ABSTRACT
Topics related to the brain are becoming increasingly common in cultural products such as literature and film. Media representations of the brain and mind therefore provide an interesting method for introducing first-year college students to the field of neuroscience. In this article, we describe an interdisciplinary first-year seminar that we implemented at Gettysburg College, co-taught by a cognitive neuroscientist (KDW) and a literary scholar (TFB). The course explores a number of themes, such as memory, autism, and neuroaesthetics, as well as the relationship between brain and mind, using novels, short stories, film, and theater. The success of the course highlights the benefits of using non-technical sources to introduce students to scientific concepts as well as the value of teaching collaboratively across disciplinary boundaries.
