General Information  |    Schedule  |   Faculty Contact

FUNDAMENTALS OF NEUROSCIENCE
Fall 2023

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) provides basic information on the anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and functions of the nervous system.
The course content is divided into three blocks:
I -  Cellular Neuroscience
II – Neuroanatomy, Sensory and Motor Systems
III – Systems Neuroscience and Mental Health
        Labs: Labs are guided reviews of whole, half, coronal and horizontally cut fixed and plasticized human brains.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students can expect to gain an overall view of the field of neuroscience, experience in reading the literature and in presenting neuroscience topics to an audience.

COURSE FORMAT:
The course is a lecture based format.
Class meets August 31st to December 14 2023
Thursdays 5:00 pm – 7:50 pm
Lecture hall: MSB C-600 has been requested
All lectures will be presented live in the lecture hall.
All lecture Powerpoints will be provided online prior to the scheduled lecture and all of the
lectures will be recorded for asynchronous learning.

FACULTY AND STAFF:
Steven Levison  (levisosw@rutgers.edu)     Ph: 2-5162; CC-H1226;  (Course Director)
Kevin Beck      (Kevin.Beck@va.gov)            Ph: 973-676-1000 x3682; East Orange VA
Josh Berlin     (berlinjr@njms.rutgers.edu)    Ph: 2-1618

COURSE TEXTBOOKS:
The recommended text is Neuroscience, Ed. by Purves et al., 6th edition, Sinauer Assoc. This edition is available at the Rutgers Bookstore and 2 copies are on reserve in the Smith Library.

ONLINE RESOURCES:
The second edition of Neuroscience, Ed. by Purves et al. is available on the NCBI website
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowTOC&rid=neurosci.TOC&depth=2

Basic Neurochemistry, 6th Edition https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20385/?term=Neuroscience

Albany Medical College Virtual Brain.  This is a series of interactive and customizable 3-D simulations of brain anatomy.  It is available for free download at the following url:  www.amc.edu/academic/software/index.cfm
Note this only works on Windows operating systems.

Other Web resources
A recommended website for learning neuroanatomy is:
http://www.neuroanatomy.ca/3D_files/3D_index.html?id=3
A site that quizzes you on your knowledge of neuroanatomical pathways can be found here:
http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/animations/hyperbrain/pathways/
Other Sites:
http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/HISTHTML/NEURANAT/NEURANCA.html
www.sfn.org - Society for Neuroscience web site

For a full understanding of the subject matter, students should consult their lecture notes and power point presentations posted on Canvas and read appropriate sections in Purves.
We strongly encourage all students to participate in the Discussion Forums on Canvas.

EVALUATION METHODS & COURSE GRADING
Evaluations:
On the fifth week of each block an exam is given on the material of the previous four weeks.  Each exam is worth 25% of the final grade, presentations/podcasts/papers are worth 10%. Each of the 3 quizes will be worth 5% of the total grade.  Exams are on the material presented in the previous block and they are not designed to be cumulative.

Presentations/Podcasts/Papers
Students will be required to either submit a research paper, a podcast created from a Powerpoint presentation, or to work with other students to present a short talk. These assignments will be selected from a list of neuroscience topics provided by the faculty.
Research papers and podcasts are due on Dec. 8th, but may be handed in earlier.
Presentations will take place during the last hour of each class beginning with the 2nd class.

Extra credit
Extra credit will only be provided for participation on the Discussion boards. Faculty will keep track of who is participating on the Discussion boards and will take participation in answering posted questions into consideration when assigning the final grades in the course. Students will be awarded 0.1 points per useful post to a maximum of 2 point added to their final course score.

Course Grading Rubric
After weighting the performance on each of the three exams. The average score for the course will be assigned a B+. Increments of 2/3 of the SD of the mean will then be used to set the grade levels below and above the mean. Earned exra credit will be applied to the final calculated grade.

