Social Neurobiology - From Circuits to Societies
Cornell University, BIONB 1220, Spring 2020
*** My first teaching experience as the Primary Instructor of Record (i.e. I was solely responsible for the planning, execution, and generation of materials for the entire course). For more information on Cornell's FWS courses offered through the Knight Institute, see here. ***
Course Description
What are the biological causes of cooperation and conflict in human and animal societies? How does an understanding of neurobiology and evolution help us to understand the mechanistic basis for anti- and pro-social behavior? This writing course introduces concepts in social and evolutionary neuroscience while developing literary skills most pertinent to writing in the natural science disciplines. The processes by which scientists qualitatively and quantitatively assess behavior are discussed, and material from studies in primate and rodent social behavior are integrated with foundational studies on the neuronal basis for reward and motivation. We will read and produce various forms of scholarly writing, including but not limited to: descriptive natural history observations, popular science articles, and academic literature reviews.
Course Rationale
The primary goal of this course is to mature your skills as a writer through exposure to core concepts in social neurobiology and practice in writing on issues surrounding these topics. A mechanistic understanding of the brain can help us better understand the motivations underlying human social behavior and how behaviors that encourage cooperation or conflict give rise to animal and human societies. You will engage with both creative and technical readings from authors, journalists, and practicing scientists as we explore the basics of evolutionary theory, social behavior in rodents and primates, cooperation and conflict in modern human societies, and the neurobiology of reward, motivation, social attachment, aggression and territoriality.
Course Units
- Introduction to College Writing - Observation, Ethology & Evolution
- Summarizing Arguments - Primates & Social Brains
- Developing Theses - Social Reward & Motivation
- Academic Writing - Neurobiology & Society