Department of psychology

Psychology Courses

REQUIRED OF ALL MAJORS:

• General Psychology (PSYC 11762)
  A survey course -- a general review of the field. Usually covers most of the basic areas, including the history of psychology, scientific method, the nervous system, sensation and perception, basic learning processes, memory, cognition, development (childhood to old age), motivation, personality, social psychology, mental illness, and therapy.
  
  
• Quantitative Methods in Psych. I (PSYC 21621) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  An introductory statistics course. Like all fields that depend upon collecting and interpreting numerical data, Psychology uses statistics. Statistical methods allow us to describe information efficiently and then to make judgments about what it means - for everything from how nerve cells work to whether a new counseling technique is worth using. Because all areas of psychology use statistics, statistical skills are often crucial in graduate school admissions. Furthermore, statistical and related analytical skills are part of what employers look for when they hire Psychology majors. Quantitative Methods I is an important course!! Take it when you have time to take it seriously.
  
  
• Research Methods in Psychology (PSYC 31574) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and PSYC 21621
  This course deals with the logic of how psychologists study human and animal behavior. This course includes an introduction to topics such as the scientific approach, psychological measurement, research design, and research ethics. The information in this course is essential to understanding how the scientific discipline of Psychology (or any other social or life science) really operates

CHOOSE ONE:  Writing in Psychology (41990), OR Laboratory Experience in Psychological Research: Social/Clinical (41573), OR Laboratory Experience in Psychological Research: Cognitive/Learning (41574):

• Writing in Psychology (PSYC 41990) - department permission
  This one-credit course provides writing experience to satisfy the University's Writing-Intensive Course Requirement. Psych. 41990 must be taken in conjunction with an upper division Psychology course. Registration is controlled, and students should go to the Psychology Department Main Office (144 Kent Hall) to arrange for registration. Note: When you sign up for 41990, remember that you have to have enough flexibility in your schedule for group meetings with the 41990 class. This can't be arranged ahead of time. In a related matter, be absolutely religious about coming to the attached class every day until the 41990 arrangements have been made. If you miss the main class, the 41990 group may make its arrangements without you!

• Laboratory Experience in Psychological Research: Social/Clinical (41573) - prerequisite PSYC 11762, 21621, 31574, 3.2 GPA, and permission
  This is an intensive lab experience. The content covered will fall broadly into social psychology or clinical psychology, but the specific focus of the course will depend on the instructor. Students will gain experience with methods, data analysis, computer statistics programs, scientific writing, and potentially also reading original research articles and advanced lectures on particular topics in the area of the lab. Valuable for: students who want to go to graduate school in social or clinical psychology.

• Laboratory Experience in Psychological Research: Cognitive/Learning (41574) - prerequisite PSYC 11762, 21621, 31574, 3.2 GPA, and permission
  This is an intensive lab experience. The content covered will fall broadly into cognitive psychology or learning psychology, but the specific focus of the course will depend on the instructor. Students will gain experience with methods, data analysis, computer statistics programs, scientific writing, and potentially also reading original research articles and advanced lectures on particular topics in the area of the lab. Valuable for: students who want to go to graduate school in cognitive or learning psychology.

CHOOSE ONE:  Child Psychology (20651) OR Psychology of Adjustment (21211):

• Child Psychology (20651) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  A description and analysis of the basics of psychological development up through adolescence. Covers the theories, methods, and important findings regarding development in several areas -- such as perception, emotion, cognition, social relationships, language, representation of self, personality, and morality.
  
  
• Psychology of Adjustment (21211) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  This class focuses on understanding how people adjust to the problems and challenges of everyday living. It may cover relevant psychological theories, emotion, stress and coping, types of maladjustment, and social factors that influence the types of problems people have and the resources they have to deal with them.

CHOOSE ONE:  Cognitive Psychology (30445) OR Perception (31141):

• Cognitive Psychology (30445) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  Cognitive is a core topic in Psychology. It covers basic mental processes such as attention, memory, problem-solving, and language. Valuable for: Any Psychology major planning to go to graduate school in any area of Psychology, also for students planning on training or careers in counseling, human resources, forensic psychology, law, or education.

• Perception (31141) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  This core area concerns the processes of sensation and perception -- how stimulation is received by the organism, converted into useful information, and interpreted. Perceptual processes are involved in literally all behavior. Vision, hearing and a variety of other modalities are covered. Valuable for: Particularly useful for students interested in cognitive psychology, biopsychology, animal behavior, and the human engineering aspect of industrial/organizational psychology.

CHOOSE ONE:  Basic Learning Processes (31043) OR Biopsychology (41363):

• Basic Learning Processes (31043) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  A core topic. Basic Learning Processes explores classical and instrumental conditioning in some detail. The phenomena covered in Basic Learning Processes are very central to Psychology. Valuable for: Critical for students interested in biopsychology and animal behavior. Also very important for those interested in any area of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, or school psychology, because the principles covered underlie many types of interventions. Also recommended for zoology and pre-vet majors.

