Psychology

Degrees and Certificates

Courses

PSYC 100: General Psychology

This course is an introduction to the general field of psychology, including learning, motivation, sensation, perception, cognition, personality, abnormal behavior, testing, physiological psychology, and social psychology.

PSYC 101: Lab Experience

This course provides exposure to experimentation and data analysis in the field of psychology. (This course must be taken for a letter grade.) Open only to transfer students who have completed an introductory psychology course not including a laboratory component.

PSYC 188: Psychology of Death and Dying

This course is an examination of various topics in the area of death and dying, including attitudes towards death, stages of dying, grief and mourning, children and death, funeral practices, the hospice movement, euthanasia, suicide, and immortality. The emphasis is on learning to live a deeper, more meaningful life through exploring the importance of death. An additional course fee is required.

PSYC 200: Psychology Service Experience

Under the supervision of departmental faculty, students complete service to others on campus through the application of psychological principles from the fields of learning, motivation, communication, persuasion, and developmental. Students can enrolled in two sections of the course during a semester and earn up to a total of four credits. Permission of the instructor is required for enrolling in the course.

PSYC 205: Statistics in Psychology I

This course is an introduction to basic statistical techniques used in psychological research. This course covers descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics through one-way ANOVA. Attention is given to ethical issues involved in statistical interpretation of data.

PSYC 210: Psychology of Women

This course is a critical survey of empirical and theoretical treatments of the female experience. The intellectual, motivational, biological, and cultural factors which influence women throughout the life cycle are discussed.

PSYC 215: Behavior Modification

This course has two main aims: to help students learn systematically to analyze behavior in terms of reinforcement principles and to help students develop skills in the application of these principles to the modification of behavior in practical situations. Behavior modification is examined in the areas of behavior disorder, child-rearing, the work situation, and habit change.

PSYC 220: Health Psychology

This course provides students with a basic understanding of theories, research, and concepts related to several physiological psychology topics that can be applied to their lives. The understanding of health psychology informs students about many of the biological and psychological processes experienced throughout their lives.

PSYC 222: Personality Psychology

This course covers major theories of personality and principles of personal adjustment and growth, including the following: development; motivation; dynamics; problems in group living; and intellectual, emotional, and social adjustment. The course should be valuable to the potential doctor, nurse, social worker, child-care worker, teacher, or parent.

PSYC 226: Social Psychology

Aspects of social behavior are examined in the context of theory and experimental research. Topics include social factors in development, cooperation and competition, aggression, issues of gender and race, motivation, attitudes and attitude change, social influence, and interpersonal and group processes.

PSYC 228: Interpersonal Aspects of Psychotherapy and Counseling

This course is a study of the interpersonal characteristics and personality traits that are essential for successful counselors and psychotherapists. Communication skills are emphasized and practiced throughout the course. This course would be important for anyone who will be working in the helping professions, but would also be useful for anyone who is interested in improving interpersonal communication skills

PSYC 230: Developmental Psychology

This course is a study of human development from conception through old age. Topics include the influence of genetics, socialization, cognitive growth, and physiological changes on all stages of life. Students learn about current literature and applications in the field.

PSYC 231: Gerontology

This course is a study of gerontology. Topics include the biological, cognitive, and psychosocial influences on aging. The interactions of the again individual, younger generations, and society is examined. Students learn about current literature and social policy.

PSYC 245: Forensic Psychology

This course reviews the applications of empirically-supported psychological theories to the criminal justice system. Theories in perception, personality, memory, problem-solving, and psycho-physiology are extended to explain validity of eyewitness testimony, lie detection devices, jury selection, jury decision-making, problems in interrogations, criminal profiling, and criminal trials of the mentally ill. Students discuss these areas while upholding the ethical principles of objectivity. We recommend this course for students interested in a criminal justice.

PSYC 250: Multicultural Psychology

This course is an examination of historical and contemporary factors which differentiate the experiences of African, Asian, Latino, and Native Americans from the experiences of other Americans. Students examine mainstream psychological treatment of these ethnic minority experiences and pose alternative approaches.

PSYC 306: Research Methodology

This course is an examination of various types of research design and important issues in design and statistical analysis. Students propose research projects as an application of principles covered in the PSYC 207 course.

PSYC 308: Writing Papers in Psychology

This course prepares students to write a major research paper, adhering to APA guidelines. Students will learn to use appropriate references by writing an annotated bibliography. Using this as a starting point, students will then write an APA style research paper, including (at a minimum) an introductory literature review, a method section detailing the proposed design and procedures for gathering empirical data, and a reference list.

PSYC 317: Learning Theories

This advanced course provides students with an in-depth study of the major theories of learning, their historical and contemporary proponents, as well as their applications to both human and animal behavior. In addition, students will be encouraged to critique /evaluate each theoretical perspective and their associated research methodologies, and will be challenged to develop their psychological vocabularies relative to this specific subdiscipline of the field.

PSYC 318: Biopsychology

This course focuses on the study of the nervous and endocrine systems and on there roles in influencing behaviors.

PSYC 325: Abnormal Psychology

This course explores the development, dynamics, social significance, and theoretical implications and treatment of deviant behavior. The concepts of normality and abnormality in relation to cultural norms and stereotypes are examined. The course should prove particularly useful to students planning a career in the helping professions.

PSYC 350: History of Psychology

This upper-level course provides students with a broad overview of the development of the field of scientific psychology. A review of the philosophical and physiological roots of the discipline is provided as is a detailed presentation of how modern psychology evolved via its numerous theoretical and methodological approaches.

PSYC 377: Junior Seminar

This seminar prepares students for graduate school and employment opportunities after graduation as well as preparing for the senior year. Topics include preparing for aptitude tests, researching graduate schools, and beginning the application process. Students also gain more experience with reading research articles and begin preparation for the senior project.

PSYC 411 : Psychological Assessments

This course introduces the student to the theory and practice of psychological assessment procedures. The course includes intelligence testing, personality testing, neuropsychological assessments, career testing, behavioral assessment procedures, statistics, research methods, legal and ethical considerations interviewing, and interpretation.

PSYC 429: Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling

This course provides students with a basic knowledge of the varied theories and techniques used in professional psychotherapy and counseling. Both academic and experiential learning are included. This course should be particularly useful to students interested in careers in one of the helping professions. Enrollment is limited to 12 students.

PSYC 430: Special Topics

Special Topics courses provide students with the opportunity for in-depth study of new areas of research within psychology. Each course focuses on a different theme or topic. Courses may include psychology and social issues, psychology and public health, psychology and spirituality, positive psychology, and the psychology of addiction. The specific topic and any additional prerequisites are listed in each semester’s schedule. May be repeated for credit when the content varies.

PSYC 470: Internship in Psychology

Internships provide students with off-campus exposure to the life and work of professional psychologists. All internships must have the approval of the Psychology Department faculty and are supervised and evaluated by the departmental internship coordinator and by a psychologist in the field. A journal and a written summary of the student’s experiences and their relationship to pertinent theories and practices of psychology is required.

PSYC 477: Senior Seminar

This course is an introduction to professional opportunities in psychology and related fields and an exploration of value and ethical consideration. Continued guidance on senior project and senior comprehensive examinations also is provided during this course.

PSYC 490: Senior Project

This course is a self-directed research project on a selected topic. The course is designed to assist students in the application of research skills. (The option for 4 credits is only available with instructor and chair approval based on a rigorous research proposal.)