Course Credits (3)
A look at interdisciplinary offerings in the current program suggests that seminars with biological content are sparse. I would like to introduce a biological perspective on the evolutionary continuity between non-human and human animals. Although shared brain mechanisms would be described, I would not emphasize the detailed neurobiology for this kind of seminar. This course might appeal to anyone with a pet (it will include dogs) and the scientific content might attract the pre-med contingent. The material lies at the intersection of Psychology and Evolutionary Biology, with some relevance to the current fascination with AI because we all want to know: what does an AI really know? And a bit of Philosophy thrown in because what does it mean for any of us to know something?
About Professor Vicario
Prof. Vicario is a Professor of Psychology and the Dean of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Rutgers University – New Brunswick. He received his B.A. from Hampshire College and his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University. He leads the Neurobiology of Vocal Learning lab, which studies sensory-motor integration during vocal learning in songbirds as a model for human speech acquisition.