Course Information

About this course

Fear and anxiety are related, multifaceted terms that can be explained anatomically, biologically, and psychologically. This course begins by exploring the differences and similarities between these two related experiences while illustrating their causes and effects on an anatomical and functional level. From here, we will explore the physiological, psychological, and evolutionary aspects underpinning them. Several theories and concepts behind unconsciousness, perception, and emotion are introduced in order to facilitate discussions covering fear and anxiety in everyday life, as well as their roles as a components of dysfunctional behaviors.

Syllabus

Spring 2026 – Section A

This is a draft syllabus. The final syllabus will be available here a few days prior to the new course’s first start date.

Go to syllabus

Spring 2026 – Section B

This is a draft syllabus. The final syllabus will be available here a few days prior to the new course’s first start date.

Go to syllabus

Pre-requisites

One year of biology or one course in either neuroscience, physiological psychology, or biological psychology, all at university level.

Travel on Study Tour

You only take one Core Course per semester, and each Core Course includes two Study Tours: one Short Study Tour to a nearby destination for three days, and one Long Study Tour to another European country for six days.

Led by your faculty, Study Tours take you into real-world settings where you will apply what you’ve learned outside the classroom.

Check out the Study Tours for this course
Students sitting on the floor in a modern building, engaging in a group activity with papers and notebooks scattered around.

Faculty

Jon Wegener

External Lecturer, Copenhagen Business School, 2010–present. Co-founder and Consultant, Cogency, 2010–present. Board Member and Consultant, Media Health for Children and Youth, 2023–present. Assistant Professor, Copenhagen Business School, 2008–2009. PhD Fellow, Learning Lab Denmark & MR Dept., Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre,

Bettina Hornbøll Borch

Ph.D. (Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2017). M.Sc. (Neurobiology, University of Copenhagen, 2006). B.A. (Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2004). Has been conducting research at the Danish Research center for Magnetic Resonance, investigating emotion processing. With DIS since 2012.

Long Study Tour

About this tour

Germany is at the forefront of neuroscience in Europe, and the cities of Frankfurt and Heidelberg are known as research hubs across many areas of science, including neurobiology.  

During the Study Tour, you will be exposed to a long range of neuroscience perspectives, some will have you meet leading researchers in the field, and some will give you a unique insight into the history of neuroscience and mental disorders. Made possible by being in places of relevance, now and then.  

You will have the opportunity to see how the knowledge you learn in the classroom translates into research, treatment, and educational approaches in a real-world environment. To make your study tour a holistic experience, it consists of visits with researchers, museums, historic sites, and cultural landmarks. 

Learning outcomes

  • Broaden your understanding of the critical connection between academia and science mediation
  • Understand how neuroscience of fear and anxiety can be a part of everyday life, now and in the past, by exploring historically relevant information and research
  • Broaden your horizon within the field of neuroscience and go beyond the classroom, thereby encouraging you to develop further questions and insights regarding your personal, academic, and professional interests

Possible activities

  • Visit researchers at the Center for Translational Psychiatry, department of psychiatry at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neuroscience in Frankfurt
  • Get a unique insight into happiness or medical history through museums such as the Body Worlds Museum or a visit to Heidelberg University
  • Interact with locals to get an understanding of the neuroscience underlying fear and anxiety from a patient point of view

frankfurt

About this tour

Germany is at the forefront of neuroscience in Europe, and the city of Munich is broadly recognized as a research hub across many areas of science, including neurobiology.  

During the Study Tour, you will be exposed to a long range of neuroscience perspectives, some will have you meet leading researchers in the field, and some will give you a unique insight into the history of neuroscience and mental disorders. Made possible by being in places of relevance, now and then.  

You will have the opportunity to see how the knowledge you learn in the classroom translates into research, treatment, and education approaches in a real-world environment. To make your study tour a holistic experience, it consists of visits with researchers, museums, historic sites, and cultural landmarks. 

Learning outcomes

  • Broaden your understanding of the critical connection between academia and science mediation

  • Understand how the neuroscience of fear and anxiety can be a part of everyday life, now and in the past, by exploring historically relevant information and research
  • Broaden your horizon within the field of neuroscience and go beyond the classroom, encouraging you to develop further questions and insights regarding your personal, academic, and professional interests

Possible activities

  • Visit researchers at the Max Planck Society at the Ludvig Maximilian University, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

  • Get a unique insight into science mediation at the Health exhibit at the Deutsches Museum. As well as a unique historical perspective on Fear and Anxiety in Munich
  • Interact with locals to get an understanding of the neuroscience underlying fear and anxiety from a patient point of view

Sweden

Short Study Tour

About this tour

Core Course Week, including short Study Tour, forms an integral part of the neuroscience curriculum by expanding your understanding of, and of the connection between, psychopharmacological history, academic education and training, and both clinical and lab-based research.

The region of Denmark and southern Sweden are home to Medicon Valley – one of Europe’s leading life science clusters and a hub for research institutions, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies.

The two-day seminar in Copenhagen and three-day Study Tour in Southern Sweden will introduce you to neuroscience research and initiatives currently happening in these innovative Scandinavian institutions and companies. Through lectures at universities, visits to research labs, and discussions with scientists and professionals you will learn how psychiatric disorders and psychoactive drugs are handled in Scandinavia.

In addition, the Study Tour program is supplemented with cultural visits to help you learn more about Swedish and Danish history and culture and give you a more well-rounded understanding of the cultural context in which you are studying.

Learning outcomes

  • Broaden your perspective on developments in neuroscience relative to anxiety disorders and gain insight into the Scandinavian perspective
  • Enhance your knowledge of research, treatment, and educational methods in Scandinavia
  • Expose you to various neuroscience careers by visiting leading figures working within prominent neuroscience research and education institutions

Possible activities

  • Visit world-renown neuroscience institutions in Medicon Valley
  • Visit University of Lund, where dopamine was originally discovered in 1957 and where studies in that field are still at the forefront of psychopharmacological research
  • Get a historical perspective on psychiatry, our evolving cultural understanding of the emotions of fear and anxiety, and how they are experienced differently across patients