PSYC 100S: Understanding Psychology
4 semester hours
Zembar, Mary Jo, Little, Stephanie and Staff
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 designed for individuals that are not planning to major or minor in Psychology and is not to be taken in conjunction with or in addition to Psychology courses 110-160.
PSYC 107Q Statistics
4 semester hours
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 introductory statistics course. (e.g., Math 127, Mgt. 210)
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 110N: Proseminar I: Physiological
2 semester hours
Staff
Prerequisites: None
This course is an introduction to the study of the biological bases of behavior, including the structure and function of neurons, brain organization, and sensation and perception.
PSYC 120B: Proseminar II: Learning
2 semester hours
Anes, Michael
Prerequisites: None
This course is an introduction to the scientific bases, methods, theories, and findings in the study of learning and memory in humans and animals. Operant conditioning laboratory exercises are included. Grade is based on two exams, lab performance, and a written lab log. In addition, students are required either to participate in a limited number of research studies or to write a research paper. There are also two short papers; one is on a laboratory exercise and the other is a movie analysis.
PSYC 130S: Proseminar III: Developmental
2 semester hours
Zembar, Mary Jo
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 207: Experimental Design
5 semester hours
Crane, Lauren
Prerequisite: Psychology 107 or another statistics course.
This laboratory course gives you hands-on experience with the basic principles of research in psychology: the logic and methodologies of collecting data in a scientific manner, and the concepts and techniques of applying statistics to collected data in order to draw conclusions. We will cover a variety of methodologies, emphasizing how you can use each of them yourself. As part of this course, you will design and implement a number of studies that involve collecting, analyzing, and interpreting original data, as well as reporting your findings. Each study will illustrate a different type of analytic tool or procedure, but the specific questions to be addressed in these studies will be determined by you.
PSYC 231S: Child Development
4 semester hours
Zembar, Mary Jo
Prerequisite: Psychology 130 or Education 111 or 112.
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 243: Community Psychology
4 semester hours
Brookings, Jeffrey
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure summarizes the purpose of this course: to introduce students to Community Psychology and the emerging sub-discipline of prevention science. Beginning with traditional, treatment-oriented approaches to mental disorders, we will trace the evolution of the community mental health movement into the broader discipline of community psychology, emphasizing current, research-based attempts to prevent psychological disorders and other problems (e.g., depression, AIDS, substance abuse, violent crime, homelessness) rather than treating them, and to promote wellness and competence. Class activities include lecture, discussion and debate; videos; guest speakers; and a field trip or two. Chapter quizzes, unit exams, individual and group projects.
Writing Intensive
PSYC 251: Abnormal Psychology
4 semester hours
Little, Stephanie
Prerequisite: Psychology 150
This course covers the causes, diagnosis and, to a lesser degree, treatment of psychological disorders in adults. Various theories, models and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are investigated in the context of research and case studies. This advanced course primarily serves students interested in clinical psychology, social work, counseling, and related health specialties. Service-learning is an available option, both as part of a course assignment or as Service-learning 100. Final grade is based primarily on quizzes, conducting and writing up mock diagnostic interviews, research summary papers, and class participation.
Writing Intensive
PSYC 321B: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
5 semester hours
Anes, Michael
Prerequisites: Psychology 120 and Psychology 207
This is a course in which we study major operations of the human mind; perceiving, remembering, acting, and thinking. Specific areas of coverage include attention, visual search and object recognition, visual memory, general memory mechanisms (working and long-term), language, imagery, reasoning, and judgment. We will discuss learning and memory in other species as well, and attempt to draw parallels that inform our understanding of human cognition.
Specific proposals about how the mind accomplishes particular tasks (models) have been advanced in the short, 50-year history of modern cognitive psychology. We will see how these models have been tested, in part by participating in replications of classic cognitive psychology experiments. Data, including the data we generate ourselves, will be discussed in detail. We will write APA-style papers describing the nature of these tasks, the methods used, and the results obtained in the tasks. Finally, we will plan and execute group experiments.
Writing Intensive
PSYC 361B: Experimental Social Psychology
5 semester hours
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.
Writing Intensive
PSYC 390: Junior Seminar
No Credit
Anes, Michael
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: Research: Personality
4 semester hours
Brookings, Jeffrey
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
In small groups, students will complete research studies on personality as reflected by the way individuals design their "personal living spaces (e.g., dorm rooms, offices, Facebook profiles). Students will design the studies, collect and analyze the data, write up the results, and submit their findings for presentation at a psychology conference. Preparation for the research will involve reading and discussing published studies on personality and personal living spaces, and becoming acquainted with relevant research methodologies and instruments. Course grades are based on class participation, contributions to the project(s), and an APA-style research report. Writing Intensive
PSYC 400: Cultural Psychology
4 Semester hours
Crane, Lauren
Prerequisite: Permission of 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.
Writing Intensive
