The World Health Organization defines Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) as "the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, and people's access to power, money and resources." SDoH have a major impact on the health of individuals and communities, and are the source of significant health inequities. This course will provide a foundational understanding of SDoH through analyzing how social factors such as racism, economic inequality, and politics, among others, manufacture and maintain health disparities.

In this course, we will explore and discuss mental health and mental health diagnoses using a developmental lens. Using foundational readings and through case studies, we will establish an understanding of the psychology field's approach to evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of diagnoses and disability that are circumscribed to (e.g., reactive attachment) or typically first appear/are first detected in childhood and adolescence (e.g., ADHD, conduct problems, anxiety, developmental disorders, neurodivergence).

Examines changes in cognitive, social, and emotional functioning, including theory and research that illuminate central issues in characterizing these changes: the relative contributions of nature and nurture, the influence of diverse contexts on development, continuity versus discontinuity in development, and the concept of stage.

What do we learn? How do we learn? Why do we learn? In this course, we will study issues of learning, teaching, and motivation that are central to educational psychology. We will explore the shifting paradigms within educational psychology, multiple subject matter areas, (dis)continuities between classroom and home cultures, students' prior experiences, teachers as learners, ethnic and gender identity in the classroom, and learning in out-of-school settings.

Cognitive psychology is the study of how we sense and interpret information from the world around us, incorporate this new information with our prior experiences, and determine how to respond to an ever-changing environment. Thus, cognition encompasses a range of phenomena that define our mental lives. This course considers empirical investigations and theoretical accounts of cognitive issues, including learning and memory, creativity and problem solving, decision making, attention, consciousness, and language.

This course explores the interplay between language, music and cognitive skills. For centuries, questions about the relationship between language and music have been asked by philosophers, artists, and scientists. Is music a language and is language a music? What is the evolutionary value of language and music? What are the formal characteristics that are shared between the two? What happens in the human mind when language or music breaks down? How can we design interdisciplinary studies to look into language and music?

Psychopharmacology focuses on the impact that drugs (both illicit and prescription) have on the brain, neurocircuitry, and behavior. Students will explore the underlying neurotransmitter systems of the brain and discover how substances influence nervous system function including the experience of pain, sleep, emotional states, motivation, addiction, and mental health. The course will bridge concepts in chemistry, biology, psychology, and neuroscience by highlighting major drug classes and their underlying mechanisms of action.

Psychopharmacology focuses on the impact that drugs (both illicit and prescription) have on the brain, neurocircuitry, and behavior. Students will explore the underlying neurotransmitter systems of the brain and discover how substances influence nervous system function including the experience of pain, sleep, emotional states, motivation, addiction, and mental health. The course will bridge concepts in chemistry, biology, psychology, and neuroscience by highlighting major drug classes and their underlying mechanisms of action.

Does the idea of Finals Week stress you out? Have you ever felt hungry or thirsty? Is our biology to blame when people cheat on their partners? From mental health and hunger to sexual motivation and aggression, our hormones dictate many of our basic choices and ultimately control how we interact with our world. This course will explore how hormones communicate with our brain to influence behaviors such as sexual attraction and reproduction, parental care, and social behavior. Special emphasis will be placed on the underlying biology and role of the nervous system in regulating hormone levels.