Neuroscience & Humanities: Food

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does Neuroscience & Humanities: Food differ from the other options of the Poly Research Initiative?

Neuroscience & Humanities: Food develops research skills in neuroscience, behavioral biology and the humanities within the context of food. The central question of the course explores how humans interact through the lens of food. The exploration happens in three dimensions: 

• In the first, the course draws from research in neuroscience and behavioral biology to explore the central question; 

• In the second, it draws from research in the humanities, including world history and local experiential modules to explore the central question; and

• In the third, the students’ interpretation of the course question and how it evolves as they engage with the the first two dimensions of the course.

Note that students will explore the intersection of the first two dimensions of the course in addition to exploring them separately. In other words, how do neuroscience and behavioral biology enrich the humanities and vice versa within the context of the students’ independent project.

Note also that students will develop skills in diversity, equity and inclusion, and cross-cultural competencies within the context of the three dimensions of the course, including a series of experiential modules that use food as a lens to explore some of the representative cultures of the greater Los Angeles area.

Here's a link to student work from 2023-24.

2. What are the eligibility requirements for taking Neuroscience & Humanities: Food?

Students need to go through an eligibility process including submitting evidence of their interest in the course and an interview to discuss it.

3. What are experiential modules and how do they allow students to experience the greater Los Angeles area through this course?

Experiential modules are curated for students to experience the central question of the course, how food influences human  interaction, through shopping for and cooking a dish from representative cultures of the greater Los Angeles area. Specifically, students identify a market to shop for ingredients for their curated dish, cook it at home, record both experiences using photography and oral history skills, discuss in class and then write a report following a rubric.

Examples:

• Sample student experiential reports about the Armenian American diaspora through the lens of panrkash

• Sample student experiential reports about the African American diaspora through the lens of grits

• Sample student experiential report about the Latin American diaspora through the lens of rajas con queso y crema.

• Sample student experiential report about the Asian American diaspora through dining at an Asian American restaurant or making an Asian American dish of the student's choice.

• Sample student stories informed by artifacts, oral history and neuroscience

4. Will the Neuroscience & Humanities: Food course involve any neuroscience experiments?

Yes, the first dimension of the course will provide students with multiple opportunities to use state-of-the-art technology to record and analyze baseline potentials and spike potentials from live neurons among other electrophysiology experiments.

Student video of a hands-on neurobiology experiment