 

EDUCATION PORTAL AND CANVAS COURSE ACCESS:
CANVAS: To access all course information log onto CANVAS: https://canvas.rutgers.edu/
PODCAST ACCESS:
Podcasts from the lectures will be available either on the course Canvas website or
at: https://ep.njms.rutgers.edu/
Login using your CORE login credentials on the right corner.
Click on the Digital Media tab
Click on the  "SGS" folder
Choose Fundamentals of Neuroscience

 Note that you may also find archived podcasts from this course under Archived Podcasts on the splash page for this website, in the description for Digital Media.

WIRELESS ACCESS FOR ELECTRONIC EXAMS (ON CAMPUS EXAMS)
RU Health Sciences is the primary wireless network for SGS however you can use either RU Health Sciences or RU Wireless Secure for electronic exams. Please make sure you can connect to both prior to an exam. See https://ruwireless.rutgers.edu/ruwireless-secure for more information. DO NOT USE RU Wireless.

EXAMSOFT SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Note: These requirements will be updated by the SGS Office of Student Affairs and Admissions.

EXAMSOFT SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
     The following laptop requirements are necessary for the School of Graduate Studies

EXAMSOFT EXAMPLIFY LINKS:
Mac : https://examsoft.force.com/emcommunity/s/article/Examplify-Minimum-System-Requirements-for-Mac-OS-X
Windows: https://examsoft.force.com/emcommunity/s/article/Examplify-Minimum-System-Requirements-for-Windows

ABSENCE FROM COURSE EXAMS:
SGS has issued a MISSED EXAM POLICY for students enrolled in their programs. Below are the valid excuses for missing a quiz or exam in this course (verbatim from the SGS Exam Policy):

• Significant illness, with official note by doctor, which must include a valid reason for missing the exam. The doctor’s note cannot result from a remote (online) diagnosis. NOTE: Illness prior to the exam ("didn’t have time to study") does not constitute a valid excuse, although exceptions can be given by the SGS Associate Dean of Student Affairs if the prior illness has been severe or lengthy.
• Death in the immediate family (parents, siblings, children, grandparents, aunts/uncles, niece or nephew, sister-in-law or brother-in-law, parents-in-law, first-cousins). Verification, with dates, is required, but this can be a newspaper announcement, event (e.g. wake) announcement, etc.
• Medical/dental school interview, in which the interview or unavoidable travel overlaps with the exam. Copy of the invitation letter.
• Presentation at a meeting. Proof of attendance required.
• More than two final exams on the same day. (NOTE: An exam should not be rescheduled for an individual with two exams on the same day). If a student has more than two exams on the same day, they will need to contact the SGS Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who will contact the course directors about allowing the student to take one of the exams on a different day. The vast majority of schools across the country, including Rutgers New Brunswick, allow up to two final exam in the same day.
• Permission of SGS Associate Dean of Students Affairs, with consultation of course-director. This will be rare, but is meant to account for valid, but unforeseen circumstances.

Each of these reasons will require some form of documentation to be submitted to verify the absence. For the full policy, please follow this link: http://njms.rutgers.edu/sgs/current_students/docs/new/ExamPolicy.pdf

 

CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT (COURSE EXAMINATIONS):
All students have a fundamental responsibility for maintaining academic integrity and intellectual honesty in their academic and professional endeavors. They are expected to observe generally accepted principles of scholarly work, to submit their own rather than another's work, to refrain from falsifying data, to acknowledge the published work of others in an appropriate manner, and to refrain from receiving or giving aid during examinations or other work requiring independent effort. When submitting written material, students take full responsibility for the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments and imply that both the ideas and words used are their own. All students are expected to respect the property of faculty and other students, and not use research equipment or laboratory supplies of others without permission.
Specific examples of appropriate behavior in examinations exams are given below:
Examinations: The purpose of an examination is to assess a student's knowledge of a topic defined within a course or courses. Unless given explicit written instructions to the contrary, a student must work without assistance on an examination.

• Classroom examination: Each student will provide answers to questions as directed. Unless otherwise stated, no material (books, calculators, computers, communication devices) of any kind can be used during an examination.
• Take-home examination: Each student will provide answers as directed. Unless otherwise stated, research and writing must be done individually without assistance or exchange of information with others. The ability to use source material in the research of answers will be defined for each examination. But, unless stated otherwise, all source material should be cited appropriately as outlined below.

