NEUR 101 Introduction to Neuroscience
Spring 2014
Instructor Information
Instructor: Matthew Jerram, Ph.D.
Email: mjerram@suffolk.edu
Phone: 617-305-6357
Office: D618
Office Hours: Mon. 1:30-2:30pm, Wed. 10:30-11:30am, Fri. 12-1pm
TA: Daniel Millstein
Email: djmillstein@suffolk.edu
Phone: 617-710-0001
Office: D636A
Office Hours: Friday. 12:00 – 1:00 PM and by appointment
Course Information
Meetings: F 1-3:40pm
Location: D637
Catalog Description: Introduces the student to the field of neuroscience, the study of the
organization and function of the nervous system of humans and other animals. Neuroscientists
examine how individual neurons function as signaling devices, how groups of neurons operate as
circuits to produce fundamental units of behavior, and how much larger systems in the brain
subserve complex functions such as memory and consciousness. Topics include the neuron and
neural transmission, the overall function and organization of the nervous system, the
development of the brain, and higher cognitive functions.
Credit Hours: 4
This course follows the Federal Government’s Credit Hour definition: “An amount of work
represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that
is an institutional established equivalence that reasonably approximates no less than:
(1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of
class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or
trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the
equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
(2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for
other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work,
internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit
hours.”
Textbook/Course Materials
Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience, A Beginner’s Guide
Baars & Gage
Course Goals & Learning Objectives
GOALS
Upon successful completion
of this course, students will:
Understand the scientific
method and how it applies to
the study of the nervous
system
Know the basic structure of
the nervous system
Understand the general
concept of the field of
cognitive psychology
Understand the relationships
between cognitive functions
and the brain
OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion
of this course, students will
be able to:
Describe the components of
the scientific method and
evaluate their use in the study
of the nervous system
Identify the central and
peripheral nervous system and
their components
Describe the behaviors that
fall into cognitive psychology,
such as attention, memory,
language, executive functions,
etc.
Describe how research is used
to better understand cognitive
functions
Describe the research
methods used to describe these
relationships
Describe current knowledge
about these relationships
Critically evaluate evidence
used to draw conclusions
about these relationships
ASSESSMENTS
How the student will be
assessed on these learning
objectives:
Reaction papers, online
quizzes, final exam, in class
discussions
Online quizzes, final exam
Online quizzes, final exam,
reaction papers, in class
discussions
Reaction papers, in class
discussions
Reaction papers, in class
discussions
Online quizzes, final exam,
reaction papers, in class
discussions
Reaction papers, in class
discussions
Assignments/Exams/Papers/Projects
The course will require weekly reading, a final exam, 5 online quizzes, 5 300-500 word reaction
papers and participation of each student in weekly in class discussions.
It is expected that students will read the readings assigned for each class. Readings will consist
of a chapter from the assigned text AND other articles and readings that pertain to the topic of
the week. Readings outside the textbook will be posted on Blackboard. These readings are
intended to generate discussion in class regarding the methods used and the conclusions drawn
by researchers. They will also form the basis of the reaction papers. Students are expected to
come to class prepared to ask questions about the reading and/or discuss their opinion of the
material presented in the reading. It is advisable to take notes on the chapters and to bring
questions from your reading to class. While lectures will generally parallel the readings, they
will not overlap completely and lecture is not a sufficient substitute for the reading. Exam
questions may be drawn from the reading even if the topic was not explicitly covered in lecture.
A final exam will be given at the end of the semester. It will be cumulative and will constitute
25% of the total grade.
Students will be required to complete 5 online quizzes. These quizzes are intended to help
students assimilate the large amount of new information, particularly vocabulary, required for
this course. Each quiz will be posted on the course’s Blackboard site Friday and will remain
available until 5pm the following Wednesday. There will be 5 quizzes in all; there will be
quizzes due on Feb. 5, Feb. 19, Mar. 5, Apr. 2 and Apr. 23. Each quiz will be worth 6% of the
total grade (30% for all five quizzes).
Students will also be required to complete 5 reaction papers during the semester; these papers
will ask students to respond to a question about a specific neuroscience reading posted on
Blackboard. The paper is expected to be about 1-2 pages (300-500 words double-spaced). Each
paper is an opportunity for students to discuss neuroscience research findings in the context of
understanding the scientific method. A written description of the structure of these papers will
be provided in class and posted on Blackboard. Each paper will be assigned on Friday and must
be submitted to the instructor electronically before class begins the following week. There will
be 5 papers in all; there will be papers due Jan. 31, Feb. 14, Feb. 28, Mar. 28 and Apr. 11. Each
paper will be worth 6% of the total grade (30% for all five papers).
Class participation will be determined on class attendance and the active participation of each
student. All students are expected to come to class having read the assigned reading and prepared
to answer questions, offer opinions or discuss implications. Class participation will constitute
15% of the final grade.
