Psychology (PS)
A survey course on the mind and behavior, including development, learning, memory, intelligence, personality, interpersonal attraction, biological psychology, and psychopathology. This course must be taken before enrolling in many of the advanced psychology courses.
The course is intended to be an appropriate university-level foundational course for psychology. Focus will include in-depth discussions of methodology, development, learning, memory, intelligence, personality, emotions, violence, and abnormality. Assignments will allow students to demonstrate critical thinking skills with regard to interpreting research findings and writing analytically based papers. The course must be taken before enrolling in many of the advanced psychology courses. May be taken for credit by students who already have credit for PS111.
Prerequisite(s): Membership in the University Honors Program or the Psychology Scholars Program or permission of the instructor.
Exploration of selected areas of psychology with emphasis on classic and current controversial issues. Critical analysis and writing skills will be emphasized. PS214 is required for all psychology majors and minors.
Focuses on physical, social, and cognitive development, including the prenatal and perinatal period through childhood and adolescence. The major theoretical approaches to physical, social, and cognitive growth are compared, and topics of recent interest to researchers in developmental psychology are discussed.
Behavior pathology and current thinking with regard to its causation and treatment.
The “crises” and growth processes of adulthood; comparisons of men’s and women’s life cycles and factors influencing development.
Study the application of the principles of psychology to an educational setting, focusing especially on human learning and development and on principles by which learning can be enhanced. Emphasis on individual differences and learning modality.
An exploration of the physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development from birth through late adulthood. The major theoretical approaches to physical, social, and cognitive growth are compared, and topics of recent interest to researchers in developmental psychology are discussed.
This course uses an integrated active learning approach to the teaching and learning about Positive Psychology. A combination of didactic, experiential, film, online, and field work, are used to explore this exciting area. Students will learn all of what is best about being human. Areas such as gratitude, hope, humor, strength, optimism, bravery, excitement, appreciation of beauty, leadership, and love are considered from a multifaceted framework.
An introductory course covering research ethics, probability, descriptive and basic inferential statistics, and hypothesis testing.
Pre/corequisite(s): PS214, or
Students “learn by doing” the dynamics of group interaction and the roles assumed by different members.
Students “learn by doing” the dynamics of group interaction and the roles assumed by different members.
Prerequisite(s): PS235.
Impact of innate and socialized sex differences on self-image, self-esteem, achievement, the family; sex-role stereotyping effects and cross-cultural comparisons. Applicable to Women’s Studies minor. This course is cross-listed with WS242.
Focuses on the etiology and characteristics of behavioral, physical, and psychological maladaptations and/or exceptionalities in childhood adolescence. Prevention, treatment, and therapeutic interventions are examined. Note: Students admitted to the School of Education should take this course concurrently with ED2999 when possible.
Consider the theories, structure, and principles involved in the development of personality and the application of theory to behavior.
This course provides an overview of the nature of addiction and recovery, addiction treatment and prevention, and the pharmacological and physiological effects of drugs and alcohol. The course is fundamental to the study of addictions counseling.
This course provides an overview of addiction treatment with emphasis on empirically supported intervention and treatments. Students will review and practice various approaches and will become familiar with the legal and ethical issues relevant to treatment.
The social-psychological study of human behavior as a result of living in a given culture, through an examination of social behavior across different cultures. Topics include acculturation, comparison of personality, perceptual and cognitive development in different societies, sex roles and special issues in multicultural research. Some sections require viewing of foreign language and subtitled films.
Pre/corequisite(s): PS214.
Theories and practices of career psychology; career decision making processes; exploration of careers in psychology and related fields (intended for sophomore or first semester junior-level students).
A critical examination of the relationships between the legal system and psychological theory, research and practice. Topics include civil commitment, the rights of mental patients, standards of legal competence, psychological testimony, predictions of dangerousness, insanity defense, child custody disputes, criminal profiling, hypnosis and lie detection, police investigative techniques, role of the forensic psychologist, witness identification, jury selection, child sexual abuse, ethical issues and death penalty cases.
