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amirbey's picture

Whitman: a scientist?

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enewbern's picture

The Question of Literature and Other Quandaries

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ilja's picture

Book commentary on ‘An Anthropologist on Mars’ by Oliver Sacks

      The book ‘an Anthropologist on Mars’ byOliver Sacks discusses seven ‘paradoxical tales.’ These tales describe thelives of individuals who have had accidents that damaged their brain, have hadtumors removed, have been blind and regained their lives or are autistic. Sacksfocuses on the impact of these ‘conditions’ on the lives of these individualsand how their lives change or how their lives have turned out. In anAnthropologist on Mars I saw many of the similar themes to our class in termsof loopy science, an holistic approach to neurobiology, the lack or truth andreality as well as a distinction between the self and the body, the environmentand the unconscious.

Tara Raju's picture

Different Means, Same End: The Demise of Literary Fiction

Different Means, Same End: The Demise of Literary Fiction             

Leah Bonnell's picture

Meditation: A Different Kind of Neuroenhancer

“The brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in ways few people can imagine”- Richard Davidson, neuroscientist

The truth is we live in a culture obsessed with self-improvement, a fact demonstrated by the immense of popularity of such things as self-help books, plastic surgery, and even, drugs, such as neuroenhancers. What if there was way to obtain heightened focus and possibly forestall aging? Would you try it? Researchers believe regular meditation can achieve these improvements by changing the structure of the brain.  

Leah Bonnell's picture

“The Geography of Thought,” Richard E. Nisbett

Is human cognition the same everywhere? Or do styles of cognition differ depending on geographic or cultural boundaries? Richard Nisbett explores these questions in his 2003 book “The Geography of Thought.”  Nisbett primarily focuses on differences between Eastern and Western thought, defining Westerners as people of European culture and Easterners as East Asian (including China, Korea, and Japan). He proposes that Easterners and Westerns have markedly different styles of thought, using evidence from diverse areas such history, philosophy, language, and social science.

Neurobiology and Behavior Web Papers Book Commentaries

Students in Biology 202 at Bryn Mawr College write commentaries on books of interest to themselves related to neurobiology and behavior. These are made available via links from the index below to encourage further exploration by others having similar or related interests. All papers have associated on-line forums for continuing conversation.

Adam ZakheimFreud in Tragedy
Anna Dela CruzReview of Beauty: The Value of Values
aybala50Determining Personalities: Genetics or Environment
bbaum“The Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist”
BeccaB-CThe Curious Incident of Reafferent Loops and the I-Function in Autism
Bo-Rin KimThe Problem of the Soul: Two VIsions of the Mind and How to Reconcile Them
bpyensonProust was a Neuroscientist: True Efforts towards a Third Culture or Just a Pretty Narrative?
Brie StarkThe Storyteller's Reconstruction: A Book Review of Claudia Osborn's "Over My Head"
ccBook Commentary- The Schopenhauer Cure
Crystal LeonardSoul Made Flesh
ddlDefining Reality in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s "Slaughterhouse Five"
drichardLanguage and Mind: Assessing Chomsky through a Neurobiological Lens
eglaserThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly: a brief report
fquadriA Book Commentary on Synaptic Self
hamsterjackyAnimals in Translation: Using the Secrets of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, a commentary
hlee01Book commentary--The Drama of the Gifted Child
hopeBook Commentary of Girl, Interupted
iljaBook commentary on ‘An Anthropologist on Mars’ by Oliver Sacks
jlustickThe Science of Storytelling: Self and World as Narrative
jrlewisThe Emotions of Animals
jwiltseeThe Metamorphosis
Leah Bonnell“The Geography of Thought,” Richard E. Nisbett
Lisa B.The Case Studies of Oliver Sachs: How Neurologic Disorders Help Us Understand the Complexity of Personality and Identity
mmgFlowers for Algernon: Powers of our Brain
nafisamThe Drama of the Gifted Child-Book Commentary
OrganizedKhaosSearching for the Mango Princess
Percival52The Sociopath Next Door
redminkThe Creating Brain, the Learning Brain
Sam BeeboutJeff Hawkins' On Intelligence
SandraGandarezThe Astonishing Hypothesis
Sarah TabiThe Psychology of Female Violence
shikhaThe Rider, the Elephant, and Storytelling
vcruzLove is a Story

 

Neurobiology and Behavior Web Papers III

Students in Biology 202 at Bryn Mawr College write web papers on topics of interest to themselves. These are made available via links from the index below to encourage further exploration by others having similar or related interests. All papers have associated on-line forums for continuing conversation.

Adam ZakheimAstrocyte Signaling - A New Frontier in Neurobiology
Anna Dela CruzA Battle for Truth: Conscious Versus Subconscious in Decision-making
aybala50The Narrator Changes the Story
bbaumCognitive Impairments and Frontotemporal Dementia in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
BeccaB-CGambling as Behavioral Mirror of Action Potentials and Voltage-Gated Channels
Bo-Rin KimStress and Sleep Talking
bpyensonThe Evolution of Altruism and What it Means
Brie StarkNeuroanthropology: Brain Enculturing
ccSentimental Value and the Cognitive Conscious
Crystal LeonardThe Sense of Touch and How It Affects Development
ddlBelief in the Afterlife
drichardFinding IT: Creativity and the Flow State
eglaserSynesthesia, ADHD and a look at what it means to be normal
fquadriLove Isn't All About the Heart
hamsterjackyIs there a Dominant Race?
hlee01Procrastination :A Plague
hopethe brain and religion
iljaHow to Incite Meaning
jlustickPain: A Matter of Perception for Endurance Athletes?
jrlewisAn Alternative Treatment to Depression...
jwiltseeMemory Consolidation and Efficiency as a Result of Sleep
Leah BonnellMeditation: A Different Kind of Neuroenhancer
Lisa B.Is Dietary Aspartame Dangerous?
mmgGod In The Brain And The God Outside of It
nafisamMoving Too Fast: Ethics of Enhancement Drugs
OrganizedKhaosDreams
redminkTwo Modalities: Auditory and Visual
Sam BeeboutFinding Memory in the Brain
SandraGandarezDepression Isn't That Serious, Right?
Sarah TabiThe Challenges of Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
shikhaPepsi vs. Coke
vcruzLive, Love, LAUGH

 

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