George Mason University
Graduate Course Approval/Inventory Form
Please complete this form and attach a copy of the syllabus for new courses. Forward it as an email attachment
to the Secretary of the Graduate Council. A printed copy of the form with signatures should be brought to the
Graduate Council Meeting. Complete the Coordinator Form on page 2, if changes in this course will affect
other units.
Please indicate:
__X__ NEW
____ MODIFY
____ DELETE
Local Unit: SCS
Graduate Council Approval Date:
Course Designation: NEUR
Course Number: 742
Full Course Title: Cognitive Neuroscience
Abbreviated Course Title (24 characters max.): Cognitive Neuroscience
Credit hours: 3
Repeatable for Credit?
Program of Record: NEUR Ph.D.
__ D=Yes, not within same term
___ T=Yes, within the same term
N_ N=Cannot be repeated for credit
Up to _ hours
Up to __ hours
Activity Code:
_X__ Lecture (LEC) ___ Lab (LAB)
___ Recitation (RCT)
___ Studio (STU)
___ Internship (INT) _ _ Independent Study (IND)____ Seminar (SEM)
Catalog Credit Format: 3:3:0
Course Level: GF(500-600) ____
GA(700+) __X__
Maximum Enrollment: 20
For NEW courses, first term to be offered: Fall 2006
Prerequisite: NEUR 602 or 603 or permission of instructor
Catalog Description (35 words or less): Introduction to cognitive neuroscience topics, including aspects of
cognitive science covering an array of perceptual, sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. Incorporates
studies of brain lesions, brain imaging, and animal and computational models.
For MODIFIED or DELETED courses as appropriate:
Last term offered:
Previous Course Abbreviation:
Previous number:
Description of modification:
APPROVAL SIGNATURES:
Submitted by:
________________________________ email: ________________
Department/Program:
College Committee:
________________________________ Date: __________________
________________________________ Date: _________________
Graduate Council Representative: ________________________________ Date: __________________
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GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Course Coordination Form
Approval from other units:
Please list those units outside of your own who may be affected by this new, modified, or deleted course. Each of these units must
approve this change prior to its being submitted to the Graduate Council for approval.
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
Head of Units Signature:
Date:
Graduate Council approval: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________
Graduate Council representative: __________________________________________ Date: ____________
Provost Office representative: _________________ _______________________
Date: __________
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Course Proposal Submitted to the Graduate Council
by
The School of Computational Sciences
1. COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE:
NEUR 742 – Cognitive Neuroscience
Prerequisite: : NEUR 602 or 603 or permission of instructor.
Catalog Description: Introduction to cognitive neuroscience topics, including aspects of cognitive science
covering an array of perceptual, sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. Incorporates studies of brain
lesions, brain imaging, and animal and computational models.
2. COURSE JUSTIFICATION:
Course Objectives: To introduce key concepts and philosophical underpinnings of cognitive neuroscience,
including the neurological characterization of behavior. Course develops an understanding of the functional
neuroanatomy related to various cognitive and affective processes. Focuses on the potential for cognitive
neuroscience to impact other fields, such as medicine, law, and education. This course extends and
complements existing curricula in the Neuroscience graduate program by focusing on aspects of human
cognition and the methods which contribute to current understanding about human cognitive.
Course Necessity: The proposed course addresses the fundamental concepts and various experimental
paradigms associated with the field of cognitive neuroscience. It provides the key intellectual underpinnings
for graduate research in cognitive neuroscience performed by students in the Neuroscience Ph.D. program.
Course relationship to Graduate Programs: This course provides essential content to students in the
Neuroscience Ph.D. program, and will also benefit advanced students in computer science and neuroscience.
This course is recommended to students who seek to engage in the exploration of human cognition using
neuroimaging techniques, and associated highly specialized algorithms used to acquire and analyze
neuroscience data.
Course relationship to Existing Courses: This course extends and complements existing curricula in the
Neuroscience graduate program. No equivalent course currently exists at GMU.
3. APPROVAL HISTORY: NA
4. SCHEDULING AND PROPOSED INSTRUCTORS:
Semester of Initial Offering: Fall 2006
Proposed Instructor: Dr. Layne Kalbfleisch or neuroscience faculty member.
5. TENTATIVE SYLLABUS: (attached)
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SAMPLE SYLLABUS
NEUR 742 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
SPRING SEMESTER 2007
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course is an introduction to cognitive neuroscience, an evolving field of study that merges
cognitive science (how does the mind work) with neuroscience (how does the nervous system respond to
stimuli). Students will learn about an array of perceptual, sensory, cognitive, and affective processes
characterized by this field. Data will be from investigations of brain-damaged patients, imaging studies of
humans, and from experiments using animal and computational models.
Course Objectives: To introduce key concepts and philosophical underpinnings of cognitive neuroscience. To
develop understanding of how behavior is characterized in cognitive neuroscience. To develop understanding of
the functional neuroanatomy related to various cognitive and affective processes. To understand the potential
for cognitive neuroscience to impact other fields such as medicine, law, and education.
Prerequisites: NEUR 602 or 603 or Permission of Instructor.
Syllabus Topics
Week
Historical and contemporary perspectives of cognitive neuroscience
Evolutionary concepts and anatomy of the central nervous system
Plasticity
Methods of inquiry
Visual perception
Sensory perception
Somatosensory and Motor behavior
Object & face recognition, categorization
Attention
Memory
Language
Reasoning and Executive Function
Case studies: Laterality, Hemispherectomy
Affective neuroscience
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Textbooks:
Required: Gazzaniga, M.S., Ivry, R.B., & Mangun, G.R. (2002). Cognitive Neuroscience, the Biology of the
Mind, 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
Required: Augustine, J.R. (2006). Human Neuroanatomy. San Diego, CA: Elsevier.
Grading:
Exam: 1 (required), quizzes
Course report: 1 (required)
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Assigned Paper – 40%
Mid-Term Take-Home Exam – 40%
Class Participation and Group Discussion – 20%
Instructor: Dr. Layne Kalbfleisch
Office: Krasnow Institute, Room 206
Office Hours: Mondays 2-4 pm or other dates by appointment
Office Phone: (703) 993-3516
E-mail: mkalbfle@gmu.edu
Class: TBA
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