(Excerpt from: Neuroendocrinological mechanisms of action that underlie specific behaviors and their disorders. Hormones and cognitive functioning, sexual functioning, aggression, mood and stress in humans and will focus on methods of hypothesis-testing in these areas.

Instructor:  B. Sherwin

Prerequisite:  One of PSYC 308, PSYC 311, PSYC 318, PSYC 342 or permission of instructor.

Content:  This course will provide an opportunity for students to gain depth of knowledge in specific topics in psychoneuroendocrinology to build on the more basic information acquired in  the 300 level course currently offered in this area (PSYC 342).  Students will also gain skills in critically analyzing a specific topic in psychoendocrinology and in developing a research proposal. Oral presentation skills will also be emphasized. The proposed course will focus on the influence of specific neuroendocrine mechanisms on specific behaviors and how hypothesis-testing of these hormone-behavior relationships have led to findings concerning hormonal etiologies and/or remediation of these behaviors. The course is also open to graduate students in Psychology.

Method: Three hours of class per week. The instructor will provide several introductory lectures on neuroendocrinology and psychoendocrinology at the beginning of the course in order to ensure that all students in the course have the required background information to understand the material. In individual consultations with the instructor, each student will select a topic from a list of choices and will prepare an in-depth critical analysis of the major issues and findings in that area. The work will be then be delivered in class as an oral presentation. Students will also need to identify an issue in the literature that critically needs to be addressed and they will be required to write a formal research proposal to test their hypothesis.

Evaluation:  Grades will be based on the in-class oral presentation (30%), on their participation in class (10%), on the preparation of two critiques (20%), and on their written research proposal (40%).

Supplemental:  There will be no supplemental exam.