I’ll be honest; the Neurochemistry 475 course here at Concordia College seemed to be a challenging feat for me when I first saw it on my required course list. Unlike some of my peers, I had only taken a survey of organic and biochemistry course while others had completed multiple semesters of both subjects. This fact made me question whether or not I would struggle in the course, but the course, while still challenging in some regards, helped me form and cultivate new foundational learning skills. It’s ironic in a way that the class I was most nervous for is the one I will miss the most from my semester workload.
Benefits of Taking NEU 475
I’ll use Concordia’s five goals of liberal learning to summarize my experience in the course to provide a framework for future Concordia students taking the course.
- Instill a Love for Learning: I’ve always loved school, and that’s never changed. While I may tire of homework or studying, my desire to learn and absorb new knowledge has still been present. This course present neurochemical material in a way that relates it to the world, which helped my learning of the signaling pathways and molecular levels of the brain. The discussion aspect adds such a nice element for differing views and opinions and makes me interested to learn how neurochemistry is involved in various areas.
- Develop Foundational Skills and Transferable Intellectual Capacities: The written and oral exams that occur within the class are extremely valuable in developing foundational skills that are necessary in many fields, but especially science. My critical thinking was put to the test by having to break down information and fit it into what knowledge I have to try and formulate a hypothesis about what signaling pathway is occurring. This critical thinking will be necessary when analyzing scientific writing and can transfer into many areas of life.
- Develop an Understanding of Disciplinary, Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Perspectives and Their Connections: The discussions that students partake in the class truly helps you understand other perspectives. During the discussions, either personal experiences or research on them, would be brought up to relate the neurochemical research to the world in order to understand how it impacts specific people or is used in different disciplines.
- Cultivate an Examined Cultural, Ethical, Physical and Spiritual Self-Understanding: The course helped me self-evaluate and reaffirm which areas of neuroscience I was interested in and also allowed me to reflect on the ethics of medicine on a deeper, more personal level. With our weekly discussions on course content, peers would often ask each other, what would you do in this case? It sounds like an easy question, but when you take the research into account and the neurochemical foundation behind it, it takes your self-understanding up to a new level.
- Encourage Responsible Participation in the World: The blogs are a great resource in relaying the course material in a more generalized format so the public and whoever is interested in reading on the topic can fully understand the neurochemical functioning behind something. I believe it has already helped me greatly in my current job that I have working with neurodevelopmental disorders as it provides me with a greater background knowledge on what is physically happening in the brain to cause specific symptoms.
Neurochemistry here at Concordia has benefitted me in a variety of ways and helped me refine a great set of foundational skills like critical thinking, communication, and empathy. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the class, and it has helped me establish my passions in the neuroscience field. I’m thankful for Dr. Mach’s expertise on the subject matter and willingness to help students learn in any way they may need and for the insightful discussions with peers. If you’re still on the fence about taking NEU 475, TAKE IT!
