NSCI 318
Image, Imaging, and Imagining: The Brain and Visual Arts
Spring 2010
Division III
Cross-listed
INTR 223 / PSYC 318
This is not the current course catalog
Class Details
This course will study the intersections of neuroscience and art. The brain interprets the visual world and generates cognitive and emotional responses to what the eyes see. It is also responsible for creating mental images and then directing the artist’s motor output. We will first examine the neural mechanisms of how we perceive what we see. We will investigate how visual artists have used or challenged perceptual cues in their work. Understanding how the brain perceives faces will be used to analyze portraiture. We will consider the influence of neurological and psychological disorders of artists on their work. We will examine neuroimaging studies questioning whether the brains of visual artists are specialized differently from non-artists. Finally, we will explore how contemporary artists are using brain images in their artwork, and how “outsider” artists have portrayed brain syndromes and mental states. Students will design and conduct a research project in visual neuroscience. The class will include field trips to museums and galleries, and participation in programming centered on a WCMA exhibit on this topic. Students will have an opportunity to create their own artwork in response to these topics, culminating in a class exhibit.
The Class:
Format: empirical lab course
Limit: 12
Expected: 12
Class#: 3241
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Limit: 12
Expected: 12
Class#: 3241
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation:
evaluation will be based on a midterm, several presentations, and a final project
Extra Info:
satisfies one semester of Division III requirement
Prerequisites:
for registration under INTR, PSYC 101 and ArtH 101-102 or permission of instructor; f0r registration under PSYC or NSCI, NSCI 201/PSYC 212/BIOL 212 and ArtH 101-102 or permission of instructor
Enrollment Preferences:
for registration under INTR, Art majors; for registration under PSYC or NSCI, Psychology majors and Neuroscience concentrators
Unit Notes:
meets NSCI Group B and PSYC Area 1 and Empirical Lab requirements for the concentration or major only if registration is under NSCI or PSYC.
Distributions:
Division III
Notes:
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
INTR 223 Division III PSYC 318 Division II NSCI 318 Division III
INTR 223 Division III PSYC 318 Division II NSCI 318 Division III
Attributes:
NSCI Group B Electives
PSYC Area 1 - Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC Empirical Lab Course
PSYC Area 1 - Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC Empirical Lab Course
Class Grid
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HEADERS
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CLASSESColumn header 2DREQColumn header 3INSTRUCTORSColumn header 4TIMESColumn header 5CLASS#
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NSCI 318 - 01 (S) LEC The Brain & Visual Arts
NSCI 318 - 01 (S) LEC The Brain & Visual ArtsDivision IIIBetty ZimmerbergTF 1:10 pm - 2:25 pm
Bronfman 3173241 -
NSCI 318 - 02 (S) LAB The Brain & Visual Arts
NSCI 318 - 02 (S) LAB The Brain & Visual ArtsDivision IIIBetty ZimmerbergT 2:35 pm - 3:50 pm
Bronfman 3173242
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