Psychology

Classes

PSY100: Psychology of Career Development

This course introduces students to the lifelong career development process. Career development theories are explored. Students gain self-knowledge through assessment of interests, abilities, values and personality. Influences on career aspirations are explored. Interpretations of success are examined. Students identify and investigate potential career options. Information is analyzed and decision making skills are employed to develop career goals and action plans. Students are introduced to the benefits of networks, mentors, and role models. Students develop job search materials including a resume and cover letter. Students gain familiarity with the process and skills for employment interviewing.

PSY101: General Psychology

Introduction to the major concepts and principles underlying human behavior and mental processes. Topics include personality theory, development, learning and thought, brain and nervous system, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, stress and physical health, abnormal psychology, psychotherapy, and social psychology.

PSY201: Child Psychology

This course focuses on important aspects of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, occurring from the prenatal period through middle childhood. The major theories of development, research methods and the important roles of genetics and neuroscience are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the role of early experiences and biological factors in the later formation of personality, intellectual, and emotional behaviors.

PSY202: Adolescent Psychology

Physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development of the human being during adolescence. Suggested for students planning to major in psychology, education, social work, or related areas.

PSY205: Adult Psychology

This course will focus on the normative physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes throughout the adult years with consideration of the sociocultural contexts that shape what it means to be an adult. Particular attention will be given to the influences of gender, class, race, sexual orientation, and changing trends.

PSY207: Abnormal Psychology

This course includes the study of the major psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Analysis is made of the probable causes of these disorders with emphasis on the strengths and limitations of the commonly used therapies. Consideration is given to positive, constructive, alternative responses to the basic problems of living.

PSY208: Principles of Counseling & Crisis Intervention

Analysis of a variety of life crises, methods of effecting intervention, and procedures for establishing a counseling relationship when appropriate. Designed to introduce those now in, or preparing for, the helping professions or related paraprofessional positions, to the principles of effective crisis intervention and counseling.

PSY209: Group Dynamics in Human Services

This course explores the various stages of therapeutic groups, including group development. Emphasis is on basic group theory, process, and effective practice skills. Students are acquainted with task-oriented and treatment-oriented groups in a broad range of settings. This course may incorporate experiential learning where students learn about group processes via group exercises in class. Service Learning may be required.

PSY210: Psychology of Grief

This course focuses on the grief process as a fundamental dimension of human experience. Topics include current theories, psychological, social, and cultural factors at the end of life, various ways loss is processed, factors that promote resilience in the face of loss, and factors contributing to serious psychological and medical outcomes. The course explores the role of the funerary ceremony in facilitating the early phase of acute grief.

PSY212: Human Sexuality

This course explores the physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects of human sexuality. Sexuality is considered a vital part of the total human organism. Issues of psycho-sexual development, sexual physiology, sexual attitudes, gender identity, love and sex, sex and the law, sexual lifestyles, and sexual dysfunction, among others, are discussed in an open, frank manner. Audio/visual material, internet websites, and discussion forums augment the textbook and lecture content.

PSY214: Research Methods in Psychology

In this course, students will learn how to develop research questions, review existing literature (online databases and physical locations), design studies (both qualitative and quantitative), select samples from populations, formulate a hypothesis, operationalize variables, ensure the validity and reliability of an experiment, analyze and interpret data, summarize findings using the APA format, explore and critique research in peer-reviewed journals and in popular media, understand the importance of ethics in research and how scientific findings influence public policy.

PSY217: Behavioral and Social Science Statistics with SPSS

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts and applications of statistics in social sciences, emphasizing practical skills in data analysis using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Designed for undergraduates with minimal background in research methodology, the course covers the entire research process from data collection to analysis and reporting. Through a combination of lectures, hands-on SPSS sessions, and collaborative projects, students will learn to conduct and interpret descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, understand the principles of sampling and data collection, and apply these skills to real-world social science research questions. By the end of the course, students will be proficient in using SPSS to analyze data and will be prepared to undertake their own research projects. This course is ideal for undergraduate students in the social sciences, including but not limited to sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and education, who seek to gain practical skills in statistical analysis.

PSY219: Psychology Of Women

This course is designed for both females and males wishing a broader understanding of the physiological, psychological, and sociological determinants of female growth and development. It concentrates on developmental issues and contemporary role expectations, conflicts, and the status of women within a culturally defined role throughout the life cycle.

PSY225: Social Psychology

In an ever-changing global society, the individual is both influenced by the groups they encounter and conversely they influence those same groups. Social Psychology addresses human interaction and its consequences. Topics include conformity, aggression, motivation, group organization, social influences on perception, cognitive processes, and culture's impact on social behavior, addressing issues of tolerance within an increasingly diverse society. Emphasis is on the application of concepts.

PSY235: Cognitive Psychology

This course defines and explains the major concepts and principles underlying Cognitive Psychology. Topics include the human information processing system, perception and attention, short-term memory, different aspects of long term memory, judgments, reasoning and problem solving.

PSY241: Selected Topics in Psychology

This course serves as a vehicle to either deepen student's knowledge of subjects addressed in Psychology introductory courses or explore issues outside the traditional curriculum.