An examination of the works of some major moral theorists of the Western philosophical tradition and their implications for understanding the nature of the good life and the sources and scope of moral responsibilities. Enrollment limited to 30.

A study of Western philosophy from the early Greeks to the end of the Middle Ages, with emphasis on the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans, and some of the scholastic philosophers.

Formal logic and informal logic. The study of abstract logic together with the construction and deconstruction of everyday arguments. Logical symbolism and operations, deduction and induction, consistency and inconsistency, paradoxes and puzzles. Examples drawn from law, philosophy, politics, literary criticism, computer science, history, commercials, mathematics, economics and the popular press. Enrollment limited to 30.

Formal logic and informal logic. The study of abstract logic together with the construction and deconstruction of everyday arguments. Logical symbolism and operations, deduction and induction, consistency and inconsistency, paradoxes and puzzles. Examples drawn from law, philosophy, politics, literary criticism, computer science, history, commercials, mathematics, economics and the popular press. Enrollment limited to 30.

Formal logic and informal logic. The study of abstract logic together with the construction and deconstruction of everyday arguments. Logical symbolism and operations, deduction and induction, consistency and inconsistency, paradoxes and puzzles. Examples drawn from law, philosophy, politics, literary criticism, computer science, history, commercials, mathematics, economics and the popular press. Enrollment limited to 30.

This project-based research course guides students through designing and completing an original research project on biological rhythms. The course emphasizes developing strong research questions, reading and integrating empirical literature, identifying and using publicly available datasets, statistically analyzing data, peer feedback, and communicating results in written and poster form. Prerequisite: NSC 210, NSC 230 and one statistical methods course. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12.

Behavioral genetics is the study of how genes guide brain functions. It’s the “nature” part of “nature vs nurture”, but are things really that simple? In this advanced lecture course students learn basic genetics concepts, including inheritance patterns and how genes are regulated across the lifespan in brain tissue, discuss the influence of genes and environments on brain function and mental health, and explore cutting-edge genomics tools like single-cell RNA sequencing for studying the brain.

This course investigates how the brain regulates the production and release of hormones, as well as how hormones act on the brain to affect behaviors such as aggression, affiliation, parenting, sexual behavior, feeding and learning. Prerequisites: NSC 210 and one of BIO 200, BIO 202 or BIO 230, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20.

This course covers the current understanding of the impact of early life adversity on the brain and how this can lead to differences in cognitive and mental health outcomes. The course deeply examines different dimensions of early life adversity. Students focus mainly on studies in humans, but look to the animal literature for grounding in mechanisms.