This course explores the current understanding on hormonal and endocrine processes that influence human behavior and health. We will cover underlying hormonal mechanisms of a diverse range of topics in human and non-human animals such as reproduction, sexual differentiation, parental behavior, social affiliation, aggression, stress, biological rhythms, and energy balance. Understanding how hormonal processes are linked to behavior and well-being can help us to better understand, manage, treat, and prevent chronic diseases.

This course will analyze close relationships topics, such as intimacy and communication, in both friendships and romantic relationships. We will examine the processes of relationship formation, maintenance, and dissolution from a psychological perspective. Using a social cognitive framework, we will address various concepts, including interdependency and love, across different types of relationships.

This course explores the field of computational neuroscience, focusing on the role of modeling in understanding the biophysics of neurons and the ability of neural circuits to perform computations and drive behavior. Students will gain an understanding of the role of theoretical neuroscience in driving forward our understanding of the nervous system, develop a deeper understanding of the computations occurring in our brain, and enhance their quantitative and computational skills for analyzing and modeling scientific questions. The course will center around student computational modeling projects in the programming language Python: a basic understanding of Python is assumed.