24. Foundations: Skinner
This class discusses the evolutionary role of unconscious processing, components of the theory of behaviorism–and one of its original proponents, B.F. Skinner– and why behaviorism has largely been displaced as being a reasonable theory of our mental life. Course materials may be found here.
Course description: What do your dreams mean? Do men and women differ in the nature and intensity of their sexual desires? Can apes learn sign language? Why can’t we tickle ourselves? This course tries to answer these questions and many others, providing a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. It explores topics such as perception, communication, learning, memory, decision-making, religion, persuasion, love, lust, hunger, art, fiction, and dreams. We will look at how these aspects of the mind develop in children, how they differ across people, how they are wired-up in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury.
- Views: 160,428
- Posted: 6 Years Ago
- Course: Introduction to Psychology
23. What Motivates Us: Sex
This Introduction to Psychology lecture jumps into recent scholarship and evolutionary theories to explain a number of factors of sexuality and gender differences. Some of the subjects addressed include why we find those that we do attractive, what we desire in mates, and sexual orientation. Course materials are available here.
Course description: What do your dreams mean? Do men and women differ in the nature and intensity of their sexual desires? Can apes learn sign language? Why can’t we tickle ourselves? This course tries to answer these questions and many others, providing a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. It explores topics such as perception, communication, learning, memory, decision-making, religion, persuasion, love, lust, hunger, art, fiction, and dreams. We will look at how these aspects of the mind develop in children, how they differ across people, how they are wired-up in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury.
- Views: 168,618
- Posted: 6 Years Ago
- Course: Introduction to Psychology
22. Introduction to Ancient Greek History
This lecture is an argument on why we should study the Ancient Greeks. Not only for their achievements, and their many contributions to Western civilization (science, law, and politics), but because they had a very unique perspective. The Greeks were some of the earliest Westerners to leave behind an intelligible corpus detailing many of the struggles, paradoxes, and conditions we find ourselves in today. Course materials are available here.
Course description: This is an introductory course in Greek history tracing the development of Greek civilization as manifested in political, intellectual, and creative achievements from the Bronze Age to the end of the classical period. Students read original sources in translation as well as the works of modern scholars.
- Views: 171,903
- Posted: 6 Years Ago
- Course: Introduction to Ancient Greek History
21. Quantum Mechanics I: The key experiments and wave-particle duality
This lecture outlines many of the seminal experiments that ushered Newtonian Mechanics out, including the double slit experiment, the photoelectric effect and Compton scattering, and the uncertainty principle. The de Broglie relation between wavelength and momentum is also covered. Course materials may be access here.
Course description:This is a continuation of Fundamentals of Physics, I (PHYS 200), the introductory course on the principles and methods of physics for students who have good preparation in physics and mathematics. This course covers electricity, magnetism, optics and quantum mechanics.
- Views: 175,370
- Posted: 3 Years Ago
- Course: Fundamentals of Physics II
20. The Second Law of Thermodynamics and Carnot’s Engine
This Fundamentals of Physics lecture works through a number of fascinating laws, addressing why there is an upper limit to efficiency in heat engines, discussing the concept of entropy, and answering questions like “why doesn’t a dropped egg rise back into your hands though no laws prohibit it?” Course materials may be accessed here.
Course description: This course provides a thorough introduction to the principles and methods of physics for students who have good preparation in physics and mathematics. Emphasis is placed on problem solving and quantitative reasoning. This course covers Newtonian mechanics, special relativity, gravitation, thermodynamics, and waves.
- Views: 176,908
- Posted: 6 Years Ago
- Course: Fundamentals of Physics I