• Biopsychology (41363) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing
  This core area course is an introduction to the biological bases of behavior. It emphasizes the central nervous system as the foundation of behavior, but will usually consider other systems as well -- systems such as the peripheral nervous system, and the endocrine system. Valuable for: Extremely important for students interested in biopsychology or animal behavior. Also important for students interested in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, cognitive neuroscience, and health psychology.

CHOOSE ONE: Personality (41282) OR Social Psychology (41532):

• Personality (41282) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  The field of personality psychology focuses on individual differences in normal human behavior. It can be considered a core area. This course will cover some of the important personality theories, such as psychoanalysis and its descendants, learning and social learning theory, and humanistic theory. In addition, issues in personality assessment and contemporary personality research -- for instance attempts to discover which personality factors are most fundamental or which predict reactions to stress -- may be covered, although the selection of these topics will vary considerably from instructor to instructor. Valuable for: A variety of interests. Particularly useful for students interested in personality psychology (obviously), clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, and social psychology. Also useful for those interested in human resources/management and industrial psychology.
  
  
• Social Psychology (41532) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing
  Social Psychology considers the ways in which people relate to and are affected by each other. Social is a core area of contemporary psychology. A wide variety of topics, including interpersonal attraction, attitude change, helping, aggression, conformity, and social cognition can be covered in this course. Valuable for: Particularly important for students interested in social psychology, personality psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and health psychology. Also very useful for students interested in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, human resources, marketing, cognitive psychology, and law. Useful for students interested in animal behavior.

MAJOR ELECTIVES: (12 credit hours required for major, 9 of which must be upper-division):

• Multicultural Psychology (22221) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  Examination of areas of psychology upon which diversity issues have a bearing and focused study of psychological issues relevant to African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic/Latino-American and American Indian groups. (This course is a very valuable general education course, although note that it does not satisfy an upper-division requirement or the diversity requirement for majors.)
  
  
• Adolescent Psychology (30651) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  Focuses on the developmental period of adolescence -- the changes that occur in that period, the problems adolescents face, and their characteristic psychological functioning. Valuable for: Students interested in developmental psychology, counseling, clinical and counseling psychology, and possibly human resources and industrial psychology.
  
  
• Social and Personality Development (30652) - prerequisite PSYC 11762, plus either PSYC 20651 or HDFS 24012 or by permission
  Deals with topics such as child-parent attachment, and the development of self-concept, achievement, peer relations, sex roles, aggression, and morals. Will probably include adult development, though that will depend upon the particular instructor. Valuable for: Especially useful for students interested in developmental, clinical, counseling, social, or personality psychology; also for those interested in counseling, social work, school psychology, and human services in general.
  
  
• Cognitive Development (30655) - prerequisite PSYC 11762, plus either PSYC 20651 or HDFS 24012 or by permission
  Focuses upon the development of cognitive processes and abilities -- including areas such as perception, language, memory, concepts, reasoning, problem solving, and academic skills. Valuable for: Particularly useful for students interested in developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, human factors, forensic psychology, and clinical neuropsychology; also for those interested in school psychology and human resources.
  
  
• Psychology of Aging (30656) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  Exploration of basic research and theory on the psychological consequences of aging and psychological factors that affect the behavior of older persons.
  
  
• Psychology of Motivation (30821) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  Motivation concerns the processes that energize behavior and that direct organisms to particular types of goals. The course will usually also include emotional processes. Topics will usually include physiological needs, drives, social motivation, self-actualization, and cognitive motives.
  
  
• Undergraduate Research (31498) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and permission
  Allows qualified students to receive course credit for working with faculty on research projects. The exact type of work to be done will vary according to the type of research and the interests of the particular student. Different research projects may want students with different types of qualifications, but reliability and carefulness are always important. Students may wish to use Undergraduate Research for several things: it can be an opportunity to learn specific skills, to demonstrate one's reliability and conscientiousness, to learn more about what a researcher's career might be like, and to develop and demonstrate conceptual sophistication in psychology (e.g., for graduate school.) Depending upon the amount of time the student can invest in research, 2-3 credit hours is usually recommended. The usual rule of thumb is three hours of work per week for every credit hour. Importantly, involvement in research entails a professional commitment to the project. 31498 can be repeated. Getting involved in 31498 requires that the student make an individual arrangement with a particular faculty member. Note: No more than 6 credit hours of 31498, 41498, and 41495 (Special Topics) combined can count toward the Psychology major. Up to 16 credit hours can count toward graduation. Valuable for: Extremely valuable for students planning to go to graduate school in Psychology - in fact, we'd almost say it's necessary, given that very few graduate programs in clinical or experimental psychology will accept students who do not have some research experience. For more information about Graduate Study in Psychology.
  
  
• Quantitative Methods in Psych. II (31684) - prerequisite PSYC 21621
  Quant. II is a continuation of Quantitative Methods I. Instructors often do a quick review of Quant. I before moving on to somewhat more advanced statistics. Valuable for: Students planning to go to graduate school in Psychology (looks good on your record, helpful for the Graduate Record Exam, and gives you a bit of a boost for your graduate statistics courses); students planning any career involving research or data.
  
