printer friendly pagePSYCH 1: Introduction to Psychology
An introduction to the science of how people think, feel, and behave. We will explore such topics as intelligence, perception, memory, happiness, personality, culture, social influence, development, emotion, and mental illness. Students will learn about classic and cutting edge research, a range of methods, and discover how psychology informs our understanding of what it means to be human, addresses other fields, and offers solutions to important social problems.
Psych 1 fulfills the SI Way, and, effective Autumn 2018, the SMA Way. For more information on
PSYCH 1, visit
http://psychone.stanford.edu
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI, WAY-SMA
PSYCH 30: Introduction to Perception
Behavioral and neural aspects of perception focusing on visual and auditory perception. Topics include: scientific methods for studying perception, anatomy and physiology of the visual and auditiory systems, color vision, depth perception, motion perception, stereopsis, visual recognition, pitch and loudness perception, speech perception, and reorganization of the visual system in the blind.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SI, WAY-SMA
Instructors:
Finzi, D. (PI)
;
Grill-Spector, K. (PI)
;
Jagadeesh, A. (PI)
...
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Instructors:
Finzi, D. (PI)
;
Grill-Spector, K. (PI)
;
Jagadeesh, A. (PI)
;
Kong, N. (PI)
;
Margalit, E. (PI)
;
Rosenke, M. (PI)
PSYCH 50: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
How does our brain give rise to our abilities to perceive, act and think? Survey of the basic facts, empirical evidence, theories and methods of study in cognitive neuroscience exploring how cognition is instantiated in neural activity. Representative topics include perceptual and motor processes, decision making, learning and memory, attention, reward processing, reinforcement learning, sensory inference and cognitive control.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SI, WAY-SMA
Instructors:
Birman, D. (PI)
;
Costello, K. (PI)
;
Eisenberg, I. (PI)
...
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Instructors:
Birman, D. (PI)
;
Costello, K. (PI)
;
Eisenberg, I. (PI)
;
Gardner, J. (PI)
;
Hirayama, K. (PI)
;
Jagadeesh, A. (PI)
;
Ko, M. (PI)
;
Lai, C. (PI)
;
Lee, M. (PI)
;
Leong, J. (PI)
;
Sano, M. (PI)
;
Todd, G. (PI)
;
Ton, V. (PI)
;
Walters, J. (PI)
;
Weaver, G. (PI)
PSYCH 120: Cellular Neuroscience: Cell Signaling and Behavior (BIO 153)
Neural interactions underlying behavior. Prerequisites:
PSYCH 1 or basic biology.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SMA
PSYCH 164: Brain decoding
Can we know what someone is thinking by examining their brain activity? Using knowledge of the human visual system and techniques from machine learning, recent work has shown impressive ability to decode what people are looking at from their brain activity as measured with functional imaging. The course will use a combination of lectures, primary literature readings, discussion and hands-on tutorials to understand this emerging technology from basic knowledge of the perceptual (primarily visual) and other cognitive systems (such as working memory) to tools and techniques used to decode brain activity.nPrerequisites: Either
Psych 30 or
Psych 50 or Consent of Instructor
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SMA
Instructors:
Gardner, J. (PI)
;
Walters, J. (TA)
THINK 15: How Does Your Brain Work?
