Seniors Jo Haller, left, and Sergio Fernandez examine a human spinal cord and human brain during their “Neurobiology of Sexual Behavior” class.
Class Name: “Neurobiology of Sexual Behavior”
Taught By: Assistant Professor of Psychology Laura Been
Here’s what Been had to say about her class:
The course is an upper level seminar that explores the relationship between the brain and sex behavior. We look at this relationship as a two-way street; we are interested in how the brain influences sexual behaviors and also how sexual behaviors can influence the brain. We don’t use a text book. Instead, students read, present, and discuss journal articles that probe these brain-behavior relationships using cutting-edge neuroscience techniques. We read papers about the neurobiology of sex behavior in a wide variety of models, ranging from fruit flies to humans and everything in between.
I created this course because it’s closely related to my own area of research. I’m a behavioral neuroscientist, and in my lab, we study the neurobiology of sex behavior using Syrian hamsters as a model organism. We know that having sex can cause profound and long-term changes in the brain, including changes in neurochemistry, electrical activity, and even the physical structure of neurons. As part of my research, I think a lot about how and why different organisms have sex and what we can learn about human behavior from understanding the neurobiology in simpler organisms. I thought it would be great to explore some of these questions with students in the classroom. I really enjoy hearing their thoughts on the papers we are reading, especially because the class is comprised of students from different backgrounds and majors. It’s fascinating to hear them link what we are talking about to something that they are learning about in their other classes.
Photo by Ryan Gooding ’16.
See what other courses the Psychology Department is offering this semester.
Cool Classes is a recurring series on the Haverblog that highlights interesting, unusual, and unique courses that enrich the Haverford College experience.