This course focuses on major hormonal systems and their impact on the brain and a variety of behavioral outcomes, including mental and physical health. The course will use a comparative biology approach, meaning that the course will explore hormone-behavior relationships in humans, non-human primates, rodents, birds, and other species.

The course will cover broad principles of hormone-brain-behavior interactions, and apply these principles to understanding different behavioral domains, including sexual behavior, parental behavior, social behavior, feeding and homeostasis, mood, learning and memory, sleep, and development/aging. We will explore the foundational scientific research in each domain, make cross-species comparisons to draw sound scientific conclusions, learn and practice reading, comprehending, and presenting primary research articles, consider myths and realities of hormonal effects on behavior in journalism and popular media, consider the ethical and legal implications of understanding hormone-behavior interactions, as well as explore how hormones impact our health and our risk and resilience to disease.

Prereq: A grade of C- or above in 2220, 2300, and 3313; or a grade of B or above in 3313 and Neurosc 3000, and Neuroscience major.