This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Postgraduate Handbook 2019-2020 (archived)

Module PSYC41630: Current Issues in Cognitive Neuroscience

Department: Psychology

PSYC41630: Current Issues in Cognitive Neuroscience

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Tied	4	30	Available in 2019/2020	None.	Durham

Tied To

C8K109: Cognitive Neuroscience

Pre-requisites

None

Corequisites

None

Excluded Combinations

None

Aims

This module aims to provide students with advanced in-depth knowledge of the current theoretical issues in the field of cognition and neuropsychology in order to provide students with advanced in-depth knowledge of historical and philosophical issues within the field of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Content

The module uses seminars and class discussions to examine current research issues in a range of areas within the field of cognitive neuroscience. These current issues may include topics in the field of vision, auditory, memory, attention, emotion, and motor processing amongst others. Students will be presented with a choice of papers from the field and workshops will support students to carry out in-depth reviews of two of these papers and place them in the context of modern theory.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

Detailed understanding of specific research questions in the field of cognitive neuroscience
Acquisition of knowledge about the history, background and development of research within the field of cognitive neuroscience
Detailed understanding of 'classic' experiments in cognitive neuroscience
Understanding the relevance of 'classic' studies to modern research

Subject-specific Skills

Developing the ability to:
Present (poster and oral presentation) advanced topics

Key Skills

Good written communication skills
Developing the ability to learn independently within broad guidelines

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

This module is taught by way of weekly double seminars in Michaelmas and Epiphany term (from week 6 onwards) which will support in-depth learning about specific research questions in the field of cognitive neuroscience. Seminars will involve both small group teaching and student-led discussion, which will assist students to learn independently and develop their oral communication skills. The formative essay on material arising from the seminars will assess students' written communication skills as well as their in-depth knowledge of these research issues.
Workshops in Michaelmas and Epiphany term will support the students' learning of classic studies in cognitive neuroscience and will support students' communication skills (oral and poster presentation). Students' understanding of classic experiments will be formatively assessed through a poster presentation of the work.
The written exam will also assess students' written communication skills and their ability to learn independently.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours	Attendance Monitored
Seminars	8	Weekly in Terms 1 & 2	3 + 2 hours	40	Yes
Workshops	4	Terms 1 & 2 (2 per term)	2 hours	8	Yes
Preparation & Reading				252
Total				300

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Written Assignment	50%	Essay	3000 words	100%
Written Examination	50%	Examination	2 hour	100%

Formative Assessment

2000 words essay on seminars due at the end of term 1, poster presentation in term 2.

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.