Semester.ly

Johns Hopkins University | AS.020.612

Introduction to the Human Brain

3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

(3.75)

This course explores the outstanding problem of biology; how knowledge is represented in the brain. Relating insights from cognitive psychology and systems neuroscience with formal theories of learning and memory, topics include (1) anatomical and functional relations of cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system, thalamus, cerebellum, and spinal cord; (2) cortical anatomy and physiology including laminar/columnar organization, intrinsic cortical circuit, hierarchies of cortical areas; (3) activity-dependent synaptic mechanism; (4) functional brain imaging; (5) logicist and connectist theories of cognition; and (6) relation of mental representations and natural language. Co-listed with AS.020.312.

Spring 2015

(3.7)

Spring 2023

(3.81)

Spring 2015

Professor: Edward Hedgecock

(3.7)

The best aspects of this course were the availability of take home tests (both the midterm and final) and lecture material online. Students appreciated the wide range of topics covered in the course, as well as the opportunity during the final paper to familiarize themselves with contemporary research in the field. Some students felt that the Professor was hard to hear and monotone during lecture. Students felt that it would have been beneficial to have a smaller class size, and that more engaging or interactive lectures would have facilitated better learning. Prospective students should know that this class is good for those that have no prior knowledge of the human brain. 32

Spring 2023

Professor: Edward Hedgecock

(3.81)