Nathan Hechtman proposes a cognitive neuroscience major that draws from multiple disciplines based on his interest in understanding abstract phenomena like seizures, dreams, and genius through an examination of brain function and activity. The major would have three central components: 1) natural sciences courses focused on biology, chemistry, and physics relevant to the brain; 2) mathematics and logic courses; and 3) psychology courses examining conscious experience and its potential neural correlates. Hechtman believes this interdisciplinary approach embracing fields from science to philosophy best fits both his interests and the goals of a liberal arts education.

1. Nathan Hechtman
Rationale for a Cognitive Neuroscience Major
I have long been interested in the brain. I grew up with epilepsy, and my occasional
seizures introduced me to new and strange worlds inside myself. Worlds where I have no sense
of direction, or where I have almost no aptitude for language. I have traveled to these odd
places and back in a matter of hours, without even needing to pay for the flights.
This naturally got me very interested in abstract things like seizures, dreams, perception
of time, insight, madness, and genius just to name a few. All of these experiences and
capacities are so abstract that at first they appear beyond the classic scientific paradigm of
cause and effect. Can we ever really understand things like genius or the experiences faced
during a seizure in terms of biochemistry? I doubt it, but something is happening in the brain
during these moments and I am convinced that patterns can be found, as many of them already
have been. This interest guides me toward the field of cognitive neuroscience, an intersection of
the abstract and the physical. From philosophy to physics, everything which is measurable (or a
means of measuring) fits within the paradigm.
From my point of view, cognitive neuroscience cannot be anything but a liberal arts
major; any set of coursework that realistically calls itself a cognitive science major must be
interdisciplinary. I could potentially draw from mathematics, computer science, physics,
chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology and philosophy and still be within the
field.
For this reason I hope I will be permitted to take more than the maximum of fourteen
classes within my custom-made major because there are so many components to it. I will not be
missing out on the liberal arts experience if I am given this permission. In fact, I will be
embracing Willamette’s interdisciplinary philosophy of education to the fullest by studying within
a paradigm (cognitive neuroscience) which draws from every field of science, logic, and
technology.
The only things which of necessity will not be a part of the major will be law, politics,
music, literature, and languages. All of these things, from the perspective of a psychologist, boil
down to constructive uses of our ability to learn though insights and by the power of reason to
arrange our insights into systems of thought. With cognitive neuroscience I can directly study
insight and reason without studying the social constructs that humans build out of them. I will
study some of these things outside of my major.
There are three central components that I want this major to address
1. The natural sciences
2. Logic and Mathematics
3. The conscious experience
1. In the natural sciences I will primarily need to know those things which are directly and
indirectly related to the brain. This implies chemistry and as much biological science as I
can get related to what happens in the brain. There are no brain-focused classes in
Willamette’s biology department, so as far as biology goes I will focus on what is true of
anatomy in general. I will take classes about the dynamics of cells and bodies. Evolution
and genetics are not especially important to me because I am interested in the functional
components that define brain activity. I am more interested in the workings of the
machine than its process of manufacture, as wondrous and important as that process
may be.

2. All biology classes about how a fully-formed body (and its smaller components)
function:
Bio 125 (evolution and diversity) (prereq)
Bio 130 (cell biology) (prereq)
Bio 244 (Physiological Dynamics in Animals and Plants) (prereq)
Bio 360 (molecular cell bio)
Bio 351W (animal physiology)
Interdisciplinary courses
IDS neuroscience class
All relevant chemistry classes through biochem:
Chem 115 (Intro chemistry I) (prereq)
Chem 116 (Intro chemistry II) (prereq)
Chem 225 (orgnaic chemistry I) (prereq)
Chem 226 (organic chemistry II) (prereq)
Chem 351 (Biochem)
A few physics courses:
Phys 221 (intro physics)
Phys 222 (intro physics part II)
Phys 345 (electromagnetism)
2. Logic and math will be my raw tools for a career in the Sciences. I want to have a solid
understanding of calculus and statistics. I also will need and an understanding of the
logic which governs human reasoning. I will also want to know the essentials of
computer science, because the brain is often compared to a computer.
Math courses:
Math 151 and 152 (intro to calculus) (prereq)
Math 249 (multivariate calculus)
Math 266 (statistics)
Classes related to logic:
Phil 140 (symbolic logic)
CS 141 (basic computer science) (prereq)
CS 241 (data structures) (requires stat and 141)
3. I have criteria as well for which psychology classes are relevant. They must cover
subjects which
a. Are closely tied to the nature of conscious experience of thoughts and emotions
(especially the latter).
b. Potentially correlate with activity in the brain and nervous system
This describes every psychology class. So I hope to take a little of everything, especially those
classes focused on cognition.

3. Psych 210 (intro) (prereq)
Psych 252W (research methods)
Psych 340 (psychology of learning)
Psych 345 (biopsychology)
Psych 355 (cognitive neuroscience)
Psych 335 (abnormal psych: adult)
MOIs: all completed
Understanding the natural world: (this is a large part of my major, and I have already taken
chem 115)
Creating in the arts: (ENGL 135, intro to poetry)
Examining values: (Psyc 210, intro psych)
Thinking Historically: (Arth 247, European art)
Interpreting texts: (Russ 242, Russian literature)
Understanding Society: (Poli 210, American politics)
Non-English Language: (Span 232, intermediate spanish)
Three writing courses (at least one must be 300-400 level and at least one must be outside of
my Major) You can see this is true.
1. RUSS 242 (Russian literature)
2. BIO 351W (animal physiology)
3. PSYC 252W (psychology research methods)
All necessary prerequisites for my majors: here is a list of all classes which are prerequisites to
any and every class in my major:
Biology 125 (in progress)
Biology 130
Chemistry 115 (complete)
Chemistry 116
Chemistry 225
Chemistry 226
Math 266
CS 141
Phys 221
Phys 222
Psychology 210 (complete)
Calculus 151-152 (in progress)

4. 23 semester credits total. 2 are completed. 3 are in progress.
8 of 22 semesters are prerequisites to other classes. 2 are completed. 2 are in progress.
5 semesters left. 3 classes/semester = 15 classes. 17 classes needed.
Add:
IDS neuroscience
Research:
The research projects of
David Craig, Courtney Stevens, Emma Coddington, Erik Noftle
Blog?
Science Journals: Nature, Science
Look at others’ blogs.