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WSP 87 — A User's Guide to the Brain

Quarter: Spring
Day(s): Sat/Sun
Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm
Date(s)
Date(s): Jun 4—Jun 5
Duration: 2 days
Drop By
Drop Deadline: May 28
Unit(s): 1 Units
Fees
Tuition: $225
Format
Format: On-campus course
Status: Open
Serving as our body’s “chairperson of the board,” the brain is responsible for coordinating and executing a vast range of functions, from our ability to perceive and attend, to our processing of emotion and thought. This course will serve as a broad introduction to the human central nervous system. How is the human brain functionally organized, and where does the brain store memory? Where in the brain might emotions such as happiness or sadness reside? Can the field of neuroscience make sense of disorders such as attention deficit disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression? We will address these topics and others. The goal of this course is to equip students with an ability to understand and think critically about the mind and brain.

This course does not require previous coursework in biology and is designed to challenge and pique the interest of anyone curious about the field.

This workshop may not be taken for a Letter Grade.

Simon Tan, Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Affiliated), Stanford

Simon Tan’s teaching and research interests are in behavioral neurology, specifically dementia-associated disorders. He completed an internship in clinical psychology and two postdoctoral fellowships in clinical neuropsychology at Harvard Medical School. Earlier, he was a clinical neuropsychologist at NYU Medical Center. Tan is board certified in both clinical neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology and psychological assessment through the American Board of Assessment Psychology. He received a PhD in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University.

Textbooks for this course:

(Recommended) John J. Ratey, A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain (ISBN 0375701079)
DOWNLOAD THE PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS » (subject to change)