GE CLST 73A
Mind over Matter: History, Science, and Philosophy of Brain
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Course 73A is enforced requisite to 73B, which is enforced requisite to 73CW. Limited to first-year freshmen. Human brain is most complex structure in universe and last major organ system to be understood. Our brains give us power to see and hear, learn and remember, interpret others, and act purposefully in our environment. We can lose these abilities that we take for granted, naturally over time or as result of injury or disease. Brain function from historical, biological, psychological, and philosophical perspectives to enable students to better understand organ responsible for all mental processes and behavior in health and disease and to encourage them to think and write critically about interaction of neurobiological, philosophical, and psychological factors that control behavior and our experiences as human beings. Use of historical perspective to better understand how field of neuroscience and study of brain have emerged over time. Letter grading.
Units: 6.0
Units: 6.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - I took this cluster with Professor Trott, Professor Gibbons, and Professor Kristal (as well as TA Jason). I think this cluster actually was the hardest out of my 3 classes for freshman fall quarter because it has very heavy workload. We had quizzes almost every week (starting from week 1), and those quizzes were definitely something you need to study for. There were also lots of reading that I felt was pretty essential to both the quiz and the midterm/exam. There was a midterm worth 100 points testing on the first half of the quarter, and a final worth 100 points testing on the second half (so its not a cumulative test). They both had 50 MCQs worth 2 points. On top of the quizzes and exams, we also had to write two papers around 1500 words, which added to that workload. However, although I spent a lot of time on this course, I did gain the most from it, and I did find it interesting how they could combine the "body mind" topic to so many literary works, as well as the neuroscience aspect to literature. Your workload also depends heavily on your TA, because some of the TAs give a lot of extra work to their students just to earn the discussion attendance. But my TA (Jackie) was amazing and very helpful during her sessions and office hours, so I really think she helped me so much with my essays and concerns throughout the quarter. Moreover, this class gave us alot of extra credits. I got a total of 14 extra credits, which made up for the points I lost during midterm and my essays (boosted my grade significantly). They were also really easy to receive (e.g. watch a film, do a survey etc.). I think overall, I had to spend alot of time actually doing the readings and writing my notes, but it is worth it in the end. So if you are interested, definitely take it, but be prepared because it isn't just about neuroscience (which is what I, and most others, thought it would be), but more about philosophy and literature.
Fall 2024 - I took this cluster with Professor Trott, Professor Gibbons, and Professor Kristal (as well as TA Jason). I think this cluster actually was the hardest out of my 3 classes for freshman fall quarter because it has very heavy workload. We had quizzes almost every week (starting from week 1), and those quizzes were definitely something you need to study for. There were also lots of reading that I felt was pretty essential to both the quiz and the midterm/exam. There was a midterm worth 100 points testing on the first half of the quarter, and a final worth 100 points testing on the second half (so its not a cumulative test). They both had 50 MCQs worth 2 points. On top of the quizzes and exams, we also had to write two papers around 1500 words, which added to that workload. However, although I spent a lot of time on this course, I did gain the most from it, and I did find it interesting how they could combine the "body mind" topic to so many literary works, as well as the neuroscience aspect to literature. Your workload also depends heavily on your TA, because some of the TAs give a lot of extra work to their students just to earn the discussion attendance. But my TA (Jackie) was amazing and very helpful during her sessions and office hours, so I really think she helped me so much with my essays and concerns throughout the quarter. Moreover, this class gave us alot of extra credits. I got a total of 14 extra credits, which made up for the points I lost during midterm and my essays (boosted my grade significantly). They were also really easy to receive (e.g. watch a film, do a survey etc.). I think overall, I had to spend alot of time actually doing the readings and writing my notes, but it is worth it in the end. So if you are interested, definitely take it, but be prepared because it isn't just about neuroscience (which is what I, and most others, thought it would be), but more about philosophy and literature.
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