Teaching
PSYCH 101: Introductory Psychology
Taught Fall 2024, Spring & Fall 2025, Spring 2026
An introduction to the science of human behavior. Topics include the nervous system, perception, learning, motivation, cognitive and social development, personality, individual differences, social behavior and psychopathology. In class laboratory exercises to emphasize the use of research methods and data to describe and examine behavior.
NEURO 305: Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
Taught Spring 2026
Dementia involves progressive loss of cognitive functions, associated with unique patterns of neurodegeneration in the brain. For example, Alzheimer’s disease is associated with memory loss and temporal lobe atrophy, whereas frontotemporal dementia is characterized by behavioral changes associated with frontal lobe atrophy. This course will discuss the different etiologies of dementia, the biological changes associated with different subtypes, risk factors (behavioral, genetic, etc.), neuropsychological and imaging-based methods for diagnosis, current treatment options, and the emotional, social, and economic costs of dementia on patients and caregivers. We will delve into primary scientific literature covering current theories and findings, and will explore cultural depictions to better understand dementia from multiple viewpoints. This course has substantial neurobiology content and students are required to have completed Fundamentals of Neurobiology (Neuro 205) to enroll.
PSYCH/NEURO 500: Senior Project
Taught Fall 2025, Spring 2026
Supervised research on a specific problem in psychology or neuroscience for senior students. Students complete a research project from start to finish, including conceptualizing a research problem, conducting literature review, designing experiments, collecting data, performing statistical analysis, writing a thesis manuscript, and presenting their findings to the department.