Catalog 2024-2025

Study of the Mind/Neuroscience

Teaching Faculty

Professors Bonebright, Campolo, Dow, Ferrer (chair), Goadrich, Murray, Penner, and Peszka

Assistant Professor Merrick
 

Description

The Study of the Mind and Neuroscience program provides a unique, interdisciplinary study of the development, organization, and function of the nervous system and its relationship to behavior and cognition in human and nonhuman animals. Students study the foundational questions in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of science as central to work in the empirical sciences of the mind. Because this requires an integration of knowledge from multiple levels of analysis, The Study of the Mind major at Hendrix College offers an interdisciplinary approach calling on methodologies from biology, psychology, philosophy, and computer science. Students are given the tools they need to pursue a foundational understanding in the philosophical and scientific study of the mind and brain and in addition the opportunity to pursue appropriate interdisciplinary experience in the field. The flexibility in electives allows students to focus on their own interests in biology, psychology, philosophy, and computer science, or even develop a unique interdisciplinary specialization. Working closely with their advisors, The Study of the Mind major prepares students with an interdisciplinary foundation for graduate study in a variety of fields. 

 

Note:

Students with a major in The Study of the Mind cannot minor in Neuroscience.

Major in The Study of the Mind

12 courses distributed as follows:

  • BIOL 150 Fundamentals of Cellular Life (w/Lab)
  • CSCI 150 Foundations of Computer Science (w/Lab)
  • PSYC 220 Brain and Behavior
  • 1 of the following statistics courses 
    • BUSI 250 Principles of Statistics
    • MATH 215 Introductory Statistics
    • PSYC 290 Statistics 
    • SOCI 210 Social Statistics  
  • PHIL 350 Philosophy of Science
  • PHIL 390 Philosophy of Mind
  • One of the following lab-based neuroscience courses
    • BIOL 325 Neurobiology (w/Lab)
    • PSYC 310 Social Neuroscience (w/Lab)
    • PSYC 360 Behavioral Neuroscience (w/Lab)
    • PSYC 363 Cognitive Neuroscience (w/Lab)
  • MIND 497 Study of the Mind Senior Capstone
  • 4 electives chosen from the following list so that
    • no more than two can be from the same discipline as identified by the four-letter course code
    • at least two at the 300-level or above
            BIOL 250 Genetics (w/Lab)
            BIOL/PSYC 300 Comparative Animal Behavior (w/Lab)
            BIOL 310 Developmental Biology (w/Lab)
            BIOL 320 Animal Physiology (w/Lab)
            BIOL 355 Eukaryotic Cell Biology
            BIOL 430 Immunology (w/Lab)
            BIOL 470 Molecular Genetics (w/Lab)
            CHEM 110 Gen Chem I (w/Lab)
            CHEM 330 Biological Chemistry (w/Lab)
            CSCI 151 Data Structures (w/Lab)
            CSCI 235 Intelligent Robotics
            CSCI 270 Computational Humanities
            CSCI 285 Scientific Computing
            CSCI 335 Artificial Intelligence
            PHIL 235 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
            PHIL 245 Logic
            PHIL 280 Free Will, Agents and Intentions
            PHIL 425 Neurophilosophy
            PSYC 295 Research Methods (w/Lab)
            PSYC 310 Social Neuroscience (w/Lab)
            PSYC 320 Cognitive Psychology (w/Lab)
            PSYC 335 Sensation and Perception
            PSYC 355 Evolutionary Psychology
            PSYC 360 Behavioral Neuroscience (w/Lab)
            PSYC 363 Cognitive Neuroscience

Senior Capstone Experience

In the spring of their senior year, Study of the Mind majors will take MIND 497: Study of the Mind Senior Capstone.

Minor in Neuroscience

6 courses distributed as follows:

  • BIOL 150 Fundamentals of Cellular Life (w/Lab)
  • PSYC 220 Brain and Behavior
  • One of the following lab-based neuroscience courses
    • BIOL 325 Neurobiology (w/Lab) 
    • PSYC 310 Social Neuroscience (w/Lab)  
    • PSYC 360 Behavioral Neuroscience (w/Lab)
    • PSYC 363 Cognitive Neuroscience (w/Lab) 
  • PHIL 390 Philosophy of Mind
  • Two electives chosen from the following list from two different disciplines as identified by the four-letter course code
          BIOL/PSYC 300 Comparative Animal Behavior 
          BIOL 320 Animal Physiology (w/Lab)
          BIOL 325 Neurobiology (w/Lab)
          PHIL 235 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
          PHIL 350 Philosophy of Science
          PHIL 425 Neurophilosophy
          PSYC 310 Social Neuroscience  (w/Lab)
          PSYC 335 Sensation and Perception
          PSYC 360 Behavioral Neuroscience (w/Lab)
          PSYC 363 Cognitive Neuroscience  

Program Course Listings

The courses for this program are organized into the following categories:

Study of the Mind Courses

MIND 497

Study of the Mind Senior Seminar

An advanced seminar in the study of the mind for senior majors. Topics are chosen by the faculty, and students have the opportunity to integrate and synthesize what they have learned in the study of the mind major.

Back to Program Course Listings

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