BISC 421 Neurobiology
Instructors: Emily Liman, Michael Quick, Judith Hirsch
Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I was disappointed when I realized the class (offered in Fall 2006) was formatted in the pre-med style of memorization and regurgitation instead of a more graduate level concepts-based course, but I would still recommend this class.
- - I had never taken neuroscience before, and I learned way more in 421 than I ever did in Core. I took it in Fall 2007. It was very broad, but a good jumping off place for any topic in neuroscience. I recommend it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2007. This class was great! I learned a ton and it was very tightly executed. Really hard tests though. It took a LOT of time however, so I don't recommend it to NGP'ers who have any sort of general neuroscience training coming into it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2004 (Quick, Hirsch, Byerly). Great intro to neuroscience, with interesting lectures and demonstrations, as well as difficult tests. I would have liked more weekly assignments to stay on track. I would recommend it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2007. Well organized, well taught, nice broad approach. Better introductory than core. I would recommend it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2008. It was good. Makes me more interested in neuroscience.
- - I took this class in Fall 2004. As a computational student with no biological background, this class was crucial in getting me up to speed so that I could understand the material in the core classes.
- - I took the class in Fall 2005. Good overview for those new to neurobiology. I would recommend it.
BISC 422 Neurobiology Lab
Instructors: Emily Liman,Judith Hirsch
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Fall 2007. As someone who joined the program without any background in Neuroscience, this undergraduate lab was really helpful. We had lab in basic anatomy, staining and identification of various cell types. Then we moved on the classical electrophysiological recordings and also touched upon some molecular stuff like cloning of receptors, genetic profiling etc. What I mean to say is that the lab is not that intensive, but is a fantastic way to get started on the basics of neuroscience whether or not you might use those techniques in future. I recommend it.
- - It was a lab class where the first half was electrophysiology taught by Judith Hirsch and molecular biology taught by Emily Liman. It was actually an undergraduate class so it was relatively easy. The only downside to this class is the lack of equipment, as there were only 2 electrophysiology rigs available at the time. I recommend it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2007. I really enjoyed the class! I had a decent background all ready on electrophysiology so the course was quite easy for me. I thought it was a nice review. I thought the labs were interesting and well orchestrated. Recommended.
BISC 426 Principles of Neuronal Development
Instructors: Samantha Butler, Sarah Bottjer, Cheng-Ping Ko
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. This was by far the best course I have taken at USC. I think this is the perfect example of how an upper level course should be run. The key concepts of developmental neurobiology were presented using actual results from primary journal articles highlighting the classic experiments in the field. The extra work in the discussions was a little tedious for a graduate level course however. I recommend it.
- - I took this class in Spring 2006. It is a very hardcore course in development of neurobiology. The topics it covers are broad enough for you to appreciate the beauty of this field, and deep enough for you to apply to your own research. Highly recommended for students who are interested in development.
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. It was very thorough coverage of major topics in developmental neuro -professors open to discussion and many questions; very discussion oriented -there is a lot of information to be responsible for, but it's well worth the effort -a "must-have" course for anyone interested in developmental neurobiology, or even cellular/molecular neuro, as this class is full of many examples of specific cellular/molecular interactions.
BISC 549 Seminar in integrative and evolutionary biology
Instructors: Nayuta Yamashita
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
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- - I took this class in spring 2006. Small seminar intended for first year in Evolutionary Biology program, but evolution is so important I gained a lot from it. I do not recommend it.
BISC 462 Brain and control of emotions (course#13040R)
Instructors: Larry Swanson
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE THIS CLASS! Larry Swanson along with Floyd Gilles are pioneers and geniuses in the field of neuroscience and beyond expert knowledge of neuroanatomy!
BISC 462 Genes and behavior (course# 13040D)
Instructors: Emily Liman
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- None available
BISC 462 Neuronal development and disease
Instructors: Samantha Butler
Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I took it in Fall 2007. This class was more disease than neural development, which was a disappointment for me. Most of the class was pre-med undergrad, and since the presentations were in groups, grad students were essentially unpaid TA's. I do not recommend this class.
