Psychology

This course provides an overview of evolutionary theory and its applications within, predominantly, social psychology. Evolutionary psychologists view most human behaviors as the products of evolved psychological adaptations –or solutions– to recurring problems in the ancestral environment. Evolutionary psychology offers many insightful explanations for social behavior, such as interpersonal attraction, prejudice, and healthy (and unhealthy) behaviors. Moreover, emotions are considered to have evolved in humans because they are functional and ultimately enhance your chances for survival and reproduction – for example, fear makes you avoid certain life-threatening situations, and jealousy makes you protect your relationship. The course covers recent developments within the field of evolutionary social psychology. Students investigate what causes the differences between the two sexes (sexual selection), how (pro-)social behavior can be explained by evolutionary theory, and how we are to some extent still governed by “hard-wired” motives, like a drive for social status and reputation.

The course consists of an overview of the scientific literature on three interconnected topics: the nature of conscious and unconscious processes including different models of mind-brain interactions, variations in states of consciousness and unusual experiences, and psi or parapsychological phenomena such as ostensible telepathy and precognition in the laboratory and in everyday life. 

This course explores the field of neuroscience and the study of the biological substrates of behavior and the underlying mental processes. It examines how the brain works in health and disease as well as different drugs and their effects upon brain function. Topics include: cells of the nervous system; synaptic transmission; macroscopic anatomy of the central and peripheral nervous system; neurotransmitters.

This course is based on the idea that there are other ways of approaching the study of brain structure and function beyond the conventional focus of parsing cognitive, affective, and other functions using standard tools such as brain imaging. Much research has been conducted at the intersection of the brain, other disciplines, and society at large. These topics vary greatly, but include the impact of the brain sciences on the courtroom to understanding the nature of the brain’s response during aesthetic experience, or the neurobiology of poverty, and the effect adversity on development. The course broadens and deepens students’ understanding of the cognitive and brain sciences as they impact on the individual and their place and interaction with development, family, and society at large.