PSYC 300P: Social Neuroscience
Course Overview for Fall, 2005
Sect. 1: Tue., 7:05 – 9:45
Instructor: Dr. Linda Rueckert
office: Science 307C phone: 442-5841
office hours: Tue. & Thu., 1:30 – 3:30pm, or by appointment
e-mail: L-Rueckert@neiu.edu
Prerequisites:
1. PSYC 302 (Statistics and Research Methods II)
2. Any of the Psychology Core A courses (Physiological, Cognitive, Learning, Perception, or Neuropsychology)
Reading:
All readings will be posted online at Dr. Rueckert’s web site.). Adobe Acrobat is necessary to view these. It is on all computers on campus, or can be downloaded for free from the Adobe web site.
Course
Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to gain an understanding of how the nervous system affects social relationships, and how social relationships affect the nervous system. Although the main focus is on humans, many of the studies we cover will be on non-human animals. We will focus mainly on the macro-level (i.e. parts of the brain), but some information will also be presented at the micro-level (cellular and chemical). It is assumed that students already have a basic understanding of the nervous system and know how to write an APA style paper.
Specific Objectives:
1. Students will further their basic understanding of the nervous system, how it is studied, and what different parts do. This will be assessed on the quizzes and paper.
2. Students will learn how social behavior is controlled by physiology, including the brain, peripheral nervous system, neurotransmitters, and hormones. This will be assessed on the quizzes and paper.
3. Students will learn how social interactions influence physiology. This will be assessed on the quizzes and paper.
4. Students will further their ability to read, understand, interpret, and critique scientific writing, especially on the topic of neuroscience. This will be assessed on the paper.
5. Students will further their ability to write an APA style paper. This will be assessed on the paper.
6. Students will further their ability to orally communicate what they know. This will be assessed in classroom discussion, and on the oral presentation.
Course Requirements:
Attendance and class participation 25 points
Because this is an interactive class, attendance is mandatory. You will not loose points if you have a good excuse for missing, but it is your responsibility to make up any work or notes you miss. You are expected to have read the assigned reading before coming to class so you will be able to participate in the discussion. Please note that because this class meets just once a week, if you miss one class you have missed a whole week. If you have to miss more than one class, you should consider dropping.
Quizzes 75 points
There will be 3 quizes, worth 25 points each. They will be mainly multiple choice, with some possible short answer questions. They will cover the readings, and information presented in class, either by the professor or by students.
The first quiz is especially important. It will cover the basics of the nervous system, which are absolutely essential to know in order to get anything out of the rest of the class. Therefore, you must pass the first quiz with at least 17 points in order to pass the class. There will be one makeup quiz for anyone who does not pass that one. There will be no make ups for the 2nd and 3rd quizzes.
Project proposal. 40 points
You will be required to turn this in at least twice. See the paper assignment handout for more detail.
Paper 60 points
There will be a final paper, 15 or more pages, which must be written according to APA style. You will be required to turn this in at least twice. See the paper assignment handout for more details. In order to pass this class, you must receive at least a “C” (42 points) on this paper.
You will be required to give a short (probably about 15 min) oral presentation of your paper topic. If more than one person is doing the same topic, you will be asked to do it as a group, but each person is expected to present something. You will get more information on this requirement later.
Oral Presentation outline. 10 points
In order to give the other students in the class an overview of your presentation, and to give them something to study for the quizzes, you will be required to turn in a brief (about 1 page) outline of it.
Extra Credit up to 5 points
You may obtain extra credit points by
participating as a subject in studies that are currently being conducted by
Northeastern faculty in the psych. dept.
You will get 1 point for each half hour of participation. Additional extra credit opportunities
may be made available as well.
Grades will be determined based on the total number of points accrued in the following manner:
216 - 240: A
192 - 215: B
168 - 191: C
144 - 167: D
below 144: F