- - I took this class in Fall 2007. It was a journal club class where each group of students take turn to present a "hardcore" developmental paper. I think this was more useful than Neurolunch in terms of presentation feedback because there were a smaller number of students and Samantha provided useful suggestions. I recommend it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2007. Fantastic! I enjoyed the course. The topics were very interesting! The format of the class was all group presentations. I thought it provided good practice for giving oral presentations. I thought the professor really encouraged discussion and emphasized how to critically read journal articles. I recommend it.
BISC 599 Special topics: Neurobiology of disease
Instructors:Dr. Michael Jakowec,
Dr. Giselle Petzinger,
Dr. Andres Gonzales,
Dr. John Walsh,
Dr. Brett Lund,
Dr. Wendy Gillmore,
Dr. Roberta Brinton,
Dr. Helena Chui,
Dr. Chien-Ping Ko,
Dr. David McKemy,
Dr. Elyse Schauwecker,
Dr. Laura Kalayjian,
Dr. Nerses Sonossian,
Dr. Dan Togasaki,
Dr. Said Beydoun,
Dr. Valerie Askanas,
Dr. King Engel
Syllabus: download pdf
Survey results:
Syllabus: download pdf
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. This is really interesting and unique course for anybody who wants to study neurological disorders. The course is divided into sections: each one covers a neurological disease. First, a scientist talks about animal models and current advances in research of that disease. Then a neurologist, specialist for the disease talk about patients, clinical symptoms, clinical studies and current treatments. It is offered at HSC. I recommend it.
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. This is a great class for those students who are interested in obtaining a degree in Neuroscience with an emphasis on Neurodegenerative Disease. I also think that this course is a great opportunity to learn both the clinical and the laboratory aspects of neurological diseases in a classroom setting where discussions with the top leading researchers in neurodegenerative disease as well as prestigious medical doctors are readily available for students. This course offers cell/molecular, systems, behavior, treatment, recent advances, research findings, and clinical views of all the major neurodegenerative diseases. The course offers a review of the most common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, MS, ALS, Huntington's, SMA, Addiction, and others. The course is designed so that on one lecture the an introduction as well as the recent laboratory findings are discussed and on the other lecture a Medical Doctor that specializes on treating the particular disease is invited to present the disease from his/her clinical perspective. It is a great opportunity that leads to active discussion. The goal is to ultimately communicate what happens at the benchtop as well as the bedside with an emphasis on the betterment of animal models of neurodegenerative diseases as well as the effective development of new pharmacological targets.
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. I think it is a good class. This course should definitely be listed as part of the Systems and Behavioral track. Great graduate class especially if you're interested in translational research. You cover different neurological disorders with both clinicians and researchers leading the discussion. I really liked the course because it was very informal and you were able to interrupt and ask questions.
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. It was fantastic. This class was a great course with a really interesting set up. The benchtop to bedside was a very unique approach and was very essential for those persuing translational research. I recommend it.
BIOC 536 Molecular biology of cellular commmuncation in the nervous system
Instructors: Zoltan Tokes
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- -This is a seminar course offered at HSC. I took it in Spring 2007. It was easy, tailored for non-neuroscience graduate students. No exams, only a presentation at the end. The topics covered were too basic for NGP students, but I must admit I had fun during discussions! I would not recommend it.
BIOC 543 Human molecular genetics
Instructors: Hooman Allayee
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - - I took this class in Fall 2007. It is very good course for students interested in advanced studies of molecular genetics -this course focuses more on disease (hence the "Human" in the title); the Spring course - just "Molecular Genetics" - may be a better choice. I recommend it.
INTD 531 Advanced cell biology(cross listed as BIOC531, MICB 531, ...)
