During the prenatal and early postnatal years human development proceeds at a breathtaking pace and is highly sensitive to environmental influence. Early experience shapes short- and long-term developmental outcomes. This course focuses on the effects of early experience on human development, and more specifically, on child socio-emotional development, physiology, and health. Factors that play a role in our development will be approached from different perspectives, with special attention to psychological and biological perspectives. The course is intrinsically interdisciplinary and will cover a broad range of topics.

The program will consist of lectures (typically two per day), a variety of small group assignments that will be discussed in plenary sessions, and a lab visit to the Baby and Child Research Center. Students will receive a reader with a selection of literature.