200087 SE Advanced Seminar: Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology (A) (2026S)

CONTENTS AND COURSE STRUCTURE

In this course, we will explore the topic of stress together, aiming to understand its biological basis, how it is shaped by social and psychological factors, and how it is intertwined with physical health.

We will read the book Stress and Health: Biological and Psychological Interactions by William R. Lovallo. The chapters will be made available in digital form via Moodle.

Each week, we will discuss the assigned chapter and try to resolve questions or uncertainties together. In addition, students (individually or in pairs) will present a recent research paper on stress, along with a simple research idea.

Understanding of the assigned book chapters will be assessed in short, informal quizzes during some of the sessions.

At the end of the course, you will submit a brief popular science article on one of the topics that was covered during the course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Gain an overview of current scientific literature on the biological basis of stress, its effects on physical health, and its interaction with a wide range of social and psychological phenomena.

2. Learn to read and understand scientific research papers:
• Critically evaluate a paper and identify its “main message”
• Summarize and reflect on papers (in oral presentations and discussions)
• Integrate different perspectives on the same topic
• Practice developing new research questions based on existing literature