NEUR 4202A! Fall 2018! Course Outline NEUR 4202A Current Research in Clinical Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disease Instructor Jennifer Phillips, PhD Email: JenniferL.Phillips@carleton.ca Office Hours: By appointment only Class Details Lectures: Tuesdays Time: 2:35 pm 5:25 pm Classroom: Richcraft Hall RB 3202 Section: A, Fall 2018 Calendar Description Recent research in clinical neuroscience including biological, developmental, experiential and environmental factors that contribute to disease. Topics may include depressive disorders, schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, anorexia, narcolepsy, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Prerequisite(s): fourth year standing and one of NEUR 3200, NEUR 3206 or NEUR 31207. (0.5 credit) Course Structure This course will use a seminar format to explore recent research approaches and discoveries in clinical neuroscience and biological psychiatry. At the beginning of the course, students will select an overall research topic which interests them and on which their core course assignments will be based. Each student will select a different topic and become the class expert in their selected field. Throughout the course, students will present one recent primary research article relating to their chosen topic and lead the class discussion about its findings and broader clinical implications. At the end of the course, students will submit a written essay, a critical review of the literature within their topic that includes the article they presented in class and other primary research articles. Course Learning Objectives Throughout this course, students should develop a number of essential research skills. As students become knowledgeable about a complex area of their own interest, they will acquire skills in oral presentation, facilitation of group discussion and learning, and scientific writing. Critically, students will also become adept at reading and evaluating the literature in various fields of clinical neuroscience and psychiatry. 2
Textbook There is no required textbook for this course. Seminars will be based on primary research articles selected by students. Selected primary research papers will be posted on culearn one week before presentation. culearn culearn will be used to support this course. Outside of seminars, all course-related communication from the instructor will be through culearn. The class syllabus, selected primary research papers, assignments, grading rubrics, and any supplementary materials will be posted on culearn. It is the student s responsibility to monitor culearn for new course content and information. Class Schedule Date Class Content Assignment Due Dates Sep. 11 Course Structure and Objectives Selection of Presentation Date and Introduction to Clinical Neuroscience Topic of Interest Sep. 18 Human Research Ethics Discussion Clinical Research Certifications Paper selections due by 11:55pm Sep. 25 Student Presentations 1,2,3 Certifications due by 11:55pm Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Oct. 2 Student Presentations 4,5,6 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Oct. 9 Student Presentations 7,8,9 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Oct. 16 Student Presentations 10,11,12 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Oct. 22-26 Fall Break, No Class Oct. 30 Student Presentations 13,14,15 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Nov. 6 Student Presentations 16,17,18 Essay outline due by 11:55pm Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Nov. 13 Student Presentations 19,20,21 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Nov. 20 Student Presentations 22,23,24 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Nov. 27 Student Presentations 25,26,27 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Dec. 4 Student Presentations 28,29,30 Discussion questions due by 1:00pm Dec. 21 Final take home essay due via culearn by 11:55pm 3
Evaluation There are 6 components to the evaluation of this course. Detailed descriptions of the assignment expectations and marking schemes (rubrics) for each assignment are posted on culearn. Evaluation Component % Final Grade Clinical Research Certification 5% Seminar Presentation 30% Discussion Questions 15% Class Participation 10% Brief Description Completion of two online human research training courses Seminar presentation of a primary research article in clinical neuroscience Preparation and submission of discussion questions pertaining to presented research articles Class attendance, participation, submission of discussion questions related to selected research articles Essay Outline 5% Detailed outline of final essay assignment Essay 35% Research synthesis of at least 10 primary research articles around a central topic Clinical Research Certification (5% of final grade) Certificates Due: September 25, 2018 Description: Students will complete online certificate courses that will provide them with a basic foundation for conducting clinical research and working with human research participants. Successful completion of the training modules and upload of certificates by the deadline is worth 5% of the final grade. This training will also provide each student with real training certifications to add to their CV. Seminar Presentation (30% of final grade) Seminar Sign-up: Presentation dates will be assigned using a circulating sign-up sheet on the first day of class (September 11, 2018). Students not available to select a presentation time slot on the first day of class will be randomly assigned a remaining time slot, which may include the third week of class. Assigned seminar dates and presentation topics will be posted on culearn. Possible Presentation Dates: September 25- December 4, 2018 Description: Each student will present one 45-minute seminar that includes a 30-minute presentation of a primary research article followed by a student-led 15-minute group discussion and question period. Further information can be found on culearn. 4
