Brain and Behavior

Semester & Location:	Summer Session 3 (one-time offering in 2025) DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Psychology, Neuroscience
Prerequisite(s):	One psychology course at university level
Faculty Members:	Beth Wee, PhD (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact	psy.cns@dis.dk
Time & Place:	See Course Schedule Classroom: TBA

Course Description

Prerequisite: One semester of psychology at university level.

How do neurons communicate with each other? What controls how we move and how we sense the environment around us? What role do hormones play in our behavior? Why do animals sleep? How does learning occur? How does the body react to stress? These are some of the questions we will answer during this course. Lectures and associated activities cover the function and structure of the nervous system and the role of brain activity in the regulation of behavior. This course provides students with a first exposure to the biological bases of behavior and is not recommended for students who have taken other courses in this area of study.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will:

1. be familiar with the structure and function of the brain and other components of the mammalian nervous system
2. understand basic neurobiological concepts, including neural and synaptic transmission, mechanisms of drug and hormone action, homeostasis, learning and memory, sensorimotor integration, and sleep
3. have an appreciation for the importance of neurobiological research and some of the methods used in this research

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of the biological, chemical, and physical bases of nerve cell structure and function
• apply this knowledge to explain the role of the nervous system in a variety of behaviors and physiological processes (including learning and memory, sensorimotor integration, response to stress, sleep)
• compare the nervous system of a healthy individual to that of an individual with disease or damage of the nervous system.

The following topics will be covered during the course:

• Cells of the Nervous System
• Neural Transmission
• Synaptic Transmission
• Drugs
• Neuroanatomy
• Methods to Study the Brain
• Sensory Systems
• Motor Systems
• Learning and Memory
• Biological Rhythms and Sleep
• Hormones and Behavior
• Stress

Faculty

Beth Wee, PhD. Beth is a Senior Professor of Practice and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the School of Science and Engineering at Tulane University, and also the Director of Undergraduate and Master's Programs in Neuroscience at Tulane University. She is a neuroscientist whose research interests include biological rhythms (seasonal and circadian), neuroendocrinology, reproduction, learning and memory, and animal behavior. At Tulane, Beth teaches courses on Brain and Behavior, Behavioral Endocrinology, and Comparative Animal Behavior. Beth will be Visiting Faculty at DIS during the Summer 2025 term.

Readings

Required readings will be listed for each individual class, so please check the calendar to identify what you should read before class. Note that accompanying journal articles will be updated closer to the start date for the course.

Required textbook:

• Watson, N.V. & Breedlove, S.M. (2024). The Mind’s Machine: Foundations of brain and behavior. Sinauer Associates (5th edition). Sinauer Associates.

Articles:

• TBA

Field Studies

Field studies serve to complement your course work by placing you in the professional field to extend and rethink what we read about, discuss in class, and encounter in practicum. Please be ready for each field study by completing all readings and preparing questions in advance.

We may divide the class into smaller groups, each visiting different sites located in the greater Copenhagen area. Specific field study details are yet to be determined and will be announced closer to the start of the course.

Guest Lecturers

TBD. At certain points in the course, guest lecturers may be invited to provide their experience and expertise on select topics being covered in class.

Approach to Teaching

I am an enthusiastic teacher whose goal is to develop your curiosity, sense of questioning, and critical thinking. As such, I encourage asking questions whether for clarification or for going more in depth. I believe that there is no such thing as a bad question: what appears trivial might actually turn into the most interesting and insightful question.

Classes will typically include both lectures by the instructor and discussions led by the students. It is expected that students will complete the reading assignments before class as this will nourish our class discussions and we may not go into the level of detail in class as provided in the readings. However, any unclear areas, as indicated by student questions, will be reviewed in class. 

Expectations of the Students

Active participation: Students are expected to participate actively in class. This includes taking part in the discussions, asking or answering questions. There are no stupid questions and I encourage and reward student expression. Opinions can be expressed as such and scientific sources to discussion points are always emphasized and encouraged. You are expected to behave professionally and treat each other with respect and empathy. These are crucial skills that I strive to nurture and cherish as I believe they support communication, learning, and overall well-being.

Preparation to the class: To engage with the class material properly, you are expected to come to class prepared - you should expect to spend a few hours each day working on class-related preparation and homework. Make sure you read and understand the required readings before class. Think about what the crucial points in the reading are, what did you find super interesting, what is still unclear. Take your own notes so that we can discuss and answer your questions in class. This will also serve as a starting point for creating your own study guide. 

Workload: This is an intensive course. In just three weeks, you will cover an extensive content and receive three credits. In order to merit this you should expect a high workload and intensive preparation for classes on a daily basis.

Note-taking: Slides include graphs, pictures, and illustrations necessary to understand the class. Students are expected to take notes complementing and explaining the slides. Slides are a support and should be treated as such and not as the main source of information needed. 

DIS Accommodations Statement 

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter immediately from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupp@dis.dk. 

Evaluation

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.

You will be evaluated based on your performance on the course assignments as indicated below. Additional details will be provided in class.

