure that you read everything that is projected. I usually do not interrupt the class to make a clarification, since people are sufficiently stressed that they prefer not to be interrupted. So look up occasionally to see if changes in a question have been made. If you have difficulty seeing the projected information, come up front and read the changes before turning in your exam.
General Study Tips Come to class, even though it is early-very early. Those who don't, usually do poorly. Besides, you are paying to attend, so get your money's worth!
IPHY Staff Are Here to HelpFor general problems concerning registration in this course, see Prof. Lynch or go to the Undergraduate Advising Office in TBI 105.
Honor CodeAll students in this course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). For additional information on the Honor Code, click here. You are expected to follow the University of Colorado's Honor Code in this course. On my honor, as a University of Colorado at Boulder student,I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this (test) (paper) (work) (assignment).
Other CU Policies That Are FollowedStudents with Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodation because of a disability, please submit a letter to me from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, or http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices.Religious Observance: Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. Please notify the instructor in a timely manner of any conflict. Additional information can be found at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html. Classroom Behavior: Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Behavior: Students who fail to adhere to behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which students express opinions. For more information on campus policies, see: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html, and http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code. Sexual Harassment:
The University of Colorado Policy on Sexual Harassment applies to all
students, staff and faculty. Harassment: Sexual harassment is unwelcome
sexual attention. It can involve intimidation, threats, coercion, or
promises or create an environment that is hostile or offensive. Harassment
may occur between members of the same or opposite gender and between
any combination of members in the campus community: students, faculty,
staff, and administrators. Harassment can occur anywhere on campus,
including the classroom, the workplace, or a residence hall. Any student,
staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been sexually harassed
should contact the Office of Sexual Harassment (OSH) at 303-492-2127
or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about
the OSH and the campus resources available to assist individuals who
believe they have been sexually harassed can be obtained at: http://www.colorado.edu/sexualharassment/.
Last Updated: January 13, 2008
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