Faculty:

Prof. John Paul Baird
323 Merrill
Phone: 542-2528
E-mail: jpbaird@amherst.edu
Office hours: M, W, Th 10-11 AM
Prof. Steve George
215/228 Life Sciences
Phone: 542-2477
E-mail: sageorge@amherst.edu
Office hours: M 10:30-12:30, F Noon-3

Textbook: Mark Bear, Brian Connors, and Michael Paradiso (2007) Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, 3rd ed. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Same text and edition as last year. The book is available at the Food for Thought bookstore, on North Pleasant Street just past CVS.

Other readings: All scientific articles listed in the course outline will be supplied by electronic reserve via the e-reserves section of the course web site. You are expected to print these out, read them, put a response on the Discussion Board the night before the class when the article is discussed (details to be given in class about this), and bring the printout to class. Lab materials will be handed out.

Laboratory: Labs will meet, depending on your section, on either Tuesday or Wednesday from 2:00-5:00 in Life Sciences 145. Plan to be there at least 5 minutes before 2:00 PM - we will start right on time every week, and we do have a lab during the first week of class.

Communications: We occasionally send e-mail with important information to the whole class, and we also communicate with individual students by e-mail. We will use ONLY your Amherst e-mail address for these purposes. If you wish to use another e-mail account, you must set the appropriate forwarding so you will receive messages sent to your Amherst e-mail address. Also, make sure your Amherst e-mailbox isn’t full. Failure to receive e-mails that we send correctly to your Amherst e-mail address can’t be used as an excuse if it leads to problems!

How your grade will be determined:

(1) Exams:
• Three midterms, on February 17/18, March 24/25, and April 21/22, each 15% of the total grade. Two dates are shown for each exam because each can be taken either on Thursday evening from 8-10 PM, or Friday during class and the preceding or following hour, i.e. either 8 – 10 AM or 9 AM – 11 noon. Given this flexibility in scheduling, the only acceptable reasons for taking the exam at a different time are personal illness documented by a physician or family emergency documented by the Dean of Students.
• Final exam, 20% of the total grade. This is a take-home exam, to be picked up any day between Friday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 10, and turned in up to 3 days later.

(2) Problem set, 5% of the total grade. Due Monday, February 7.

(3) Lab practical exam, 10% of the total grade, covering sheep brain anatomy in the laboratory. This exam will be taken in your lab period either Tuesday or Wednesday, March 8 or 9.

(4) Lab reports:
• Report #1 is on the electrophysiology labs (weeks of Jan. 31 and Feb. 7), 8% of the total grade, due Monday, Feb. 14.
• Report #2 is on the dopamine lesion lab sequence (weeks of March 21, 28, April 4, 11) 12% of the total grade.
This report is due on Wednesday, May 4. 

Guest Lecture:
April 13:  Prof. Sarah Turgeon