Earlham faculty approve neuroscience major
By Micah Sommer
Earlham students interested in the inner workings of the brain will soon be able to major in neuroscience. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, the faculty approved the update, which is a revision of the current psychobiology major.
In addition to a different name, the major will include three new classes and a larger credit requirement.
Professor of Biology Bob Rosenberg was a driving force behind the change. A neuroscientist by training, Rosenberg arrived at Earlham in fall of 2009 and soon began discussing with other science faculty the possibility of updating the psychobiology major.
“The word ‘psychobiology’ describes where neuroscience is at the interface between psychology and biology,” Rosenberg explained. “[However,] it’s a word that is out of date, it’s used at very few places, and out in the world, ‘neuroscience’ is the word that is used to describe this field now.”
In December, Rosenberg, Professor of Biology Amy Mulnix and Professor of Psychology Kathy Milar proposed the change to Earlham’s Curricular Policy Committee (CPC). On Feb. 8, CPC recommended to the faculty
that the neuroscience major be approved.
Professor of English and CPC Member Nate Eastman said that CPC realized when reviewing the proposal that the faculty never formally approved the original psychobiology major.
“There were lots of other things going on at that time … and the major never went before the faculty,” Eastman said, explaining that at that time the college was also transitioning from quarters to semesters.
Eastman said that the process for approving the neuroscience major was very quick, compared
to a brand new major such as environmental studies, which “was in the works for years.”
Rosenberg echoed this statement, saying that the faculty approved the change with “very little discussion.”
The neuroscience major includes one new required class and two new electives. The required class, Topics in Neuroscience, will be a onecredit, discussion-based seminar for declared and prospective majors. Rosenberg, who will teach the course beginning next fall, explained that students in the class will be exposed to the latest advances in neuroscience by examining recent publications in the popular and scientific press.
“The field is incredibly diverse, and we wanted to just expose neuroscience majors to the breadth of the field in a way that introduces them to the stuff that’s going on right now in research,” Rosenberg said. “And the other motivation for that class is to build a community of neuroscientists.”
The two new elective courses are Research in Developmental Psychology: Cradle and Grave,
to be taught by Professor of Psychology Vincent Punzo beginning next fall, and Sensation and
Perception, to be taught by Milar beginning in spring 2011.
“[Sensation and Perception] is a classic neuroscience course that most colleges have, and Kathy has been wanting to teach it for years,” said Rosenberg. “Now is an opportunity for her to put that class together.”
The major’s credit requirement will be increased from 38-41 to 44-46. Additionally, some formerly optional classes will be required and vice versa.
Psychobiology major Max Shannon, junior, said that the change is “definitely a good thing.”
However, he noted that the updated requirements place less of an emphasis on behavioral study,
which might limit possibilities for some students.
The changes to the major requirements will not affect juniors and seniors who have already declared a major in psychobiology, Rosenberg said. Shannon, however, intends to make the switch to neuroscience.
Noting that the name neuroscience is much more widely used, Shannon said, “I’d rather have that on my diploma.”
Rosenberg hopes that the revision of the major will bring in more students interested in the field.
“I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to be a neuroscience major,” Rosenberg said. “Understanding the brain and how it works and why we do what we do at a sort of mechanistic level, I just think is so amazing and it’s such a growing field.”
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