How do the biology and chemistry of the brain create the mind that lets us talk, walk, laugh, love, learn, remember, and forget? What can neuroscience say about what makes us human? How can we ask questions about the brain that are observable, testable, and answerable? The human brain is the most complex organ we know. To understand the biology of brain function, this course will use highly interactive lectures and discussions to examine the validity of common beliefs about the brain, discuss how the brain and the nervous system are organized, how individual elements of the brain function, and how together these units produce action. The brain, like all other biological structures, has evolved over time in response to natural selection by adapting to diverse behavioral and environmental constraints. We use evolutionary comparisons to illuminate important questions about brain function, including what the origins and consequences of brain damage are, how and where drugs act, and how you collect, interpret, and understand information about the world. You will learn both how the science of the brain has emerged through understanding important experiments and observations and how you can formulate and test your own experimental questions about the brain.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-SMA
THINK 23: The Cancer Problem: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention
How has our approach to cancer been affected by clinical observations, scientific discoveries, social norms, politics, and economic interests? Approximately one in three Americans will develop invasive cancer during their lifetime; one in five Americans will die as a result of this disease. This course will expose you to multiple ways of approaching the cancer problem, including laboratory research, clinical trials, population studies, public health interventions, and health care economics. We will start with the 18th century discovery of the relationship between coal tar and cancer, and trace the role of scientific research in revealing the genetic basis of cancer. We will then discuss the development of new treatments for cancer as well as measures to screen for and prevent cancer, including the ongoing debate over tobacco control. Using cancer as a case study, you will learn important aspects of the scientific method including experimental design, data analysis, and the difference between correlation and causation. You will learn how science can be used and misused with regard to the public good. You will also learn about ways in which social, political, and economic forces shape our knowledge about and response to disease.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: THINK, WAY-AQR, WAY-SMA, College
THINK 40: Sustainability Challenges and Transitions
What are the most critical sustainability challenges facing us in this century? How can natural and social sciences, humanities, and technology fields interact to contribute to their solution? How do we balance the needs and desires of current generations with the needs of future generations? The term sustainability seems to be everywhere. Businesses, cities, non-governmental organizations, individuals, and universities such as Stanford use the term to characterize decisions that make sense for the well-being of people as well as the environment. Beyond the popular use of the term is an emerging field of study that focuses on the goals of sustainable development - improving human well-being while preserving Earth's life support systems (air, water, climate, ecosystems) over the long run - and explores how science and technology can contribute to the solution of some of the most critical problems of the 21st Century. The goal of this course is to engage you in critical thinking and analysis about complex sustainability challenges and to encourage you to consider the need for integrative solutions that draw on different disciplines. We will examine some of the major problems of sustainable development (including issues related to food, water, and energy resources, climate change, and protection of ecosystem services), grapple with the complexities of problem solving in complex human-environment systems, and participate in the design of effective strategies and policies for meeting sustainability goals. You will learn to develop policy briefs addressing sustainability issues in the university, local communities, state and the nation as well as work on team projects with decision makers that address real-life challenges in your local area.
Last offered: Autumn 2017
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-SMA
THINK 45: Thinking About the Universe: What do we know? How do we know it?
What is the origin and ultimate fate of the universe? Can we know what came before the universe? Are there ultimate limits to human knowledge about the universe and are we reaching them? Cosmology (the study of the universe) raises profound questions about us, our place in the universe, and about the limits of our knowledge. It was only in the 20th century that cosmology developed from metaphysical and theological speculation to become an observational science and a recognized part of physics. In this course, students will explore questions about the Universe, its beginnings, its structure, its extent, its fate, from several perspectives - philosophical, experimental, and theoretical. We will discuss current research and the ongoing debates about the laws of nature on subatomic scales and the perplexing questions they raise regarding the universe and the limits of scientific inquiry.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-SMA, THINK, College
Instructors:
Duffy, H. (PI)
;
Hallowell, S. (PI)
;
Michelson, P. (PI)
...
more instructors for THINK 45 »
Instructors:
Duffy, H. (PI)
;
Hallowell, S. (PI)
;
Michelson, P. (PI)
;
Nelson, J. (PI)
;
Ryckman, T. (PI)
;
Simeon, P. (PI)
THINK 61: Living with Viruses
By examining this interplay of viruses and culture, this course challenges students to think beyond conventional disciplinary distinctions through questions about the impact of biology on human behavior as well as the potential of humans to shape biology through genetic engineering. The specific goals of this course are to engage students to examine the microbial world and how they interact with it. We will examine three overreaching questions: How do viruses effect our lives? How have they shaped our culture? How will they shape our future? Topics covered will include the question of whether a virus is alive, the importance of immunity, and the role of viruses in not only human culture but what makes us distinctly human.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-SMA
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