Neurobio I:cellular & Moleculr · Biological Sciences
This course taught directly from the textbook, very specific information on the molecular workings of neurotransmission including channels, charges, etc. It particularly focuses of methodologies and key discoveries in the field.
The workings of neurons: how action potentials are propagated and fired within a neuron, how neurons communicate with one another, and how they contribute to the senses.
A great deal about neurobiology, including a variety of mechanisms and structures. A very involved theoretical and practical overview.
My only complaint about this class was the workload -- we were assigned more work than is typical for a 3-credit class (basically one fairly long lab report just about every week). Towards the end of the semester, Prof. Hua realized she was assigning a bit too much work, so she cut it down, which shows how responsive she is to her students. There were a total of 8 or so lab reports, easy dissection and equipment tests (everyone pretty much gets 100%) and then a final paper/presentation. A decent amount of work, but you'll learn a lot.
Action potentials, neuroscience techniques, synaptic transmission, the five senses.
Cell/Mol Neurobio and relevant applications in the field
Sensory pathways, electrical/chemical/mechanical AP firing, synaptic transmission, large focus on ion channels.
Professor Hua was a very good teacher -- as some of the other reviews point out, probably the best thing about having her as a teacher is that she is totally dedicated to her students. She is willing to meet with you almost anytime for however long you want to make sure you understand the concepts and are writing the reports well, etc. She is very knowledgeable about neurobiology and she is always helpful if we had trouble doing any of the experiments. She is always willing to listen to student feedback and really wants her students to enjoy the class and to learn a lot. She is also just an extremely nice woman. Although her accent can be difficult at first, by the end of the first class, you will understand her perfectly. I would definitely recommend this class and professor.
Understanding of action potentials, mechanisms such as habituation, understanding of how our senses work
Deeper understanding of neuroanatomy and central processes of the nervous and sensory system; practice in reading primary literature.