To cover the material at the end of class and to end the class on a note most consistent with the course goals, the final assessment is not an exam but a paper. You are to take on the of the topics from the final portion of the class and describe it in as much detail as possible.
The topics are:
Development and Learning in the brain
Organization and structure of the cortex
Mental Illness and Psychopharmacology
Now one paper cannot cover any of these topics fully, however, you need to pick one of the major areas under this topic to write about.
Now to make this paper an appropriately comprehensive task, you must bring to bear in your paper as much of the material from earlier on in class that is relevant. For example, what is the role of the the action potential and its slow speed to what you are discussing, what about synaptic functions, did we learning anything useful in studying the senses or motor system that could be applied here?
I am not looking for a regurgitation of the text, remember I have a copy, but a thoughtful examination of what is known, using outside sources, and what it means for our understanding of the larger questions of psychology. These larger questions are who are we and how do we operate?
The weighting of this chapter are as follows
15% Organization
15% Clarity
05% Scope of the Paper
10% Creativity
20% Comprehensiveness in the treatment of your topic
25% Support
10% Misc.