Instructors: Dr. Judy Garner,
Dr. Robert Farley,
Dr. Robert Chow,
Dr. Austin Mircheff,
Dr. Axel Schonthal,
Dr. Curtis Okamoto,
Dr. Chen-Ming Chuong,
Dr. Yves Declerk,
Dr. Le Ma,
Dr. P. Schauwecker,
Dr. Tai-Lan Tuan,
Dr. Michael Kahn
Syllabus: available here
Survey results:
Syllabus: available here
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Fall 2005. This class is designed to give a general introduction of how cell function at molecular level. Each lecture is taught by different professors working in the related field, and the effectiveness of the class varies depending on each professor, like Neur524. It is a less interactive class because of the number of students registered, but it will help students whose work is related to molecular neurobiology. I would recommend it.
- - I took this class in Fall 2004. This was a great cell biology class. It was survey style, and split up into three sections, each with an exam. I learned a tremendous amount in this course and it has helped me to understand literature articles and seminar presentations. I recommend it.
- - I took the class in Fall 2006. Rated: satisfactory. It was way too much information for our purposes. One can self teach needed material. Not recommended.
NEUR 531 Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology
Instructors: Dr. Jonah Chan,
Dr. Li Zhang,
Dr. Alapakkam Sampath,
Dr. Le Ma,
Dr. Robert Farley
Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Fall 2008. It was good. The class provides a broad view of how nervous system wires up from cellular to systemic point of view. It also covers some techniques that might be useful for students who are interested in circuitry formation. I recommend this class.
- - I took it is Fall 2008. It was fantastic! This is a great class but I would only recommend it to those who have a strong cell and molecular background.
- - I took this class in Fall 2008. It was good. I enjoyed the class, though I think this was the first semester it was taught so there was some disorganization about the exam formats and grading. I didn't like the lecture room (ZNI 112). It would have been nice to have a room with desks. I recommend this class.
- - I took it in Fall 2008. I t get much out of it. Too detailed in some parts. Not useful for those who are from cognitive or computational labs. A bit more general level course would have been better. For someone from a molecular lab, I think its a good course.
- - I took this class in Fall 2008. It was good. Most of the lectures were good; some were very bad and did not bring anything new.
- - I took this class in Fall 2008. Although this was the first year of the class, I think it has a lot of potential. The material covered was very interesting and the instructors tried to focus on neuroscience from a conceptual standpoint, presenting primary literature without getting too stuck on details. Overall the lectures were well done and easy to follow. I think this class will continue to get better over time. I would recommend it.
- - I took the class in Fall 2008. The start of the class was pretty good. Jonah was a good lecturer and made it clear what his goals for the course were. There was some disorganization, but less so than most of the other new courses. As the class progressed, however, it became more disorganized and unclear what was expected. The format for the final exam wasn't even announced until after thanksgiving and was changed last minute as a "punishment". The final exam caused much frustration because it didn't really relate to the lecture materials and the questions were very vague and unclear. In addition at the end of the term it became very unclear as to what the point of the class was, the organization was a mess, and what was expected from students kept changing throughout the course. I don't recommend it.
MPTX500 Molecular pharmacology and toxicology
Instructors: Roger Duncan
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Fall 2008. I think this is a good class. It covers a lot of material in cell signaling and receptor pharmacology. There are group presentations (which I t like) and a midterm and final exam. Offered at HSC in Pharmacy School. I would recommend it for cellular/molecular track.didn
PHBI 660 Diseases of ion transport
Instructors: Robert Farley
Syllabus: currently unavailable
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Syllabus: currently unavailable
Survey results:
- - I took this class in Spring 2008. This class was mainly about kidney diseases with very little neuroscience. Bob Chow gave a guest lecture on ion channel kinetics, but it seemed to go over most students' heads, mainly since they were physiology students. Bob Farley didn't seem to enthusiastic about the material, especially what's outside of his own field. I didn't find the discussion valuable and the papers were long without any sort of obvious focus. The grading seemed arbitrary as well. I would not recommend this class.
- - I did not get much out of this class. Just a credit filler. I hardly learnt anything from it, but if you are on HSC and are looking for an easy class and t want to commute to UPC for a credit, I think its ok. A good two credits for one presentation. No recommendation.don
