DEPARMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 100: Understanding Psychology
4 credits
Bonfiglio, Diane and Crane, Lauren
Prerequisites: None
An introductory-level survey course in psychology with a focus on how psychology can be applied to other fields of study and life in general; intended for students who do not plan to major or minor in psychology. Covers topics in biological foundations of behavior, learning and memory, developmental psychology, motivation and emotion, abnormal psychology and psychotherapy, personality, and social psychology. This course is not to be taken in conjunction with or in addition to Psychology courses 110-160.
PSYC 107 Statistics
4 credits
Brown, Cliff
Prerequisites: To register for Psychology 107, a student must have a 23 or higher Mathematics Placement Level. Contact the Math Workshop for details regarding this prerequisite. A student may not receive credit for more than one statistics course.
This is a course in applied statistics. Its emphasis is on the mechanics of summarizing and analyzing data, with examples from the behavioral sciences. The purpose of the course is to prepare students for other courses in Psychology and related disciplines and to help them conduct and interpret statistical analyses.
PSYC 120: Proseminar II: Learning
2 credits
Anes, Michael
PSYC 130: Proseminar III: Developmental
Prerequisites: None
This course examines development across the life span. The first half of the course focuses on prenatal development and the changes in physical, motor, cognitive and social skills that take place in the early years of life. The second half of the course focuses on developmental issues unique to adolescents (puberty, at-risk behavior) adults (marriage, career development) and the aged (retirement, Alzheimer’s disease). Students are required to participate in a limited number of research studies and to gain practical experience with children and adults by completing an observational and interview project.
PSYC 150: Proseminar V: Abnormal
2 credits
Little, Stephanie
Prerequisites: None
This course is an introduction to the realm of psychology that focuses on identifying and treating psychological disorders. The course applies different theoretical views to the causes of and treatments for mental illness. In addition, basic emotions and motivations will be covered.
PSYC 207: Experimental Design
5 credits
Anes, Michael
Prerequisite: Psychology 107 or another statistics course.
This laboratory course offers a systematic introduction to relevant aspects of the scientific enterprise, namely the design and analysis of experiments. The focus of the course is on the design of experiments in an analyzable manner, and on their subsequent statistical analysis. In the laboratory, participants will perform statistical analysis by calculator and computer. Course performance evaluation is based on lab projects, tests, and class participation. Considerable discussion is devoted to the nature and limitation of scientific models and scientific knowledge. Text: Elmes, Kantowitz, & Roediger, Research Methods in Psychology. 8th edition, St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co.
PSYC 231: Child Development
4 credits
Zembar, Mary Jo
Prerequisite: Psychology 130 or Education 111.
The developmental study of children from prenatal development to preadolescence, with emphasis on motor, cognitive, language, social and personality development. Monthly observations of infants and children help students apply theoretical developmental models and research findings. Service-learning 100 is an available option. Final grade is based on essay exams, observation projects, and participation.
PSYC 241: Psychology of Personality
4 credits
Brookings, Jeffrey
Prerequisite: Psychology 140
Personality psychology is the scientific study of the person. Personality psychologists – or personologists --seek to understand the ways in which every individual is “like . . . all other persons, like some other persons, and like no other person.” In this course, the scientific study of persons will be considered from four distinct perspectives: Psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive-social learning, and trait.
Course requirements include a midterm and final exam, reaction papers and three research papers. Each paper involves using one of the four perspectives to interpret a human life, as portrayed via text or film. Writing Intensive.
PSYC 280: Psychology & Culture
4 credits
Crane, Lauren
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
People cannot speak without having an accent from somewhere. In much the same way, people's psychological functioning is not accent-free. This course highlights the extent to which all levels of psychological functioning, even "basic" ones, are grounded in culture-specific assumptions about what matters, what is "good," and how the world works. Students are expected to emerge from this class with a sharpened ability to critique generalizations made about human psychology, a greater appreciation of interpersonal diversity, and a richer understanding of how their own ways of thinking and being derive from culture-bound experiences. Course requirements include exams, response papers, a research project, and class participation. This course contains substantial East Asian content and counts toward the East Asian Studies major/minor.
Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum: CLAC
Interested in using your foreign language skills to earn extra credit connected to this course and to learn more about the subject matter of this course at the same time? If so, register for the CLAC components offered here. You don't need to be fluent in the language to exercise this option. In fact, you need only to have completed two credits beyond 112 or to be currently enrolled in a course beyond 112. Your work will be guided by your professor and by faculty from the Languages Department. The CLAC module is designed for intermediate level language learners.
This course offers a foreign language component or CLAC component in the following languages:
French
German
Japanese
Russian
Spanish
Students who select the CLAC option will complete work in a foreign language that will supplement the work in this course. Students who complete the CLAC assignments successfully will earn 1 credit for the CLAC component.
To register for the CLAC component, you must also register for a one-credit LANG 230 CLAC module listed among the Language Department's offerings. Meeting times and location will be arranged at the beginning of the semester. Credit for CLAC modules may be counted toward the requirements for International Studies and as elective credit in the Language department.
PSYC 311: Behavioral Neuroscience
5 credits
Wilson, Jo
PSYC 361: Experimental Social Psychology
5 credits
Brown, Clifford
Prerequisites: Psychology 107, Psychology 160, and Psychology 207.
This writing intensive course in experimental social psychology provides students with a scientifically based understanding of human social behavior. Topics include social perception, attitudes, conformity, group processes, aggression, and prejudice. The course emphasizes the experimental method and the particular challenges of applying it to study people in a social context. Given the complexity of social behavior, social psychology relies heavily on experiments that employ factorial designs which allow investigators to examine the independent and combined effects of several factors (variables) simultaneously. This course will include more than 30 hours of laboratory experience.
PSYC 390: Junior Seminar
0 credit
Wilson, Josephine
This seminar meets one hour per week and is designed to help students understand their various options as psychology majors. This includes topics such as senior research projects and internships, senior comprehensive and GRE exams, possible career paths, graduate school applications, and graduate school and job interviews. This class may include guest speakers and field trips based on students’ interests. Psychology majors are required to take this no-credit seminar for one semester during their junior year.
PSYC 400: Cultural Research in Psychology
4 credit
Crane, Lauren
Prerequisite: Permission of the Instructor
This course is designed to train students in the skills needed to conduct cultural research studies in psychology. The course format primarily will be that of a lab-oriented seminar. Students will develop and refine their ability to read the psychological literature, to generate and test hypotheses, to collect and statistically analyze original data, and to report and critique research findings. Together we will complete one or more research studies focused on cross-cultural comparison, with the goal of presenting our results at a professional conference. Course grades will be based on class participation, contributions to the research project(s), and research papers written in APA style. This is a Writing Intensive course that meets once a week.
PSYC 400: Applied Community Research
4 credit
Brookings, Jeffrey
Prerequisite: Psyc. 207 and permission of instructor.
In this course, students will design and complete research studies that investigate the impact of neighborhood characteristics on residents’ physical health, psychological well being, and behavioral adjustment. Of particular interest are personal and social assets that help residents cope with the day-to-day challenges of life in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Students will design the studies, collect and analyze the data, write up the results, and submit them for presentation at a professional conference. Preparation for the research will involve reading and discussing published studies on neighborhood disadvantage and becoming acquainted with relevant research methodologies and instruments. Course grades are based on class participation, contributions to the project, and evaluation of research papers.
