Neuroscience 490 - Special Topics

Open to junior and senior declared neuroscience majors with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters.

This course is open to qualified students who desire to engage in independent reading on selected topics, or conduct research projects. Preference will be given to those students who have done good work in one or more program courses within the major.

• It is understood that this course will not normally duplicate any other course regularly offered in the major and that the student will work in this course as independently as the instructor thinks possible. The course should be given a unique name that will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
• Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment (varies by course): independent research, independent writing, reading and evaluating primary literature, data analysis, and quantitative reasoning.
• Students shall take no more than 2 neuroscience Special Topics courses while attending Amherst College. 
• The instructor must be a faculty member of the Neuroscience Program.
• Each course requires a syllabus to be developed with and agreed upon by the instructor. The course requires weekly or semi-weekly meetings and evaluations, culminating in a large research paper or other substantial body of work. The number and depth of writing and research assignments will be comparable to expectations for a neuroscience seminar course.
• Before the time of registration, the student who arranges to take a Special Topics course should consult the instructor in that particular field, who will direct the student’s work; together they will decide the title to be reported, the nature of the examinations or term papers or other deliverables, and will discuss the preparation of a bibliogra­phy for the syllabus and a plan of coherent study. 
• All students must obtain final approval of the Program before registration. 

NOTE: Two Special Topics courses may not be taken concurrently except with the prior approval of the student’s Class Dean.

How to handle overenrollment: do not allow over enrollment

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Open to junior and senior declared neuroscience majors with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. This course is open to qualified students who desire to engage in independent reading on selected topics, or conduct research projects. Preference will be given to those students who have done good work in one or more program courses within the major. It is understood that this course will not normally duplicate any other course regularly offered in the major and that the student will work in this course as independently as the instructor thinks possible. The course should be given a unique name that will be recorded on the student’s transcript. Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment (varies by course): independent research, independent writing, reading and evaluating primary literature, data analysis, and quantitative reasoning. Students shall take no more than 2 neuroscience Special Topics courses while attending Amherst College. The instructor must be a faculty member of the Neuroscience Program. Each course requires a syllabus to be developed with and agreed upon by the instructor. The course requires weekly or semi-weekly meetings and evaluations, culminating in a large research paper or other substantial body of work. The number and depth of writing and research assignments will be comparable to expectations for a neuroscience seminar course. Before the time of registration, the student who arranges to take a Special Topics course should consult the instructor in that particular field, who will direct the student’s work; together they will decide the title to be reported, the nature of the examinations or term papers or other deliverables, and will discuss the preparation of a bibliogra­phy for the syllabus and a plan of coherent study. All students must obtain final approval of the Program before registration. NOTE: Two Special Topics courses may not be taken concurrently except with the prior approval of the student’s Class Dean.