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In contrast to Darlene’s post, I do not feel as though the undergraduates in the class were any more impressionable than any other group of students I've encountered. I think this has something to do with Professor Grobstein teaching us about actual neurobiology and experimental observaions and conclusions (this is all actual science). I don't feel as though we've been force-fed any one philosophical perspective, but rather been encouraged to broaden our knowledge base of neurobiology and behavior and in so doing, develop  our own perspectives (reading through the message board each week this seems very clear). Reading through classmates' posting throughout the semester, it was very interesting to see how student attitudes changed each week in relation to that weeks' topics (just as my own attitudes and understanding were being altered).                                                                                         Personal Reflections:                                                                              I came into the course both nervous and excited. Excited, because the course heading suggested, in my view, the provision of a series of answers to the deepest questions of human thought, experience, and spirituality. My nervousness stemmed from the expectation that these items were wholly, or at least partly contained within the functioning of neurons (following Emily Dickenson, that all of our experiences are byproducts of our brains’ activities, and that the brain truly is, "wider than the sky"). What I’ve come to appreciate, over the course of the semester, is that although the brain really does prove to be "wider than the sky", [it] is also by that same toke an enormously complex organ, which, through further experimentation and study, can yield greater insights into human experience, behavior, and disease. I won't go into detail about every single thing I've learned this semster, but will say briefly that the course really sparked my interest in neurobiology and behavior, and provided me with a valuable foundation of knowledge from which I can pursue further research and learning on my own.                                                                                                                                                                                         As someone interested in a career in neurology, I also felt that the issues discussed in the course provided a valuable groundwork for thinking about how proper and abnormal neural functioning affect patients' experiences and quality of life (e.g. pain generation in the brain),  I’ve also come to realize that there are far more questions than answers when dealing with brain and philosophical questions experience (how do we treat consciousness, free will etc.). I think the ability to objectively (through neurobiology) approach large philosophical questions definitely appeals to me. I’m not sure whether we will ever map out every analogue associated with conscious (neocortex) and unconscious activity, (especially given that the brain often functions as a distributed system), but what I've learned this semester has definitely helped me become a more informed, interested, and avid consumer of information related neurobiology and behavior.