BCSC 243: Syllabus
Fall 2023
Time & Location
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:25-11:15 EST
Dewey 2-110
Personnel
Professor: Renee Miller, Ph.D.
e-mail:
TA: Lia Calcines-Rodriguez
email: lia_CalcinesRodriguez@urmc.rochester.edu
Course Intent
This course is intended to introduce you to the field of neurochemistry. We will work through sequential units on the chemicals of the brain, the effector mechanisms of chemicals including receptors and signal transduction pathways, how chemicals interact with proteins, metabolism, and lipids. The discipline of behavioral neurochemistry includes topics that range from the study of the neurochemical mechanisms that underlie normal behavior to behavioral sequellae that result from severe neurochemical dysfunction. Students will cover these issues in the final quarter of the course in a unit designated as applied neurochemistry. However, throughout the course, the functional aspects of all neurochemical mechanisms will be presented. An introductory knowledge of biochemistry will be helpful in understanding the material presented. NSCI 201/BCSC 240 is a prerequisite.
Text
Basic Neurochemistry, Eighth Edition. Brady, G.J, Albers, R.W., Brady, S.T., Price, D.L. (Eds.), Elsevier Academic Press, 2012. This is an edited book with each chapter written by different authors. There is a copy on reserve in Carlson library as well as an online version you can access.
Credit Hours
Class attendance is essential. We meet as a large group three times a week. There are two workshops during the semester. To make up the additional class time required by a national accreditation rule, students will ‘attend’ a virtual or in-person research talk four times during the semester and write a one-page summary of this research talk within three days of attending. Each student must hand in their own write up, but if multiple students attend the same talk, they may meet to discuss the research as a small group as long as everyone does their own work. This is a great way to meet your classmates and form regular study groups. The expectation is that everyone contributes to these meetings, if you choose to work with others. The summaries should clearly define the scope of the problem being studied, the questions being asked by the speaker, the methods used, and the results of the experiments, as well as their or your own interpretation of those results. It’s hard to be concise enough to pack this all into one page, but this is your goal (if you go over by a sentence or two, no big deal).
Evaluation
The course is arranged into four units. An in-class exam will be given at the end of each of the first three units. The in-class exams involve data analysis and interpretation and test your ability to apply the knowledge you’ve gained. Each exam will account for 15% of your final grade. There is no cumulative final exam. There will be several in-class quizzes comprised of short answer questions testing your direct recall of recent lecture material. Quizzes will count for 15% of your grade. Two problem-based workshops will be held during the semester. These workshops will give you experience in working with and interpreting data, and attendance is mandatory. In addition, a portion of some classes will be spent on ‘skills’—discussing primary research papers (highlighted in yellow), analyzing data, scientific writing, etc. Your participation in these activities will influence your final grade in the course, especially if your average is near a threshold. The write-ups of research talks will count for 12% of your grade. The fourth unit focuses on applying your understanding of basic neurochemistry to specific issues of function or neuropathology. Each topic in this unit will be covered mini-symposium style with each student responsible for organizing and presenting relevant information about a specific topic. Each individual participant will be responsible for a 10-15 minute oral presentation and an 8-10 page paper covering their topic. The presentation, paper and overall symposium will account for 28% of the class grade.
- 3 exams: 45%
- 5 quizzes: 15%
- 4 write-ups of research talks: 12%
- Final paper: 16%
- Oral presentation: 12%
Policies
Academic Honesty: All assignments and activities associated with this course must be performed in accordance with the University of Rochester’s Academic Honesty Policy. You are encouraged to discuss course readings and assignments with your fellow students. However, all written work must be done independently and not in collaboration with another. In order to make appropriate help available for your essays, I encourage you to consult with me and with the College Writing, Speaking and Argument Program. The final research paper will require citations and “Works Cited” following the MLA format. More information is available online
Plagiarism: Please refer to the Honesty Policy for a definition of plagiarism. In scientific writing, plagiarism includes improper citation of primary sources. All citations in written assignments must follow the MLA format and include page numbers for cited articles and materials. Sources must be given regardless of whether the idea, phrase or other material is quoted directly, paraphrased or summarized in the student-writer’s own words. Direct quotes must always be placed in quotation marks in addition to the other citation information that is required, but quotes should be used almost never in scientific writing.
If you use an AI like ChatGPT for the purpose of “cleaning up” or “professionalizing” your written work, I require that you hand in the before and after versions of the assignment. There will be no penalty for using ChatGPT or similar for this purpose as long as it is declared but this is the only allowable use of the technology. The unsanctioned use of such technologies or failure to cite them will be considered a violation of the policy for this course.
Attendance: Excused absences include illness with Doctor’s note, documented family emergencies, University related travel (sports, debate, etc.), and interviews. It is always better to come to class late or leave early if necessary rather than missing an entire lecture. I am not a physician, and cannot excuse you due to your reports of mental illness (e.g. anxiety, depression), nor am I authorized to make accommodations for reason of mental illness. Please be proactive in meeting with Disability Services if you anticipate any difficulty in attending class or taking exams this semester.