While You Were Sleeping

Catalog description

In this course, we will explore the mysterious and largely uncharted world of sleep and dreams. We will question many of our most basic assumptions and biases about the role of sleep in our lives and discover the importance of sleep in optimizing our physical and mental health. This course will be broken into five major themes: (1) Defining sleep; (2) dreams; (3) the evolution of sleep; (4) sleep regulation; and (5) sleep disorders and treatment. The lab portion of this experimental discovery course will guide students through various aspects of the experimental process including informed consent, data collection and interpretation, and applying evidenced-based strategies to improve sleep. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: Core Curriculum Science Experimental Discovery in the Natural World Courses.