Endocrinology is a branch of animal physiology devoted to the study of hormones and the endocrine glands that produce them. Hormones are essential for maintaining homeostasis and coordinating biological functions such as growth, reproduction, metabolism, and reaction to stress. This course will cover the diverse mechanisms that hormones use to influence physiology and behavior. We will consider hormone function from comparative, clinical, and environmental perspectives with an emphasis on the behavioral response to hormones. Lectures will describe the cellular and molecular basis of endocrine regulation and consider the function of each of the major hormone groups produced by the body, such as hypothalamic, pituitary, adrenal, and sex steroids. Weekly journal article discussions will focus on current topics in endocrinology. (BIOL 0250, or BIOL 0140 and BIOL 0145) 3 hrs. lect.