We can learn about mental illness, and may be able more effectively to help those terrorized by it. Autism, depression, and ADD are all diseases which we can now study. Laboratory sections are about 20 students in size. The course uses three examinations, several quizzes and lab reports, a verbal presentation, and a term paper as the basis for assigning grades. BISC 230g examines thinking, perception, movement, sleep memory, emotion and other aspects of behavior in both healthy and diseased individuals.
Examples come from many kinds of animals, from planarians and squid to monkeys and man.
The fields of biology, chemistry and physiology are central to our study, but concepts from physics and medicine are also used. The fundamental principles include evolution, development, and psychological concepts of learning and behavior. The laboratory and other aspects of the course will requires use of the World Wide Web, with which the student must become familiar. Please contact the department for course description. The environment has always posed risks to its human inhabitants.