Ampersand: The Body: What Moves US and Other Perspectives on Movement

3 units

This course introduces students to the complex neural processes that allow the coordination and integration of thought, action, and perception. We will explore fundamental concepts of motor control including how our central nervous system integrates information to allow us to maintain posture and balance, to coordinate our limbs to external rhythms, and to move our bodies efficiently and expressively through space and time. We will explore theoretical frameworks of motor learning as they pertain to movement. We will delve into the neuromechanisms underlying common tools that skilled movers use to improve motor performance and how they induce neuroplasticity in brain structure and function. Students will gain broad understanding of neurophysiological investigative techniques that allow us to glimpse the complex neural processes that allow the coordination and integration of thought, action, and perception. Prerequisite: first semester of Ampersand The Mind-Body Connection