Affiliated Departments & Programs

Hewlet G. McFarlane is the assistant vice president for enrollment, director of strategic programs & partnerships and a professor of neuroscience at Kenyon College.

McFarlane earned his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Syracuse University in 1998, after which he joined the Kenyon Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program. He also did post-doctoral research training in neuropharmacology in the Department of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University and is a founding member of the Kenyon Neuroscience Department.

His teaching revolves around the effects of both healthy and diseased/damaged brains on behavior. His research interests, broadly defined, focus on the relationship(s) between brain chemistry and behavior with particular emphasis on mental illness. Specifically, he is interested in the interactions between neurotransmitter systems, the effects of drugs on the brain and the relationship between brain chemistry and mental illness. His current research project focuses on developing a mouse model of autism.

Hewlet is a member of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), the International Behavioral and Neural Genetics Society (IBANGS), the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS), the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA), and the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN).

Areas of Expertise

Neuroscience, autism, schizophrenia/depression

Education

1998 — Doctor of Philosophy from Syracuse University

1995 — Master of Science from Syracuse University

1991 — Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University

Courses Recently Taught

This introductory course will explore a range of topics and issues in the study of neuroscience. Specifically, the course will focus on the relationship between neuroscience, the arts and humanities. The course will treat the humanities and sciences as partners working together on the same problems. Usually, three topics are covered per semester. Examples of topics covered include the neuroscience of emotions, play behavior, film, visual and artistic perspective, space and time. Other topics may be covered. Assignments will include weekly quizzes, class discussion and a thesis paper. This is a non-majors introductory course geared towards first-year and sophomore students, although others may take it. This course is repeatable for credit one time. This course paired with any neuroscience course counts toward the natural science diversification requirement. No Prerequisites.

This course begins with a definition of neuroscience as an interdisciplinary field, in the context of the philosophy of science. After covering the basics of cellular neurophysiology, the course examines the development and organization of the human nervous system in terms of sensory, motor, motivational, emotional and cognitive processes. The neurological and biochemical bases of various brain and behavioral disorders also are examined. This course paired with any neuroscience course counts toward the natural science diversification requirement. This course is required for the major. Prerequisite or corequisite: BIOL 115, BIOL 116 or equivalent. Offered every year.

This course is designed to facilitate our learning about the connections and interactions among neuroanatomy, brain function and psychological phenomena. We do this by studying neuropsychological disorders, as well as the basic psychological processes such as perceptions and memory. Through readings, discussions and class presentations, we will learn some of the basic principles of the brain's organization and function, as well as its ability to recover function after damage. In addition, we will learn about the nature, causes and treatment of specific neuropsychological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, closed head injuries, Tourette's syndrome and stroke-induced aphasia. Further, we will learn about neuropsychological assessment and the current level of research and discovery in the neuropsychology of specific disorders through student presentations. This course paired with any neuroscience course counts toward the natural science diversification requirement. This counts toward the elective requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 101 or NEUR 212. Sophomore standing. Offered at least every other year.

This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the physiological phenomena responsible for psychological experiences. The main focus of the course is a detailed study of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. This is followed by a study of the sensory and self-regulatory systems, a study of higher cognitive processing. With each new topic, the relevant anatomical and physiological systems will be discussed as they relate to the behavior under scrutiny. Thus the biological underpinnings of sleep, mood, learning and memory, motivation and other topics will be studied. This course paired with any neuroscience course counts toward the natural science diversification requirement. This counts toward the elective requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100, 110 or NEUR 212. Generally offered every year.

This course explores the biological mechanisms of the actions and effects of both legal and illegal psychoactive drugs. The course begins with a brief discussion of the history of psychopharmacology, followed by an in-depth examination of the biological basis of drug action in the brain. We will discuss the basis of drug classification and of specific drugs, including illicit drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines and heroin as well as legal psychoactive drugs such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. The course ends with a discussion of the action of drugs used in the treatment of mental disorders such as schizophrenia (antipsychotics) and depression (antidepressants). This course is cross-listed with psychology for diversification purposes. NEUR 305 is recommended but not required. This course paired with any neuroscience course counts toward the natural science diversification requirement. This counts toward the elective requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or NEUR 212.

This combined discussion and laboratory course aims to develop abilities for asking sound research questions, designing reasonable scientific approaches to answer such questions, and performing experiments to test both the design and the question. We consider how to assess difficulties and limitations in experimental strategies due to design, equipment, system selected, and so on. The course provides a detailed understanding of selected modern research equipment. Students select their own research problems in consultation with one or more neuroscience faculty members. This course is designed both for those who plan to undertake honors research in their senior year and for those who are not doing honors but who want some practical research experience. A student can begin the research in either semester. When a year of credit is earned, it may counts toward the research methods course requirement for the major. This course is repeatable for up to 1.50 units of credit. Prerequisite: BIOL 109Y-110Y and NEUR 212. Permission of instructor required.

This required capstone seminar is required of all students who plan to graduate with a neuroscience concentration or major. The seminar is intended to bring together the knowledge acquired from courses required for, or relevant to, the concentration and major. During the course of the semester, each student will write an integrative paper with input from the instructor. Oral presentations are given in conjunction with each of these exercises. Neuroscience majors are expected to have completed NEUR 250 before enrolling in NEUR 471. Prerequisite: NEUR 212, at least one 300-level neuroscience course. Neuroscience major or concentrator with senior standing. Permission of instructor required.\n

This program for senior honors students culminates in the completion of a senior honors research project. The research is expected to be on a topic of particular relevance to the student's postgraduate plans. Students must select a research advisor from the faculty members in the Neuroscience Program. They are expected to have completed a thorough bibliographic search of the literature, written a short review paper and formulated some tentative hypotheses during the spring semester of their junior year. Permission of neuroscience director required. Prerequisite: 3.33 overall GPA and a 3.5 GPA in the neuroscience core courses and must have completed at least 5 units toward the major. Students enrolled in this course will be automatically added to NEUR 498Y for the spring semester.

This program for senior honors students culminates in the completion of a senior honors research project. The research is expected to be on a topic of particular relevance to the student's postgraduate plans. Students must select a research advisor from the faculty members in the Neuroscience Program. They are expected to have completed a thorough bibliographic search of the literature, written a short review paper and formulated some tentative hypotheses during the spring semester of their junior year. Permission of neuroscience director required. Prerequisite: 3.33 overall GPA and a 3.5 GPA in the neuroscience core courses and must have completed at least 5 units toward the major.