The Crossroads Unconscious Memory graduate course (ENGL 236/ CS 594) is team-taught by Professor Kenneth Kosik (Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology), who will lead the teaching on brain function and mechanism; Professor Sowon S Park (English), who will bring the global/world literary landscape to the discussion and contextualize contemporary scientific findings in the world historical archive; and Professor Matthew Turk (Computer Science), who will consider the question of reverse engineering human-level artificial intelligence. Professor Mike Gazzaniga (Psychology) will oversee the development of the project.

The project activities are designed to incorporate graduates in the planning and application of the key research questions in close collaboration with the faculty. The elected Crossroads Fellows will be offered the opportunity to play a central role in the planning and execution of subsequent projects on the human mind.

In Winter 2020, a new GE course, ENG 71/MCDB 71 (Area E Culture and Thought), on unconscious memory will be offered. No prior knowledge of neuroscience or of the unconscious is required.  The course tackles fundamental questions such as: What is the unconscious? Where is it? How does it affect our conscious experiences? The aim is to provide students with a broad framework for understanding human behavior.  By examining the role of the unconscious within the humanities alongside discoveries in cognitive neuroscience and technology, the course will facilitate an understanding of the ways in which the conscious mind emerges from the network of the unconscious. Undergraduates interested in working on neuroliterary research are encouraged to write to the relevant Crossroads fellow.

Lead Faculty

Professor Mike Gazzaniga (Psychology, the SAGE centre)

Professor Kenneth Kosik (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Institute)

Professor Sowon S Park (English, Cognitive Science Emphasis)

Professor Matthew Turk (Computer Science)

Affliated Faculty

Dr. Ben Alderson-Day (Durham University)

Professor Andrew Gaedtke (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

Dr. Marco Bernini (Durham University)

Professor Larry Squire (UC San Diego)

Tejas Aralere
(Classics)
tsaralere@umail.ucsb.edu

Madeleine Gross
(Psychological and Brain Sciences)
m.gross@psych.ucsb.edu 

Isaac Mackey 
(Computer Science)
isaac_mackey@cs.ucsb.edu 

Daniel Martini 
(Comparative Literature)
daniel13@umail.ucsb.edu 

Aili Pettersson Peeker 
(English)
apetterssonpeeker@umail.ucsb.edu