Bi-College InterdisciplinaryNeuroscience Program

Department Website:
https://www.haverford.edu/neuroscience

The desire to understand human and animal behavior in terms of nervous system structure and function is longstanding. Historically, researchers and scholars have approached this task from a variety of disciplines, including medicine, biology, psychology, philosophy, and physiology. The field of neuroscience emerged as an interdisciplinary approach, combining techniques and perspectives from these disciplines, as well as emerging fields such as computation and cognitive science, to yield new insights into the workings of the nervous system and behavior.

The Major and Minor in Neuroscience advance two overlapping but distinct sets of learning goals, which are explained in turn below.

Learning Goals

Neuroscience Major

The major in Neuroscience allows students to pursue an in-depth study of the nervous system and behavior across disciplines. Students should consult with the Neuroscience Director or any member of the faculty advisory committee in order to declare the major.

The goals of the major include enabling students to gain:

• Training in cognate disciplines that are fundamental to the study of neuroscience
• An in-depth understanding of the organization of the nervous system and its relation to categories of behavior such as motor control, sensation and perception, motivational states, and higher cognition.
• fluency with the many levels at which the nervous system can be studied, including molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience levels.
• an ability to closely examine and critically evaluate primary research on specialized, advanced neuroscience topics.
• an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience and the allied disciplines that inform the study of mind, brain, and behavior.
• Experience with neuroscience laboratory skills and the design and analysis of neuroscience experiments.

Neuroscience Minor

The minor in Neuroscience allows students with any major to pursue interests in behavior and the nervous system across disciplines. Students should consult with the Neuroscience Director or any member of the faculty advisory committee in order to declare the minor.

The goals of the minor include enabling students to gain:

• a basic understanding of the organization of the nervous system and its relation to categories of behavior such as motor control, sensation and perception, motivational states, and higher cognition.
• an appreciation of and fluency with the many levels at which the nervous system can be studied, including molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience levels.
• an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience and the allied disciplines that inform the study of mind, brain, and behavior.
• an ability to closely examine and critically evaluate primary research on specialized, advanced neuroscience topics.

Haverford’s Institutional Learning Goals are available on the President’s website, at http://hav.to/learninggoals.