Coursework will be weighted as follows:
Quizzes
Reaction Papers
Final Exam
Class Participation
30%
30%
25%
15%
Grading/Evaluation
Grades will be assigned on the basis of the completeness and correctness of quizzes, papers, and the
final exam, as well as the observed participation of the student in class.
There will not be an opportunity to make up missed work if a student misses an exam for any reason.
Students must complete each quiz by the assigned Wednesday at 5pm. Each week’s quiz will focus
on information from the readings from the previous two weeks; please do not assume that all
information in the quiz will be covered during lectures. Students are expected to work on quizzes
alone; indications of working together will be result in students getting no credit for the quiz.
Quizzes that are late will not be accepted and will result in no credit for the assignment. Students
who report problems with Blackboard after Wednesday at noon will not have an opportunity to make
up a quiz.
The papers are due by 1pm on the due dates listed above. Papers must be submitted electronically to
the instructor’s email (mjerram@suffolk.edu) in .doc format (Word format) and must be doublespaced in 12-point font – there will be no exceptions to this policy and papers submitted without the
correct formatting will not be graded. Late papers will not be accepted and will result in no credit
for the assignment. Students are expected to work independently on the paper and indications of
collaboration will result in no credit for the assignment. In addition to addressing the question for
each paper, spelling, grammar and style will be considered in grading.
If you have any questions about any of the assignments, please ask prior to the assignment’s due
date; a lack of understanding the assignment will not extend the due date.
Please be aware that Suffolk University’s academic policy states the following about grades:
“A,” “A –,” “B+,” and “B” are honor grades.
“B –,” “C+,” and “C” represent satisfactory work.
“C –,” “D+,” “D,” and “D –” represent passing but unsatisfactory work.
“F” is a failing grade.
Therefore, a grade between C and B- means that your work is satisfactory, not deficient. Grades
above B- are for work that is above what is expected.
Grades are determined by percentage of points attained. In general, this means that the following
ranges represent the following grades:
100-95%
A
90-94%
A86-89%
B+
82-85%
B
79-81%
B75-78%
C+
70-74%
C
66-69%
C63-65%
D+
60-62%
D
56-59%
D<55%
F
Course Policies
Participation/Attendance Policy
Because of the complexity of the topic, attendance and in-class participation will also be
considered in the final grade. In-class participation includes remaining attentive in class and will
be adversely affected by activities such as texting. In fact, it is required that all cell phones,
PDAs and other personal electronic devices be turned off at the beginning of each class.
Students found attending to a personal electronic device during class will be asked to leave
the class for the day.
As required by the University, attendance will be taken at each class meeting. It is expected
that students will attend all class sessions and will arrive for class on time. If you will be
absent, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. Three unexcused absences through the
semester will result in a grade reduction of one-third (i.e., B to B-); every subsequent absence
will result in a further one-third reduction. While it is understandable that occasionally one will
be late, please consider your instructor and fellow students and make every effort to be in class
on time. Late arrivers are very disruptive.
In the event that the university cancels classes, such as for severe weather, students are expected
to continue with readings as originally scheduled. Any assignments scheduled during those
missed classes, such as a quiz or paper, are due on the assigned date unless other instructions are
posted at the course website or communicated via email.
Communicating with the Instructor
Because neuroscience is a complex topic requiring substantial attention, it is imperative that you pay
attention to your performance in class and approach the instructor if you find yourself struggling.
Asking questions in class is an excellent way to address gaps in knowledge, particularly because it is
likely that multiple people are struggling similarly. You may also approach the instructor during office
hours. If you need to communicate with the instructor, you will find the most success coming to office
hours, followed by using email – phone calls will be the least successful way to reach the instructor. If
you receive notification of an Early Alert, which go out around the 5th or 6th week of the semester, you
NEED to seek additional help. This Alert is designed to indicate problems that are predictive of not
completing the course successfully.
Additionally, every student MUST use their Suffolk email account and have access to the Blackboard
system. Class announcements will be sent through Suffolk email and all quizzes and reaction paper
readings will be available ONLY through Blackboard. If you have any difficulty with either your email
account or Blackboard access, visit the Help Desk in the Sawyer building.
Statement on Physical/Emotional Health
A range of issues can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety,
health issues, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation
or feeling ill. These concerns or other stressful events may lead to diminished academic
performance or may reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University resources can
help you address these and other concerns. You can learn more about Suffolk’s broad range of
medical and confidential mental health
services at www.suffolk.edu/health
Statement on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you anticipate issues with the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me—I
would like to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in my classroom. If you determine
that you need formal, disability-related accommodations, it is very important that you register
with the Office of Disability Services (located at 73 Tremont Street, 7th floor, 617.994.6820,
disabilityservices@suffolk.edu) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable
accommodations. We can then plan how best to implement your accommodations.
The Early Alert Project
This class participates in Suffolk’s Early Alert Project. Around week 6, I will notify the Center
for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS), if you have struggled with writing or language
skills, excessive absences, incomplete work, or difficulty with the course content. This warning
is not an official grade, yet it indicates concerns about your progress that need to be addressed
immediately. If you receive an Early Alert, please visit me during my office hours so we may
talk about strategies for how you can be successful in this class.
The Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS) offers academic coaching and tutoring
in math, writing and English, and many other CAS and SBS courses. Students may join study
groups, participate in drop-in services, or make appointments with tutors and academic coaches
to reinforce course content, develop writing, and strengthen effective study habits. For a
complete review of free services, workshops and online resources go to www.suffolk.edu/CLAS,
call 617.573.8235, email clas@suffolk.edu or visit CLAS on the 2nd Level of Sawyer Library at
73 Tremont Street.
Statement for International Students
International Student Services Office (ISSO), a part of the Center for International Programs and
Services, provides comprehensive support to international students regarding immigration status
and DHS regulatory responsibilities. If you are an international student in F-1 or J-1 status, you
are responsible to maintain full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 units) every semester, else your
immigration status is at risk. For more information, go to http://www.suffolk.edu/isso, call
617.573.8154, email isso@suffolk.edu or visit ISSO on the 6th floor of 73 Tremont.
Statement on Technology Services
Suffolk University provides a variety of resources to support course technology:
University Help Desk (Mon-Fri, 8:30am – 8pm): 617.557.2000 or helpdesk@suffolk.edu
For Blackboard and Collaborate assistance, please contact the 24-hour support line at
866.886.4861.
Step-by-step Blackboard tutorials are accessible within every Blackboard course via the Bb
Tutorials menu
On Demand Knowledge Base provides information on all other technologies that are used in
courses, including teaching, learning, research and productivity tools
Course Withdrawal Deadlines
February 11, 2014 is the last day students can withdraw from a course without receiving a grade
of W. The course will be completely removed from the student's transcript. Students may do this
online via MySuffolk.
March 20, 2014 is the last day students can withdraw from a course without receiving a grade of
F. They will receive a W on their transcript instead. Students may do this online via MySuffolk.
After March 20, 2014, students may not withdraw from courses unless they have serious
extenuating circumstances and documentation. Students should contact the Student Affairs
Office (located at 73 Tremont Street, 12th floor, 617.573-8230, studentaffairs@suffolk.edu) to
learn more about requesting a late course withdrawal.
Academic Integrity Policy
Cheating on examinations or quizzes, plagiarism and/or improper acknowledgment of sources in
essays or research papers, and the use of a single essay or paper in more than one course, without
the permission of the instructor, constitute unacceptable academic conduct. Student work may be
checked by plagiarism detection software.
Academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs. Reports will be
addressed through the Student Discipline System. An undergraduate student who has been
found to have violated this policy is subject to an automatic grade of “F” in the course and to
suspension, enforced withdrawal, or dismissal from the University or appropriate lesser
penalties if warranted by the circumstances.
To be sure that all are aware of the University’s policy on academic honesty, I have provided it
here:
UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
Cheating on examinations, plagiarism, improper acknowledgement of sources in essays or research
papers, and/or the use of a single essay or paper in more than one course without the permission of the
instructor constitute unacceptable academic conduct. It is dishonest to buy, sell, download, borrow, or
lend papers. It is unacceptable to make up or falsify data that are supposed to be collected from survey,
experimentation, or other means. Work that is represented as yours should be your own; if not, the
source should be properly identified. This applies to lab reports, computer projects, and group projects as
well as to individual assignments. Each instructor should fully explain the requirements of the course and
the applicable policies regarding academic dishonesty.
Students alleged to have violated this policy will be referred to the dean of students,
or designee, and are subject to sanctions including a 0 on the assignment, grade of F in the course,
suspension, enforced withdrawal from the course, or dismissal from the University or appropriate lesser
penalties if warranted by the circumstances.
Course Schedule
The schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the
event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better student
learning.
Week (with
Date)
1 Jan. 17
2 Jan. 24
3 Jan. 31
4 Feb. 7
5 Feb. 14
6 Feb. 21
7 Feb. 28
8 Mar. 7
9 Mar. 14
10 Mar. 21
11 Mar. 28
12 Apr. 4
13 Apr. 11
14 Apr. 18
General Topic
Introduction and Discussion
of Scientific Method
The Neuron
The Brain
Development
Sex and Social Neuroscience
Sight
Sound and Music
Language
Ethanol’s Effect on Brain
Function (SPRING BREAK)
Consciousness and Sleep
Learning and Memory
Thinking and Decision
Making
NO CLASS
Affective Neuroscience
Final Exam Date & Time
Reading
Assignment
Ch. 1
Chapters 2,3
Chapters 4,5
Chapter 14
Chapter 13, Purves
et al reading
(Blackboard)
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 11
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapters 10, 12
Blackboard
readings
MON., Apr. 28,
1:00-2:50pm
Assignment
PAPER DUE
QUIZ DUE (2/5)
PAPER DUE
QUIZ DUE (2/19)
PAPER DUE
QUIZ DUE (3/5)
PAPER DUE
QUIZ DUE (4/2)
PAPER DUE
QUIZ DUE (4/23)