A course on hormones and the brain: these two students won Create a Course Challenge 2024
Sex, Stigma and Steroids: Debugging the Hormonal Code of Mind and Behavior is the winning course of the Create a Course Challenge 2024. Starting from the next academic year, students from all faculties will be able to enrol in this course on hormones, stigma, and the brain.
“You practice what you preach!” said the jury last week during the award ceremony of the Create a Course Challenge 2024 about the winning course, Sex, Stigma and Steroids: Debugging the Hormonal Code of Mind and Behavior. The course was created by Emilia Bienek, a psychology student, and Sissi Chen, a student of medicine and biomedical sciences. The two met last year during a neurobiology minor, where they concluded that much neuroscientific research is based on experiments with male rats, indicating a gender gap, which ultimately affects the medication available for people. The students felt this needed to change, which led them to develop a course idea and submit it to the challenge.
Sex, Stigma and Steroids: Debugging the Hormonal Code of Mind and Behavior – what is the course about?
Chen: “The course explores the world of hormones influencing behaviour and mental health: psycho-neuroendocrinology. We link this to societal prejudices. Topics such as the use of anabolic steroids to appear more muscular, the impact of hormonal contraception on overall wellbeing, and the effect of ADHD medication on the brain will be covered. Additionally, we’ll delve into the research behind the hormones involved, their fluctuations, their effect on concentration, and the differences in addiction between men and woman. Stigma around body dysmorphic disorders and postnatal depression are also discussed. These are all hormone-related conditions. The course will also feature discussions and debates to explore societal attitudes towards hormones and mental health.”
Bienek: “Currently, we’re finalising our shortlist of guest lecturers. We hope to involve renowned scientists such as Diederik Laurens Smit, Anne Marije Kaag, and Sasha Cook. Smit is an endocrinologist researching the hormonal influences on men, Kaag has studied the gender gap in addiction research, and Cook has researched the role of stereotyping and stigmatisation of chronic conditions and menstruation. They could provide invaluable insights for the students. Ultimately, the goal is to create a highly interdisciplinary course with lecturers from all faculties of the University of Amsterdam.”
How did you come up with the idea? Why did this course need to exist?
Chen: “The idea came partly from frustration. In medicine, for example, you learn about how diseases develop in women and men, but there’s little attention to treatment methods that align with their hormonal systems. Especially in research, women are often excluded because of the complexity of the menstrual cycle. This severely limits our knowledge.”
Bienek: “In psychology too, hormonal processes are underexplored. For example, you can get all sorts of information about the impact of medication from social media like Reddit than scientific sources. That’s a bit strange, don’t you think? We’re still missing so much scientific knowledge about medication we’re already using. This doesn’t just affect science, but also society. This course is an attempt to fill those gaps.”
One of the criteria is that the course should be innovative. How does Sex, Stigma and Steroids meet this?
Bienek: “Our course combines disciplines in various ways. Students will not only learn the biology behind hormones, but also how this knowledge can be translated into societal issues such as discrimination, work pressure, and stigma around mental health. For instance, we’ll host panel discussions with students and experts to explore these topics and come up with solutions.”
Chen: “We also use innovative teaching methods. In addition to traditional lectures and seminars, we are developing a simulation game. In this game, students will learn about hormones and their effects on the brain in a playful way. It’s not just about knowledge, but also about understanding underlying bodily processes. The exact details of the game are still being finalised.”
Bienek: “At the end of the course, we’ll challenge students with a debate. They’ll need to analyse societal issues within this field and learn to defend their positions. The goal is not only to acquire knowledge, but also to develop skills such as critical thinking and argumentation.”
You were among the five nominees. Why do you think your course was voted for?
Chen: “I think part of the reason is our playful marketing campaign. We used Barbie posters, lots of pink, and jumped on the Barbie trend on social media. It was catchy, it suited our theme, and it stood out.”
Bienek: “Our friends came to the final dressed in pink and even brought flowers. It became a real event. Also, compared to the other nominees, we offered the only beta-oriented course. We think many medical students voted for us, partly due to our campaign at that faculty.”
Why did the jury ultimately choose your course?
Bienek: “I think the jury was really impressed by the course’s hyper-interdisciplinarity. Lecturers from various faculties will be approached to shed light on the subjects covered during the course. This makes the course accessible to everyone, whether you study law, sociology, or biology – it doesn’t matter. Students from all faculties can enrol next year. No prior knowledge is required, just a good dose of curiosity.”
Chen: “Edith Hooge – the chair of the Board of Governors and a jury member – concluded: “You practice what you preach” and said she would love to attend one of the first lectures. Two hours after the award ceremony, she even posted a photo with us on LinkedIn. So, there’s enthusiasm for this course from all sides. We’ll be further developing the course in the coming period to meet those expectations.”
