Neuroscience

About the Program

 Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field of study that employs the tools and perspectives of biology, psychology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and philosophy to achieve a better understanding of brain function, behavior, and the higher order cognitive processes that we collectively refer to as mind. Whereas psychology has been traditionally defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, the multidisciplinary approach of neuroscience is a comprehensive examination of the nervous system that extends from the molecular, through the cellular, and to the behavioral level. Research questions commonly studied in the field of neuroscience seek to understand the biological mechanisms for such complex phenomena as sensation and perception, learning and memory, cognition, emotion, and consciousness. In addition, neuroscientists seek to understand the organic nature of brain abnormalities that produce cognitive and affective pathologies seen in mental disorders such as schizophrenia, mania and depression, and degenerative diseases associated with aging. The tools and techniques used by the modern day neuroscientist are truly multidisciplinary in scope, involving procedures, assays and measurements taken from the fields of molecular and cellular biology, genetics, physiology, pharmacology, chemistry and biochemistry, physics, mathematics and computer modeling, behavioral and developmental psychology. The Neuroscience major at Rhodes makes it all the more apparent to our students that the conventional boundaries that have often separated seemingly incompatible disciplines from one another evaporate when we are presented with new intellectual challenges.

The Neuroscience major is designed to provide our students with a nuanced understanding of the methodological challenges and conceptual issues that lie at the heart of efforts to understand the function of the nervous system and its role in behavior. This program will provide students with an opportunity to explore brain function using multiple approaches from interdisciplinary perspectives and thus will prepare them to pursue postgraduate work in a variety of fields where knowledge of the brain and behavior are required. The major will also provide excellent training for future physicians, teachers, health care workers, and biotechnicians. Majors might also enter the legal profession and biotechnology-related businesses.

Students will enhance their understanding of neuroscience through course work and research experience. Course work will provide our undergraduates with a thorough understanding of the biological bases of behavior, including neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neuropharmacology. Learning will be enhanced by developing research skills in a variety of settings ranging from course laboratory experiences to independent research projects, offered at Rhodes or at off-campus locations such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. 

Curriculum

Major

The foundation of the major, offered as a Bachelor of Science degree, will be based on introductory coursework in the departments of Biology, Psychology, Chemistry and Philosophy. Upper level courses in Neuroscience in the Biology Department and Physiological Psychology in the Psychology Department will also be required of all majors, as will statistics. From this foundation of coursework, other upper level courses of the student’s choosing will be available, listed as follows. In the senior year, all majors will be required to participate in a Neuroscience Senior Seminar. Students must receive the approval of their advisor for their selection of courses in Section C below. 

Requirements for a Major in Neuroscience leading up to a B.A. degree:
A total of sixty-two (62) credits as follows:

  1. Seven (7) introductory courses
    Biology 130-131L
    Biology 140-141L
    Chemistry 111-111L
    Chemistry 112-112L
    Philosophy 328
    Psychology 150
    Psychology 200

  2. Four (4) specific upper level courses
    Biology 370
    Psychology 211
    Psychology 318
    Neuroscience 485/486

  3. Four (4) of the following electives
    Biology 204, 207, 304, 307, 325
    Chemistry 414, 416
    Neuroscience 451-452
    Psychology 216, 220, 224, 306, 327, 353

  4. Courses recommended but not required
    Chemistry 211-212 (L)
    Computer Science 141
    Mathematics 115
    Physics 111-112
    Political Science 216

Faculty

Neuroscience Program Committee
Jay Blundon, Ph.D. Department of Biology, Program Director
Robert Strandburg, Ph.D. Department of Psychology


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