Tan Taralyn M, Leininger Elizabeth C
Office for Graduate Education and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
PhD Program in Neuroscience, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2024 Jul 21;22(2):A104-A115. doi: 10.59390/FZWH1820. eCollection 2024 Winter.
Courses on the neuroscience of sex and gender can support inclusive and integrative neuroscience curricula. Developing and teaching such courses, however, can be intimidating for educators due to the subject's complexities and nuances, the increasingly politicized nature of the subject material, and the difficult conversations that the material invites. In this article we discuss how we approached the development of two undergraduate courses on sex, gender and the brain. In describing our thought process we discuss the institutional contexts for our courses and the rationale for the selected course structures, learning objectives, and content. We also describe how we fostered inclusive learning environments - particularly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic - and implemented course activities and diverse assessments aligned to the course learning objectives. We hope that readers of this article can apply our insights into developing courses on sex/gender in neuroscience at their home institutions.
关于性与性别的神经科学课程有助于构建包容且综合的神经科学课程体系。然而,由于该学科的复杂性与细微差别、教学材料日益政治化的特性,以及教学材料引发的艰难讨论,开发并教授此类课程可能会让教育工作者望而却步。在本文中,我们将探讨如何开展两门关于性、性别与大脑的本科课程。在阐述我们的思考过程时,我们会讨论课程的制度背景,以及所选课程结构、学习目标和内容的依据。我们还将描述如何营造包容的学习环境——尤其是在新冠疫情背景下——并开展与课程学习目标相一致的课程活动和多样化评估。我们希望本文读者能够将我们的见解应用于在自己所在院校开发神经科学领域关于性/性别的课程。