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Class participation and engagement (including field study participation)	20%
Discussion forum	20%
Research snapshot - a mini-TED talk	20%
Final project: A group exercise	30%
Concluding reflection paper	10%

Participation and Engagement

Preparation, attendance, and engagement in classes and field studies is important because it shows that you are taking responsibility for your own learning. Your participation and engagement grade will be calculated based on your ability to meet the following criteria:

• You attend the class meeting/field study/guest lecture having done the day’s reading.
• You are engaged throughout our class meeting/field study/guest lecture and demonstrate this by prompting discussion and/or responding to your peers by linking comments, asking questions, and drawing connections between readings and themes.
• You listen attentively and respectfully to others (and you avoid dominating or silencing others).
• You offer more than just personal opinion or anecdote – that is, you root your comments in the text we are discussing (e.g., “this reminds me of p. 76 where the authors indicate X”) and link ideas and comments with content from past reading assignments.
• You work collaboratively with people to achieve learning goals when you are placed in a small group.

Discussion Forum

The purpose of the Canvas discussion forum is to give you an opportunity to think critically and ask questions about the readings before we meet for class. Each discussion post should be no more than 1 paragraph long and should reflect your own thinking about a particular issue as well as any questions that you have about the reading. Avoid sharing whether you liked the reading or found it to be interesting. Instead, through your comments, you must communicate that you have done each of the following: 

• Read the assignment closely,
• Challenged yourself to think critically about the theory/research findings, and,
• Attempted to draw connections with other class content 

Please proof-read carefully, use standard punctuation, appropriate language, and make sure you provide sufficient context so that your comments and questions make sense. You should be prepared to discuss your discussion post during our class session so please review it before class.

You are expected to write 9 discussion posts over the course of the 3-week summer session - you can choose which discussion posts you wish to contribute to during this time.

Research snapshot - a mini-TED talk

Given the short duration of the summer term and the incredible breadth of research on the biological bases of behavior, we are necessarily limited in our ability to review all the areas of sub-specialization within the research literature. Thus, you will have the opportunity to conduct an in-depth exploration of a topic that is of particular interest to you and share this information with your classmates via a 10-minute research snapshot. You are welcome to present this "live" during class, or, if you prefer to record the talk in advance, you may do so and we will watch the talk together in class (we will still have a brief Q/A session at the end in case there are questions).

The purpose of this activity is not only to allow you to gain in-depth knowledge, but also to educate and stimulate your classmates by presenting new research and insights into a particular area of scholarship. It is recommended that you identify topics that are reasonably focused/finite, non-overlapping with class content/readings, and are either controversial, difficult to understand, or perhaps “hot topics” in the current literature.

To prepare, you are expected to synthesize at least 5-6 recent peer-reviewed journal articles on your topic; these should form a coherent group, and at least one should be a systematic review or a meta-analysis paper (the rest may be empirical articles). You may also consult other scholarly sources (e.g., reputable news media, books) in addition to the required 5-6 journal articles (note that you will likely need to skim more to find the ones that you wish to synthesize for your presentation). You are strongly encouraged to incorporate Scandinavian research and/or perspectives into your presentation. 

In terms of presentation format, try to draw inspiration from TED-talks and share the overall "story" (themes, take-aways, limitations, pending questions...) about the research rather than just presenting a summary of each individual article. Think about what we know and what we don't know - what are the strengths and limitations of the current state of evidence on the topic?

Please submit your presentation slides, video (if pre-recorded), and full list of references in APA format in advance of your presentation. Please be prepared to answer questions from the class on your research topic. 

Final project: A group exercise

For this group assignment, you will have the opportunity to synthesize and integrate your knowledge over the course of the term and share it with your classmates in a creative format. This can take many forms but the objective is to demonstrate your learning over the course of the summer term. Further details will be provided in class.

Concluding reflection paper

The purpose of this brief (1-2 page) final reflection is to give you an opportunity to consider your learning journey in this course and from your time in Denmark. What are some key take-away messages about the biological bases of behavior? Has the course changed any of your perceptions? Is there anything you might do differently in the future as a result of taking this course? How can you carry your new learning forward? Please note that this final reflection will be graded as complete-incomplete so you should feel free to write authentically.

Course Policies 

Attendance: You are expected to attend all scheduled DIS classes.  If you miss a class for any reason, please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes, Academic Support will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well.  Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS.  Allowances will be made in cases of illness or religious holidays.

Academic Honesty, Plagiarism, and Violating the Rules of an Assignment: DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.  Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Policy on Late Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late, but will incur a 10% penalty for each day they are late. They will not be accepted if they are more than 3 days late.

Extensions: You may request an extension for an assignment, but you must ask more than 1 day before the assignment is due. Extension requests on the due date, without an excusable reason, will not be considered.

Policy for Students Who Arrive Late to Class: Please come to classes on time as it is disturbing for the lecturer and other students. Repeated lateness will result in a referral to Academic Support.

Use of Laptops or Phones in Class: Computer use or phone use in class and during field studies is by permission only. If you are given permission to use your computer and/or phone in class, please note that these devices must be used solely for academic purposes (e.g. note-taking, literature searching, data handling purposes). Personal usage of electronic devices during class time (including field studies) is strictly forbidden. If you anticipate an emergency during class time that might require you to use your phone, please let me know in advance so that we can make a temporary exception to this policy for you.

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

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