About this course: Learners will be introduced to the problems that vision faces, using perception as a guide. The course will consider how what we see is generated by the visual system, what the central problem for vision is, and what visual perception indicates about how the brain works. The evidence will be drawn from neuroscience, psychology, the history of vision science and what philosophy has contributed. Although the discussions will be informed by visual system anatomy and physiology, the focus is on perception. We see the physical world in a strange way, and goal is to understand why.
Created by: Duke University
Taught by: Dale Purves, M.D.
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Background
20 videos, 4 readings
Graded: Module1, Topic 1
Graded: Module 1, Topics 2-3
WEEK 2
Seeing Lightness, Darkness and Color
17 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Module 2, Topic 1
Graded: Module 2, Topic 2
WEEK 3
Seeing Space
19 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Module 3, Topic 1
Graded: Module 3, Topic 2
WEEK 4
Seeing Motion
9 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Module 4
WEEK 5
Summing Up
11 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Module 5, Topic 1
Graded: Module 5, Topic 2
Graded: Peer Review
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Coursework
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Duke University
Duke University has about 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-class faculty helping to expand the frontiers of knowledge. The university has a strong commitment to applying knowledge in service to society, both near its North Carolina campus and around the world.
Ratings and Reviews
Hard topics but easy explained or illustrated.
Great Job!
The course is excellently done with well-ordered sequence of lectures that explains visual perception in a new and very interesting way. The instructor speaks in an easily understood English, and his presentation of the material is very well done. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in psychology, vision, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.
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This course gave me another view at the problem of visual perception. The course relates more to psychology than to medicine. Essay writing is mandatory for the completion of the course. Thanks to Professor Purves and his team from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.