Neuroscience Current Courses | Dickinson College

Fall 2026

Course Code	Title/Instructor	Meets
NRSC 200-01	Perspectives in Neuroscience Instructor: Meredith Rauhut Course Description: This 6-hour integrated lecture/laboratory course will focus on different levels of analysis within the field of neuroscience by dividing the course into 3 separate, 4-week teaching modules: 1) cellular/molecular, 2) systems and 3) behavioral neuroscience. These laboratory-based teaching modules will expose students to fundamental concepts of neuroscience at different levels of organization and help students develop proficiency with some basic neuroscientic techniques. Students also will be taught about writing and data analysis (e.g., statistics) appropriate to the field of neuroscience. Prerequisites: Psychology 125. Offered every fall.	09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF ALTHSE 207 01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W JAMESR 1206
NRSC 317-01	Neuroplasticity Instructor: Brooke Bender, Chuck Zwemer Course Description: This course will explore the biological basis of neuroplasticity with a focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory and how they lead to changes in behavior. We will discuss how the connections between neurons (synapses) are altered by experience through changes in protein expression and cell structure, how cellular signaling pathways are involved in memory formation and extinction, and how neurons work together in dynamic circuits. We will also briefly examine what happens when memory fails or when learning leads to problematic behaviors, such as with dementia and substance use disorders. The laboratory (3 hrs/week) will explore common neuroscience techniques that use behavioral and biological methods of evaluating learning and memory and changes in synaptic strength, with an emphasis on animal models. Prerequisite: BIOL 132 and NRSC 200.	01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W JAMESR 2206 09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR JAMESR 2206