The success of Homo sapiens clearly results from the amazing things the human brain can do, and yet our brains are almost completely isolated from the outside world. How does the human brain give rise to the thoughts and behaviors that enable everyday life? How is the brain organized? Why is it “programmed” the way it is? Where does consciousness come from? What happens when our brain malfunctions? This course tries to answer these kinds of questions through an overview of foundational concepts from psychological and related mind sciences including neuroscience, evolutionary biology, philosophy, linguistics, and behavioral economics. It explores specific topics such as perception, learning and memory, language, social relationships, emotions, decision-making, well-being, and mental health. We will look at how these aspects of the mind develop in children, how they differ across people, how they are wired-up in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury.