Butler University is now offering a minor in neuroscience—the study of nervous system and its impact on behavior, cognition and emotion.
The interdisciplinary minor within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will introduce students to the brain, how it functions, and the consequences of its dysfunction due to abnormal development, disease or injury. Students will take a combination of classes across biology, psychology, and philosophy to fulfill the requirements for the minor.
Tara Lineweaver
“We had a number of students who were interested in pursuing neuroscience, who wanted to go to medical school, or who simply wanted to better understand the brain,” Associate Professor of Psychology Tara Lineweaver said. “If students want to become neuroscientists, they can major in either biology or psychology, but having the neuroscience training in addition to their other science background will be beneficial for them. We are confident that the neuroscience minor will help set Butler students apart when they are applying to graduate school programs, medical school programs, or future jobs.”
The minor will include two new courses: “Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology,” offered through the Biological Sciences Department, and “Advanced Applied Neuroscience,” offered through the Psychology Department. The primary philosophy course required for the minor, “Philosophy of Mind,” has been offered on a fairly regular basis in recent years.
The new minor “adds an opportunity for students from any discipline to enhance their understanding of the brain by studying it in more depth,” Lineweaver said. “Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the new neuroscience minor will provide students with several diverse approaches they can apply towards thinking about and understanding the complexities of the mind.”
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
(317) 940-9822
