This course offers an introduction to the field of clinical child psychology. We will review contemporary approaches to understanding the clinical features, diagnosis, causes, developmental course, prevention, and treatment of major psychological disorders in childhood and adolescence.

Brain cells need food to function. This course will dive into the latest research on dietary and metabolic factors that influence neural processing. We will cover a wide range of topics, including eating plans, cellular metabolism, and metabolic dysregulation. Our objective will be to evaluate the current state of knowledge, identify gaps, and explore how existing insights might be leveraged to enhance mental health.

Mental health counseling remains a leading treatment option for conditions such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Yet the neurobiological mechanisms by which counseling exerts its effects are little discussed in a neuroscientific context. In this course, we will explore how counseling can influence cognition, emotion, and behavior through changes in brain function.

This applied developmental psychology seminar will examine topics at the intersection of child development, trauma, and the justice system. Specifically, this course will discuss child maltreatment and how abuse and neglect can impact development in multiple domains. Societal and legal responses to these crimes will also be examined. Emphasis will be on theory, empirical findings, and practical applications of findings, including challenges involved in the prosecution of cases of abuse and neglect.

Students in this course will explore psychological theory and research pertaining to gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. Topics include sexual orientation, sexual identity development, stigma management, heterosexism & homonegativity, gender roles, same-sex relationships, LGB families, LGB diversity, and LGB mental health

Students will learn about international policies surrounding human rights for people with disabilities. This course will be structured around the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Students will learn about varying definitions of disability, education, employment, healthcare and family perspectives.

This advanced seminar course will introduce theories and empirical research aimed at understanding psychological processes in diverse groups, as well as explaining the causes and consequences of identity-related differences. Topics covered include disparities in health and mental health, social identity, power and marginalization, and developmental processes across social and cultural contexts. We will also explore the nature of and future directions for multicultural psychology and diversity science.

The objective of this course is to examine the role culture plays in influencing human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, with a particular focus on its implications for social issues. This course includes readings on the reasons behind diverse thought patterns and behaviors across different global communities, highlighting the cultural nature of Homo sapiens. It explores how cultural learning molds our cognition and the extensive variability in our psychological make-up worldwide.

Evaluates scientific research on human happiness. Integrates research from psychology, economics, and neuroscience in the evaluation of personal and public policy choices.

This course will provide students with an overview of autism across the lifespan, through exploration of autistic narratives and empirical research. Students will learn about the principles of neurodiversity and disability justice and explore their role in the history of autism. Using an intersectional lens that includes race, gender, sexuality, and social class, students will critically evaluate how autism has been defined, diagnosed, and treated.