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Just about every human thought, emotion, and physical action
is initiated and controlled by the brain. The brain is a 1.5-kg
mass of some 60 billion parts that are in constant communication
with each other at all times. The brain has been compared
to a modern computer. There are similarities. Both operate
on electricity. Both direct and redirect signals through complex
pathways. Both reach outcomes and compare them to previous
outcomes. Both are marvels of computing power. But modern
computers are not brains. The human brain has the awesome
ability to redesign itself as it goes about its business,
adding components, disconnecting unproductive circuits, and
reconfiguring the network of connections between parts. The
brain is alive, and the architecture is flexible, making it
one of the wonders of the world. And each brain is ultimately
different from every other in its detail and finish. Hence
the dramatic diversity in humanity.
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In
this course students will have the opportunity to think about
the fact that they have a brain, and to engage in activities
that explore some of their routine, but outlandishly complex,
brain activities—seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, tasting,
remembering. A deep current running through the curriculum is
the message that proper brain function requires a supportive
environment. The old adage, you are what you eat, takes on new
meaning. Restated it might be, you are what you bathe your brain
in. Students who take this message to heart will hopefully take
conscious action to ensure a happy, healthy, productive brain. |
