PSYC 4420 The Disordered Mind
This course takes its name from a book by the neuroscientist Eric Kandel. The book is subtitled "What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves." The book relates symptoms of various conditions and
disorders - such as brain trauma, mental illness, and dementias - to alterations in brain function, then considers what these alterations tell us about the brain, behavior, and our sense of self. We will take the same approach in this class. We will utilize case studies and personal histories to gain understanding of the lived experience of these disorders to gain understanding of how disorders disrupt people's life and sense of self. We will also look at other influences on our sense of self: creativity, athleticism, gender and sexuality, and technology.