This module will introduce how the human brain and body interact in order to shape our minds and our behaviour. Several different aspects of brain-body-behavioural interactions are covered by different experts in the field. These topics range from basic bodily functions to high-order existential concerns and include: recreational drugs; lifestyle, diet and well-being; how the microbes in our guts affect behaviour; the role of the immune system; how our environment affects how our genes work; how we taste and smell; how our senses interact to shape perception; the experience of physical and social pain; existential neuroscience.
The aim of this module is to provide Year 3 students with a deep understanding of the way the brain and body interact to control behaviour. At the end of the module students should be able to:
1. Understand the psychophysiological processes and consequences of various lifestyle choices (e.g. diet, exercise, recreational drugs); how embodiment affects brain and behaviour (via the enteric nervous system, the immune system, and gene-environment interactions)
2. Understand how the senses interact to provide the experience of perception.
3. Develop knowledge into the new neuroscientific findings that are providing insight into areas of deep philosophical intrigue (such as the putative link between physical and social pain, and how an awareness of death can influence cognition and behaviour).
4. Know how to pass on their new knowledge to others in an educationally useful way.
The aim of this module is to provide Year 3 students with a deep understanding of the way the brain and body interact to control behaviour. At the end of the module students should be able to:
1. Understand the psychophysiological processes and consequences of various lifestyle choices (e.g. diet, exercise, recreational drugs); how embodiment affects brain and behaviour (via the enteric nervous system, the immune system, and gene-environment interactions)
2. Understand how the senses interact to provide the experience of perception.
3. Develop knowledge into the new neuroscientific findings that are providing insight into areas of deep philosophical intrigue (such as the putative link between physical and social pain, and how an awareness of death can influence cognition and behaviour).
4. Know how to pass on their new knowledge to others in an educationally useful way.
- Module Supervisor: Steffan Kennett