Discussion Questions (15% of final grade) Description: Prior to each seminar, students are required to upload two discussion questions to culearn pertaining to two of the primary research articles to be presented in each class. Questions should demonstrate critical reading of research articles and ensure that students are prepared to discuss the presented papers. Each question will be graded and students fifteen best questions will be included in their final grade calculation. Note: students cannot post questions for the paper they are presenting. Further information can be found on culearn. Class Participation (10% of final grade) Description: Students are expected to actively participate in all class discussions and activities. Students must read the research articles to be presented in each class ahead of time to facilitate thoughtful discussion of presented topics. Active participation includes listening respectively, asking questions, and engaging in group discussions without dominating the conversation. Students must provide inform the instructor ahead of class for any foreseen absences as these may affect participation grades. Essay Outline (5% of final grade) Due Date: November 6, 2018 Description: To ensure timely progress on the final essay assignment, students will be required to submit an outline of their essay well before the submission deadline. The outline should include the essay title, a brief thesis statement, subheadings for the body of the essay, and a bibliography listing the primary research articles to be included in the essay. Further information can be found on culearn. Essay (35% of final grade) Due Date: December 21, 2018 (the last day of class) Description: Using the primary research article selected for in-class presentation as a starting point, students will write a comprehensive review paper highlighting recent research advances within their chosen topic. The essay must include discussion and integration of the experimental findings of different research groups and a minimum of 10 primary research articles. Further information can be found on culearn. Students MUST participate in all assessment areas for this course to obtain course credit. Regular commitments such as work conflicts or laboratory duties will not be considered justifiable reasons to miss a course obligation. If students miss a class during which they are scheduled to present a seminar or miss an assignment deadline due to serious illness or death in the family (both require official documentation) they must contact the instructor in advance. Documentation must be submitted to the instructor within 48 hours of the missed seminar or deadline. Late submissions of the written essay (after the assignment deadline) will be subject to a 5% deduction for each day the assignment is late. Grades will be made available to students using the Gradebook on culearn. Students wishing to discuss their grades on any particular assignment must contact the instructor within 1 week of receiving their marks. No grade adjustments will be permitted after this time. 5
Grading System Letter grades assigned in this course will have the following percentage equivalents: A+ = 90-100 B = 73-76 C - = 60-62 A = 85-89 B - = 70-72 D+ = 57-59 A - = 80-84 C+ = 67-69 D = 53-56 B+ = 77-79 C = 63-66 D - = 50-52 F Failure. No academic credit ABS Absent from the final examination DEF Official deferral (see "Petitions to Defer") FND Failed, no Deferral assigned when the student is absent from the final exam and has failed the course on the basis of inadequate term work as specified in the course outline. Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Faculty Dean. Instructional Offences The University Senate defines plagiarism as presenting, whether intentional or not, the ideas, expression of ideas or work of others as one s own. This can include: reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else s published or unpublished material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one s own without proper citation or reference to the original source; submitting a take-home examination, essay, laboratory report or other assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else; using ideas or direct, verbatim quotations, or paraphrased material, concepts, or ideas without appropriate acknowledgment in any academic assignment; using another s data or research findings; failing to acknowledge sources through the use of proper citations when using another s works and/or failing to use quotation marks; handing in "substantially the same piece of work for academic credit more than once without prior written permission of the course instructor in which the submission occurs." Plagiarism is a serious offence which cannot be resolved directly with the course s instructor. The Associate Deans of the Faculty conduct a rigorous investigation, including an interview with the student, when an instructor suspects a piece of work has been plagiarized. Penalties are not trivial. They range from a mark of zero for the plagiarized work to a final grade of "F" for the course, and even suspension from all studies or expulsion from the University. Academic Accommodation You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommodation request the processes are as follows: Pregnancy obligation: write to the instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details see the Student Guide 6
Religious obligation: write to the instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details see the Student Guide Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC, contact your PMC coordinator to send me your Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with the instructor to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the PMC website for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled exam (if applicable). 7