Psychoneuroendocrinology: Stress, Disease, and Health Inequalities

4 credits · Undergraduate

This course explores the sophisticated and complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and behavior and their relevance to human development and health – a growing scientific field known as psychoneuroendocrinology. Topics include the multiple psychological and biological systems that make up psychoneuroendocrinological processes; evolutionary and developmental perspectives on the emergence and function of these mechanisms; the social experiences of stress, trauma, nurturance, and support; the psychoneuroendocrinology of physical, mental, and psychosomatic disease; and how historical, societal, and political dynamics of power structure the patterns of intersectional health inequities.