The purpose of this seminar course is to understand how our brain allows learning from past experience to guide future choices and actions, which is the core of today's Neuroeconomics research topic. We will review the current literature in the cognitive neuroscience of human learning and decision making with particular focus on the basic elements influencing these behaviors such as, motivation, reward processing and error-based learning. We will further discuss how these basic elements interact with the external environment (e.g.

Not available at this time.

Introduction to sociology. Theory, methods, and approaches to the study of society. The use of several key sociological perspectives such as culture, social class, social psychology, and organizational power to analyze contemporary social issues. (Gen.Ed. SB, U)

Dogs and wolves are members of the same species, yet their behavior varies in a number of profound ways. In this course we will examine how development and learning contribute to these adaptive variations between wolves, dogs and various dog breeds. We will also investigate how development and learning can inform the management of both dogs and wolves. Students will be expected to read, discuss and critique primary literature from multiple fields including evolutionary biology, psychology, animal behavior and conservation.

Biological evolution is often at the center of science and religion debates. While there is a broad consensus among biologists about the common descent of humans from prior species and the processes that drive biological evolution, public debates continue over the validity of evolution. According to the latest Gallup poll, 42% of Americans believe in a creationist view of human origins, and there are constant efforts by various school boards across the country to include some form of creationism in biology classes.

This is an introduction to the study of syntax -the systematic combination of words (form) to achieve grammatical meaning (function). No particular syntactic framework is assumed. Instead, we will become familiar with the structural diversity of human languages and its implications for linguistic theory. Our course is guided by these questions: What counts as a syntactic phenomenon? How can similar functions employ different structures? How do language knowledge and language use relate? We will reflect upon the nature of evidence and explanation in syntactic argumentation.

This course can be summed up as: everything you wanted to know about aliens but were afraid to ask (a scientist). The course will explore the topic of extraterrestrial intelligence from the perspective of several different fields. We will look at the history of UFO sighting claims and analyze the reliability of eye-witness testimonies, explore psychological and sociological reasons behind claims of alien abductions, and analyze the current state of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) from the perspective of astronomy and planetary research.

Students in junior or senior year, with faculty sponsorship, may elect to complete a portion of their credit requirements with an internship/study experience coordinated through the Career Center.

Independent Study for Campus Sustainability Fellowship participants completing their second semester in the program.