  
• Industrial Psychology (31773) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  This is a survey of the field of industrial (or industrial/organizational) psychology. The field deals with such topics as worker selection, training and morale, organizational efficiency, workplace stress, and human-machine interactions. Valuable for: Students planning on graduate training in industrial psychology or for any career in a business or organizational setting. Also possibly valuable for students with interests in social psychology or health psychology.
  
  
• Abnormal Psychology (40111) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing
  Covers mental illnesses -- their types and diagnostic criteria. It will usually also deal with the major theories of mental illness and may provide some information on types of therapy. Valuable for: Nearly all Psychology majors and minors. After all, nearly all of psychology has some relationship to human problems, and knowing what the types of problems are is helpful in seeing the relevance of every area of psychology. Besides, it's the one thing that the general public (including your family and friends) thinks you know about if you've majored in Psych. Obviously, this course is a must for those students interested in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, school psychology, and any other field that involves the diagnosis and/or treatment of people's problems in living.
  
  
• Psychological Assessment (40231) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and 21621
  Psychological assessment is a cornerstone of applied psychology; it is used almost everywhere. Clinical psychology and related fields make extensive use of assessment methods. In Psychological Assessment students learn the basics of assessment -- with an emphasis on clinical assessment done with standard tests. The course covers the characteristics of good psychological tests, the major types of tests, and when they should be used. It is introductory, however, and it does not give professional-level experience in test administration and interpretation. Valuable for: Particularly important for students interested in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, personality psychology, industrial psychology, school psychology, and human resources. Of definite value for students interested in social psychology, health psychology, and cognitive psychology.
  
  
• Psychological Interventions (40383) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing
  This course covers the history of clinical/community psychology and the major types of treatment approaches. It does not provide professional-level skills in psychotherapy or other interventions. Valuable for: Students interested in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counseling, industrial psychology, school psychology, and human resources. Perhaps personality psychology as well.
  
  
• Psychology of Language (40461) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and PSYC 30445 or permission
  Survey of psycholinguistics. Specific topics will usually include language development, speech perception, the extraction of meaning from language, reading processes, and the involvement of language in human behavior and thought. Valuable for: Students interested in cognitive psychology, educational psychology, or developmental psychology. Also potentially useful for students with majors in education or speech.
  
  
• Comparative Psychology (40563) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing
  The field of comparative psychology emphasizes animal behavior as it occurs in natural settings. Topics can include such things as the genetic and evolutionary basis of behavior, the variety of ways behavior functions in adaptation, and animal social behavior. Valuable for: Very valuable for students interested in biopsychology and animal behavior. Of significant value to students interested in personality and social psychology, because comparing animal behavior to human behavior can clarify viewpoints about the origins of those aspects of human behavior.
  
  
• Development of Gender Role and Identity (40625) - prerequisite PSYC 11762
  This course investigates the psychology of gender differences. It takes a developmental perspective, focusing on how gender differences are acquired and expressed over the lifespan, but the major topic is gender differences themselves. Valuable for: Particularly useful for students interested in counseling, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, human resources, developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology.
  
  
• History of Psychology (40974) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing and permission (jointly listed as a graduate course)
  Explores how psychology emerged as a unique discipline, along with topics and viewpoints that set the stage for modern psychology. The emphasis is on the history of scientific approaches. Topics covered include psychology's roots in philosophy, early schools of psychology such as structuralism and functionalism, and the move toward modern views and applications of psychology in the twentieth century. Valuable for: Students planning to go to graduate school in Psychology (there are usually history-of-psychology-type questions on the GRE psych. subject test), students wanting a classical liberal arts Psychology major.
  
  
• Special Topics in Psychology (41495) - junior standing and permission
  Special Topics sections are offered occasionally and present detailed treatments of areas of current interest to faculty and students. For instance, upcoming special topics courses may include Forensic Psychology, Animal Cognition, Emotion, Memory Processes, Child Psychopathology, and Cognitive Neuroscience. Specific areas for Special Topics sections are usually given in the Class Schedule for the semesters in which Special Topics is offered. Warning: Some (though not all) Special Topics sections require specialized backgrounds. These should be indicated by a requirement for permission of the instructor for registration. But be careful...sometimes it gets printed in the Class Schedule as permission of the Department rather than of the instructor. It's a good idea to investigate a Special Topics before registering. The best source of information: The instructor! These courses can be extremely valuable, but you want to know in advance what you're getting into. Valuable for: Different students depending upon the particular topic.
  
  
• Health Psychology (41581) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and junior standing
  The relationship of psychological factors to physical illness, including impact of such factors on illness, that of illness on behavior, and psychotherapeutic interventions. Valuable for: students interested in the health care field.
  
  
• Individual Investigation (41498) - prerequisite PSYC 11762 and permission
  This is similar to PSYC 31398 in student research involvement, and method of getting permission. But given for letter grade. Will require a paper in addition to the work on the research. See 31498 (above) for important details.