(Offered as BIOL 301 and NEUR 301) An analysis of the molecules and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system function, development, and disease. We will explore the proteins that contribute to the unique structure and function of neurons, including an in-depth analysis of synaptic communication and the molecular processes that modify synapses. We will also study the molecular mechanisms that control brain development, from neurogenesis, neurite growth, and synaptogenesis to cell death and degeneration.

(Offered as PSYC 213 and NEUR 213) This course will examine how brain function regulates a broad range of mental processes and behaviors. We will discuss how neurons work and how the brain obtains information about the environment (sensory systems), regulates an organism’s response to the environment (motor systems), controls basic functions necessary for survival such as eating, drinking, sex, and sleep, and mediates higher cognitive function such as memory and language.

Independent reading course. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters.

Romantic composers loved to escape from the realities of everyday life into the perilous virtual worlds they created in their music. How can we explore these worlds and understand the technical means with which they were created? How can we interpret the splendid sound of music by using words whose discursive strength seems to endanger music's ephemeral nature?

Independent reading course. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

A continuation of MUSI 387. One class meeting per week and private conferences. This course may be repeated.

Requisite: MUSI 387 or the equivalent and consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Sawyer.

Drawing from the rich and varied history of composition in jazz, this course explores composing and arranging approaches in jazz and highlights the dynamic relationship between composition and improvisation central to this music. Using historical examples as models, students will compose and arrange small ensemble, large ensemble, and big band pieces, including pieces that incorporate blues forms, 32-bar Tin Pan Alley forms, modalism, extended and through-composed forms, and open improvisation. Immersive composition projects will be combined with individual meetings.

How is hip hop made, and why does it sound the way it does? In this course, we will examine the history of hip hop production by creating hip hop, analyzing how technological inventions and changing aesthetic practices have contributed to the sound and style of hip hop’s beats.