NOTE: These policies also hold true for ALL exams administered remotely.
To view the full policy for the Code of Professional Conduct in the School of Graduate studies regarding examinations, research and oral presentations follow this link: http://njms.rutgers.edu/sgs/current_students/ac_integ.php

ACADEMIC WARNING POLICY:
http://njms.rutgers.edu/sgs/documents/policys/SGS_Academic_Warning_Policy.pdf
Each program shall clearly inform students of the criteria for satisfactory academic performance.  Academic standing will be reviewed each semester by the Program’s Academic Standing Committee. Students who receive less than an average grade of “B” in the designated Core course(s) or have a GPA less than 3.0 will receive an academic warning notice. Students performing below satisfactory levels of proficiency as outlined by the program may also receive a written warning notice. The written warning states the problem(s), outlines those measures needed for improvement and sets a deadline for compliance. Letters informing students of an academic warning will be sent within 30 calendar days of the end of the semester. A request will be made to students receiving academic warning letters to meet with the Program Director and/or the Academic Standing Committee.

COURSE ADD/DROP POLICY:
Policy for the Addition of a Course:
Students may add courses with the approval of the instructor (when required) and the program director. A student wishing to add a course after the general registration period has closed, must complete the “Add/Drop/Withdraw” form and have appropriate approval of the course instructor (when required) and program director prior to the start of the course. Registration will not be permitted beyond the first week of a course. Credit will not be given for courses in which the student was not registered.

Add Course Form Link: https://na2.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=96fcae95-bc67-45fb-8da3-11300ded2e99

Policy for Dropping a Course:
Students may drop courses with approval of the instructor (when required) and the program director. Students submitting a completed “Add/Drop/withdraw” form to the SGS Registrar’s office within 10 academic days of the start of the course will receive a full tuition refund and the course will not appear on their official transcript. The drop period of 1-10 *academic days, is distinguishable from the withdrawal period in that the drop period is without penalty. A completed and approved Add/Drop/Withdraw” form(s) must be received by the Registrar’s office within the time periods set forth above in order for a course(s) to be “dropped”.

Drop Course Form Link: https://na2.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=c45635ca-6a1e-4936-b436-337b211b8433
*An academic day is defined as a day that the SGS campus at which the student is enrolled is open for business.

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS AT RUTGERS SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES:
Rutgers School of Graduate Studies is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities to students with documented disabilities (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical). To ensure access to this please contact Student Affairs, to engage in a confidential conversation about the process for requesting reasonable accommodations in the classroom setting. Students are encouraged to register with the Office of Student Affairs as soon as they begin their program. Accommodations are not provided retroactively. Rutgers School of Graduate Studies encourages students to access all resources available through the School for consistent support and access to their program.
More information can be found online at
http://njms.rutgers.edu/education/student_affairs/student_support/disability_services.cfm .
Rutgers University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must complete the ODS registration form: https://webapps.rutgers.edu/student-ods/forms/registration and contact the RBHS Office of Disability Services at 973-972-5396 or cindy.poorepariseau@rutgers.edu to make an appointment for an intake interview.  You will also be asked to provide documentation of your disability:
https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/documentation-guidelines .
If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, the Office of Disability Services will provide you with a Letter of Accommodations. This Letter will be used to notify appropriate school personnel about the accommodations you are qualified to receive. To begin this process, please complete the Registration form on the ODS web site at: https://webapps.rutgers.edu/student-ods/forms/registration .

TEACHER-LEARNER POLICY RUTGERS SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES:
The Rutgers SGS Newark Health Science Campus strongly believes that teaching and learning should take place in a climate of mutual respect where students and faculty are equally responsible for maintaining a professional and collegial environment. An environment where students are evaluated based upon accomplishment, professionalism and academic performance. We are committed to maintaining a positive learning environment and the highest standards of behavior in the teacher-student relationship.
To view the full Teacher-Learner policy for the School of Graduate studies, please follow this link: https://njms.rutgers.edu/sgs/current_students/docs/Teacher%20Learner%20Policy.pdf