Neuroscience Capstone Courses and Senior Inquiry Projects
Neuroscience Capstone Courses and Senior Inquiry Projects
Capstone courses and projects are culminating experiences that require students nearing the end of their college years to create a project of some sort that integrates and applies what they’ve learned. In capstone experiences, students have the opportunity to synthesize a wide range of skills and knowledge, and to articulate their learning in ways that demonstrate competence across general education requirements, a major, minor, or other program of study. These projects often represent how a student brings ideas learned over the course of many semesters into a single artifact. A capstone course is usually a culminating academic experience that ties together all previous courses in an academic discipline and facilitates transition to a chosen career or graduate program. Ideally, capstones are transformative experiences as they prompt students to assess their own perspective, attitudes, and values in relation to the skills and knowledge they have created.
- Still, D. Harward, B. M., & Cooper, I. 2009. Liberal Education, pp. 50-55.
Neuroscience students are required to complete a capstone or senior inquiry learning experience. Several options are available to complete this requirement, including research, practica, or advanced coursework, all of which are designed to provide the opportunity to integrate coursework with an active learning experience and to give students exposure to the breadth of the field of neuroscience and the potential for understanding its applications in the real world.
Courses currently approved to fulfill this requirement include:
NEUR 4939 Critical Thinking in Neuroscience: This course is designed to allow students to integrate and apply their knowledge of neuroscience to understanding the brain bases of critical thinking. Working in teams, students will review the literature on the neuroscience of critical thinking to propose critically informed and empirically grounded recommendations addressing biases in critical thinking.
NEUR 4910 Internship: Student arranges with a supervising faculty member to complete a scholarly project, along with concurrent volunteer hours at an agency that provides neuroscience-related services (or other neuroscience-related organization) and engagement in other relevant academic activities. Internships are arranged through the career services office.
BIOL 4890 Senior Inquiry: Comprehensive Examination: The comprehensive exam is an oral exam in which the student is asked questions about a wide range of topics in the major. For Neuroscience majors, the examination committee will be comprised of two or three faculty with at least one from the Biology and one from the Psychology Department. Permission of biology department chairperson required.
BIOL 4970 Advanced Independent Research: Student arranges with a supervising faculty member to complete an individual study and research project. These projects most often involve research in the laboratory or field work with a faculty member. Original research involves a way of thinking that provides a valuable experience that translates to many experiences, so the research project does not need to directly relate to neuroscience. Typically, 1CR; minimum of 6-8 hrs every week for 2CR. Permission of Instructor required. If the instructor is not in the Biology Department, then students should contact the Biology Department Director of Undergraduate Studies to arrange to get credit for this course.
BIOL 4980 Advanced Independent Study: Student arranges with a supervising faculty member to carry out an independent project. These projects most often involve an in-depth study of the literature on a specific topic related to neuroscience and result in a senior thesis. The length of the final product may vary widely, depending on the topic and should be agreed upon in advance with the instructor, but 15-20 pages are not uncommon. Alternative writing projects may also be considered. Previous examples have included writing a Wikipedia article on a topic related to neuroscience or researching and assembling an extensive annotated bibliography on a specific topic. Typically, 1CR; anything above that requires justification. Permission of Biology Instructor required. If the student would like to work with an instructor outside the Biology Department that has particular expertise in the selected topic, then the student should contact Dr. Alaina Baker-Nigh or the Biology Department Director of Undergraduate Studies to arrange to get credit for this course.
PSY 4960 Advanced Research Methodology and Statistics: Course combines statistics, research design, research methods and actual research experience. Inferential statistics including probability theory, sampling distributions, t-test, correlation, factorial analysis of variance and non-parametric. Methodologies including quasi-experiments and special control procedures. Students do at least one research project including analysis of results and write-up in American Psychological Association format: laboratory. Offered once a year. Prerequisite: PSY 3060 and at least 15 CR of psychology.
PSY 4965 Capstone Practicum Project: Student arranges with a supervising Psychology Department faculty member to complete a scholarly project, along with concurrent volunteer hours at a human services agency (or other psychology-related organization) and engaging in other relevant academic activities. Course may be completed as an independent-study or as a class. Prerequisite: at least 15 CR of psychology.
PSY 4967 Capstone Research Project: Student arranges with a supervising Psychology Department faculty member to carry out a psychology research project. Students are expected to be engaged with study planning, ensuring study meets regulatory requirements, data collection, data analysis, presentation and interpretation of the results, and an APA-style report. Course may be completed as an independent-study or as a class. Prerequisite: at least 15 CR of psychology.
PSY 6190: Topics: Cognitive Neuroscience: Advanced seminar in newly developing areas of cognitive neuroscience.
PSY 6290: Topics: Developmental Psychology: Advanced seminar in selected areas of developmental psychology.
PSY 6390:Topics: Social Psychology: Advanced topics and current research/theory in specialized areas of social psychology, including attitudes, self and social identity, social identity, social cognition, health, relationships, and prejudice.