Biological Sciences 300/301, Smith College | Neurophysiology Administrative Information http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/NeuroSci/courses/bio330/admin.html
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	UPDATED: January 5, 2008
BOOKS	TEXTBOOK: Eric Kandel, James Schwartz & Thomas Jessell, Principles of neural science, fourth edition. (2000, McGraw-Hill) ISBN 0-8385-7701-6 A book review of the third edition was published in Science.
	RESERVE BOOKS (in the Science Library): Kandel, E.R., Schwartz & Jessell Principles of neural science, fourth edition. QP355.2 P76 2000 The textbook for this course. Dowling, John E. Neurons and networks, 2nd ed. QP355.2 D68 2001 A textbook for a sophomore-level neurobiology course at Harvard. It is clearly written, and will be a helpful complement to the lectures in this course.
GRADED WORK	Weekly quizzes, at the start of class on Tuesdays. These five-minute quizzes will ask you to explain one figure from the textbook related to the previous week's topics. You will have a list of figures that are eligible each week. A space at the edge of the quiz will allow you to make corrections when we go over the quiz before handing them in. Quizzes are intended to be diagnostic, and will not affect your final grade unless you do poorly week after week. An examination in class in the fifth week, covering membrane potentials. The purpose of the exam is to make sure everyone is up to speed on the important initial topics in the course. Several special assignments associated with the lecture or lab course. These are graded P/F. A paper in preparation for the laboratory project, due in Lab 8. Although the paper will be discussed in lab, it will be graded as part of the work on motor control for the lecture course. If you or your paper are not in class, the paper will receive a neutral P/F grade, which is usually disadvantageous to your final grade. A paper on an advanced topic in visual processing, due in class in the last week of the semester. The paper's purpose is partly to prepare everyone for a class discussion, and therefore both you and your paper must be present in class on that day for your paper to receive a grade. If you or your paper are not in class, the paper will receive a neutral P/F grade, which is usually disadvantageous to your final grade. A final examination administered by the Registrar during the self-scheduled exam period. The final exam traditionally is a short paper on some topic relevant to the course. Numbers in the margins correspond to questions on the exam. The questions ask you to explain briefly (or give a wider context for) what the authors are saying or showing, thereby demonstrating that you have learned to navigate in the realm of neurophysiology. Lab work, based on the overall quality of your experimental work, and your project abstract, poster, and presentation. Although the lab is a separate course for administrative purposes, you will receive the same grade in the lecture and lab courses (as if they were a single 5-credit course). Your lab work will contribute 20% to that combined grade. Contributions to our class's Neurophysiology Wiki. The wiki will be a compilation of lecture notes, one wiki article for each lecture. Students will sign up at the start of the semester to be the principal author for one lecture, and an editor for two others. The Wiki will be hosted at http://bio300.pbwiki.com/. A password will be distributed in class. The intention of this assignment is to create a set of high-quality course notes that everyone will find useful for reviewing the course. The project is an experiment, and it will start out graded P/F on the assumption that presenting your work to your peers is a strong motivator for doing good work. If that assumption proves false, or if class attendance suffers because good notes are available, we will revisit the wiki's grading status and/or its existence.
CONTACT INFORMATION	LOCATION: Classses meet Tu and Th at 10:30 in Bass 210. Lab meets Tu or W at 1:10 in Sabin-Reed 301. Laboratory begins the first week of classes. FACULTY: Richard F. Olivo, Professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College; Associate Director, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University Office: 304 Sabin-Reed, Clark Science Center, Smith College Phone: 413 585-3822. Email: rolivo@email.smith.edu, or rolivo@fas.harvard.edu Office hours: Tuesdays 4:30-6:00, or by appointment Wednesdays and Thursdays. LAB TEACHING ASSISTANT: Tuesday and Wednesday: Elizabeth Snide (esnide@email.smith.edu)
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