Select Courses taught at UF

Infant Development (DEP4115)

Infancy is the most rapid period of developmental change in one’s life. The course covers development from the prenatal period through three years of age, focusing on physical, cognitive, and social-emotional aspects of development. Goals of the course are to understand developmental norms, debates and issues in infancy research, and apply research finding to practical issues of infant development.

Developmental Psychology (DEP3053)

This course serves as a foundation for developmental psychology. The primary goals of the course are to introduce students to the nature of child development and to the scientific study of development. We cover the major domains of development—physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development—from the prenatal period through late adolescence / emerging adulthood.

Social Epigenomics (DEP6059)

The primary goal of the course is to introduce students to the ways in which the social environment and mental health are related to epigenomic change.  and its relation to the social environment and biobehavioral health. This graduate level seminar enables students to develop core  knowledge of methods, concepts, and issues in chronosomal markers of cellular aging along with genome-wide changes in methylation patterns, a deeper understand how of how these biological changes are involved in human development, behavior, neurobiology, and psychopathology, and to apply knowledge of research methods and core concepts to critically evaluate biological aging studies of human behavior.

Gene Environment Interaction in Development (DEP6059)

With the nature-nurture debate now obsolete, a major challenge is to identify how genes and the social environment interact to impact development and behavior. This course explores ways in which scientists are addressing this challenge by applying molecular and statistical genetic and epigenetic approaches to the study of development. During this seminar-format course, students engage in active participation and discussion. Part of the course features presentations by the instructor and outside experts via multimedia presentations. The remainder will center on student-led discussion. Issues surrounding development will be a focal point. Topics include brain, social, and cognitive development, neurodevelopmental disorders, psychopathology, and addiction.

Developmental Neurobiology of Stress (DEP6059)

Stress responses are involved in the etiology and the expression of many emotional and physical health conditions. Experiences early in life have especially long-term, programming effects on neurobiological stress systems. In this graduate seminar students learn the current state of knowledge regarding the developmental neurobiology of stress, the impact of early experiences, and the role of the stress system in typical behavior and health problems.

Developmental Colloquium: Professional Development in Developmental Psychology (DEP6059)

The research colloquium is exposure to a range of research in the field of developmental psychology, foster critical thinking about research and its implications, and improve professional skill set in scholarly pursuits. Students complete professional development activities designed to reflect upon and improve students’ scientific and scholarly writing and presentation skills.