An introduction to the manner and methods of criminal profiling. Topics to be covered are the history of criminal profiling, victim selection, crime scene characteristics, victim/offender risk, disorganized/organized offenders, offender signature and modus operandi. Recent and past serial crimes will be discussed in class to demonstrate the profiling process. Videos of interviews with profilers and convicted offenders will be part of the class. Students will prepare a formal criminal profile for the final exam, using mock victim and crime scene data.
Study the application of psychological principles, techniques and research to business and industry.
Review the fundamentals of interviewing and contemporary methods and techniques of counseling.
Prerequisite(s): PS270.
Study the major processes and theories of learning from the simplest level to complex processing of information.
Pre/corequisite(s): PS214.
An introductory course in Applied Behavior Analysis focusing on history, ethics, and major therapeutic techniques, including an examination of their theoretical and research underpinnings.
Pre/corequisite(s): PS214.
A study of factors affecting human interaction from dyadic to large group membership. Multicultural and gender differences are stressed.
Pre/corequisite(s): PS214.
Consider the ways in which information presented to the senses is organized and interpreted to form perceptions of the world and ourselves.
Study the relationship between the brain and behavior in sleep and dreaming, emotional control, memory, psychopathology and brain dysfunction.
Selected topics in various areas of psychology. Topics vary from year to year. Open to juniors and seniors or by permission of instructor. The course may be repeated when different topics are offered. Offered upon application.
Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.
Exploration of major psychological theories of persuasion and compliance gaining, factors affecting persuasiveness of communication including characteristics of the communicator, the message and the recipient; analysis of media messages, advertising techniques including theoretical perspectives.
Exploration of the structure and processes in human attention and memory including imagery, language, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, decision making, metacognition.
Pre/corequisite(s): PS214.
Introduction to school psychology, including the many roles and functions school psychologists perform: assessment, counseling, consultation, and crisis intervention. The class sequence will follow the 10 Domains of School Psychology Graduate Education and Practice promoted by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Prerequisite(s): PS225 or permission of instructor.
This seminar course reviews issues of relevance to the treatment of addictions and provides an opportunity for students to critically examine those issues from the perspective of behavioral science.
An introductory course in statistics and research design, intended to develop students as informed and critical consumers of psychological research.
Prerequisite(s): PS214.
An introduction to clinical evaluation and diagnostic testing in the fields of personality, psychopathology, intelligence and aptitude; designed to provide exposure to the clinical tools available but in no way qualifies a student to use these tools.
An overview of research methods for behavioral sciences, as well as of advanced statistical methods of data analysis, with emphasis on the informed consumption of primary research in psychology.
Prerequisite(s): PS232.
Applied use of the scientific method in laboratory research. Laboratory provides hands-on research experience with SPSS to analyze data. 3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory.
An introductory course in the application of principles of learning and behavior in applied settings with primary emphasis on mental health institutions and schools. Ethical considerations and the use and efficacy of behavioral intervention techniques will be studied.
Students work under the supervision of a faculty member to work on the faculty member’s research project. Repeatable up to 6 credits. Offered on application.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Practical in-the-field experience in an ongoing project, school or human services institution. Repeatable up to 6 credits.
Prerequisite(s): Psychology major, and PS331 with a minimum credit of B- or instructor permission.
A seminar on the composition of critical literature reviews. Students write a critical review of a body of published empirical research on a topic of their selection and present it in the last weeks of the seminar class. 2 hours lecture.
This experiential course is an opportunity for reflective practice, applying the theory and skills of addiction counseling and/or prevention with the supervision of a practitioner and a faculty member. Students are required to secure placement as an internship site prior to the first class. Course may be taken twice. Repeatable up to 6 credits.
Students work under the supervision of a faculty member to develop and conduct an original, independent research project. Offered on application.
Prerequisite(s): PS431 and permission of instructor.
Students work under the supervision of a faculty member to develop and conduct an original, independent research project. Offered on application.
Prerequisite(s): PS460 and permission of instructor.
Allows the majoring student to pursue further study in an area of interest or to obtain additional practical field experience; contingent upon approval of the department chairperson. Offered on application.
Prerequisite(s): Psychology major with junior or senior status.