Corso di laurea magistrale in Scienze del corpo e della mente

  

The course is aimed at providing students with the knowledge on the most cutting-edge scientific discoveries in the field of human behavioral neuroscience.In particular, during the course it will be analyzed 1) the different stages of decision making processes, with a specific focus on the brain regions involved in healthy and damaged patients, 2) the influence of techology on different human functions, emotions and behaviors and 3) the evolution of the concept of beauty, with a specific focus of how our brain elaborate beauty in faces, bodies and nature.

 

At the end of the course the student will gain a comprehensive understanding of the bases of complex human behaviors, integrating biological, medical and psychological knowledges. In particular students will achive the following outcomes:

1) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the psychological and neural processes involved when we take decision, interact with tecnology and beauty.

2) Critically evaluate empirical research and scientific opinions in the specific areas of enquiry covered during the course.

3) Integrate their understanding of scientific knowledge with everyday life

The course is conducted through oral lectures (36 hours) accompanied by the presentation of slides that will be made available to students. In the a.a. 2022-2023, lessons will be hold in presence. In order to attend to the lesson, students should sign up for the course or send an e-mail to the professor in charge of the course.

   

Written multiple choice test (18 questions, each correct answer is worth 1.5 points) and 2 oral questions for students that do not attent the course. Students that attend the course can participate in interactive workshops that substitute the oral questions.

Depending on the regulations in force immediately before the exam session, the exams will be taken in classroom or online (webex). The professor will communicate as soon as possible the adopted modality.

 

The main bibliographic resourses are recent and original articles that will be made available on the course website

Addictional textbooks include:

1) The Aesthetic Brain. How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art (Anjan Chatterjee), Oxford University Press Inc, 2015

2) Neuroeconomics. Decision Making and the Brain, second edition (Glimcher & Fehr), Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc, 2013

3) Mind Change (Greenfield), Random House, 2015