Courses in Psychology
PSY 101: Introductory Psychology (3)
Prerequisite:
Survey of basic areas including physiology, personality, and abnormal behavior; sensation and perception; learning, memory, and cognitive behavior; social and interpersonal interaction and attraction; and
psychotherapies. (Offered every semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA, EM, SI
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PSY 123: Intro Human Development (3)
Prerequisite:
Human development from conception to old age; physical growth, perception, cognition, emotional growth, social interaction, and personality. (Offered every semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA, SI
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PSY 227: Social Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101
Theories and experimental research in areas such as communication processes, group dynamics, attitudes, attribution theories, interpersonal attraction, and collective behavior; application to relevant social problems. (Offered every spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 232: Experimental Methodology (3)
Prerequisite: ENG 112, SS 231
Introduction to principles and techniques of psychological research; consideration of different experimental designs and advanced statistical techniques; emphasis on interpretation and written presentation of experimental results. (Offered every fall semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 238: Adolescent Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
Biological, societal, familial, and peer influences in adolescent behavior; problems of youth in society. (Offered every spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 249: Infancy & Early Childhood (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
Development from conception through preschool years; physical development, intellectual functioning, achievement behavior, social and personality development, sex differences, and application of developmental principles; theories of child development, including Piaget’s concepts of intellectual functioning.
(Offered every semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 250: Development in Middle Childhood (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
Development from age 6 to puberty; theories of child development; social, emotional, personality, and perceptual-intellectual development; family, peer, and social influences in development; and sex differences and achievement behavior. (Offered every semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 251: Psych of Adulthood & Aging (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
Develop-mental processes of aging including family adjustment, marriage, single adults, menopause and climacteric, intellectual development, retirement, senescence, death, and dying. (Offered every odd-year fall
semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 323: Topics in Developmental Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 249, PSY 250
This course focuses on selected topics in developmental psychology such as language, social, or cognitive development. An emphasis is placed on the application of psychological research and principles in practical settings. (Offered every odd-year spring.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 325: Learning & Cognitive Processes (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101, SS 231
Theories and research findings in classical and instrumental conditioning and information processing, including perception, memory, and thinking in humans and other animals. (Offered every odd-year spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 328: Personality Theory & Dynamics (4)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
Major views of personality, including those of Freud, neo-Freudians (Adler, Jung, Erikson), and Maslow; behavioral and humanistics/ existential approaches; implications for personal growth and therapy. Course includes a laboratory section. (Offered every fall semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 329: Psychological Tests and Measures (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101, SS 231
Principles of psychological tests, including standardization, reliability, validity, and test construction; intelligence and personality tests; ethical and legislative issues. (Offered every odd-year spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 333: Physiological Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101, SS 231
Anatomical and physiological bases of major psychological phenomena. Topics include: neuroanatomy, synaptic transmission, sensory physiology, emotion, sexual behavior, drugs and behavior, hunger and thirst, neural correlates of learning, and memory. (Offered every odd-year fall semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 335: Psychology of Motivation (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101, SS 231
Theories and research findings relating to human and animal behavior: ethology, instinctual behavior, early experience, primary drive systems, curiosity, exploratory behavior, achievement and affiliation motives, and general theories of motivation. (Offered every even-year spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 336: Abnormal Psychology and Psychopathology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 328
Disordered behavior, major syndromes, theories of etiology, and approaches to treatment. (Offered every
spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 350: Behavior Modification (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
Principles and techniques, as derived from research on conditioning, social learning, and cognition, for changing human behavior; applications in specific situations. (Offered every fall
semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 355: Educational Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or PSY 123
The under-standing and application of psychological findings and principles relating to education. Examine the broad array of learning and behavior characteristics found in the diverse population of today’s schools, including the similarities and differences between “normal” and “exceptional.” Understanding the tenets of the primary theories of learning (be-havioral, information processing, cognitive, and humanistic) and the application of those tenets to teaching school-aged children.
The psychological aspects of learning envi-ronments and instructional organizational approaches are explored. Also listed as EDU
355. (Offered every semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 360: Junior Research Seminar (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 232
Examination of more advanced topics in research methods and associated statistical analysis. Topics will include experimental and quasi-experimental designs, analysis of covariance and non-parametric statistics and ethical issues in research with human subjects. Students will prepare a research proposal as a basis for their senior seminar project. (Offered every spring
semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 399: Independent Study (1-3)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Offered
every semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: None.
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PSY 426: Systems and Issues in Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101
Historical review of psychology with an emphasis on both great individuals and social forces. Historical antecedents of psychological theories, concepts, and methods; consideration of selected topics that illustrate or influence contemporary development in psychological theory, research, or application. (Offered every
even-year fall semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 430: Clinical Intervent in Psychology (4)
Prerequisite: PSY 328, PSY 336
An advanced undergraduate course that includes the assessment of dysfunctional and maladaptive behavior; the major approach as to psychological intervention; and theories of psychopathology, treatment planning, imple-mentation, and evaluation. Course includes a practicum (lab) experience in a mental health or health care setting. (Offered every even-
year spring semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 440: Forensic Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 and junior/senior status
Examines the application of psychological principles and research to legal issues.
Topics include issues of clinical practice such as competency to stand trial and child custody evaluation as well as experimental issues in jury selection and eyewitness
testimony. (Offered every even-year spring
semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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PSY 450: Senior Research Seminar (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 360 and senior standing in psychology or consent of instructor
Student-initiated research projects include final selection of research area, literature review, generation of hypotheses, operational definition of variables, data-gathering analysis, and presentation and discussion of results. (Offered every fall semester.)
Gen. Ed. Attributes: LA
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