Chloe White<\/p>\n
Professor Martinez Lecture
\n11.15.2015 !
\nSocial Impetus: Hormones & the Social Brain !
\nLuis Martinez, a Biological Psychology professor at the University of Minnesota (Yay!
\nMinnesota Pride!), came to Trinity to give a lecture titled \u201cSocial Impetus: Hormones & the
\nSocial Brain.\u201d Since he may potentially be a professor at Trinity in upcoming years, Mr.
\nMartinez gave this lecture in order to explain how he teaches class at the University of
\nMinnesota, and how he would teach a class here on this subject. When planning a course,
\nProfessor Martinez has two course objectives: the first is to have the students develop a strong
\nunderstanding of the subject matter, and the second is to strengthen their critical thinking skills.
\nBy fulfilling these two objectives, Professor Martinez aims to explain to his students the
\nrelationship between hormones, the brain areas they act upon and their role in human social
\nbehavior.
\nIn order to fulfill the first course objective, Professor Martinez initially explained the very
\nbasics of hormones to us. His definition of hormones was \u201ccompounds produced and released by
\nglands which travel throughout the whole body and the brain.\u201d By doing this, hormones
\ninfluence many of the most important aspects of our daily lives, such as behaviors and cognitive
\nprocesses, as well as more long-term aspects such as reproduction. Specifically, Professor
\nMartinez finds a lot of interest in oxytocin, such as oxytocin in new romantic couples and other
\nsimilar studies. Other ways he helps students develop a strong understanding of the subject
\nmaterial is to provide historical context and discuss recent and empirical research. In the case of
\noxytocin, he would discuss the discovery of oxytocin and how oxytocin can be manipulated in
\nthe brain. Empirical research here would include links between oxytocin and autism, which is
\nrecent research that a lot of students would probably find interest in.
\nIn order to fulfill the second course objective (to strengthen critical thinking skills),
\nProfessor Martinez stated he would have students critically assess scientific literature. He would
\ndo this by having students create small groups and discuss the literature together in class, and
\nthen write some sort of assessing report to be handed in either at the end of class, or for
\nhomework. The emphasis here would be on student-led discussions, which would be based off of
\nthe primary research and review articles given to them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chloe White Professor Martinez Lecture 11.15.2015 ! Social Impetus: Hormones & the Social Brain ! Luis Martinez, a Biological Psychology professor at the University of Minnesota (Yay! Minnesota Pride!), came to Trinity to give a lecture titled \u201cSocial Impetus: Hormones … Continue reading