Course Description

Only for students who have not taken PSY 150A1 (The Structure of Mind and Behavior). Survey of psychology including history, systems, and methods; structure and functions of the nervous and endocrine systems; learning; motivation and emotion; perception; memory; thought and language; personality; development; social cognition and behavior; psychopathology and psychotherapy.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Adam Lazarewicz & Allison Tackman

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Define and describe the key concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in the field of psychology.
• Identify, analyze, and interpret the common research methods and quantitative methods used in the field of psychology.
• Develop hypotheses, propose methods for testing hypotheses, and evaluate data to reach a conclusion.
• Apply skeptical inquiry and critical thought when interpreting psychological research data and findings.
• Interpret data from psychological science to solve larger problems.
• Describe applications of psychological research findings into everyday life.
• Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice.
• Explain how social and personal biases have influenced psychological research, and identify the benefits of becoming a more diverse and inclusive field.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

• Career & Self Development – This course will explore different career pathways of Psychology graduates for our program. Additionally, students will learn about the research labs of current faculty members within our department (healthy mind, brain, & lives assignment)
• Communication – Students will develop their written communication skills by working on two separate projects that ask them to clearly articulate thoughts and ideas and communicate them in written forms to people within academia (psych spotlight) and outside academia (healthy mind, brain, & lives project)
• Equity & Inclusion – Students will consider how social and personal biases have influenced psychological research and identify the benefits of becoming a more diverse and inclusive field (DEI project)
• Teamwork – Students will enhance their teamwork and collaboration skills by participating in a semester-long group project (psych spotlight project). This will require students to develop crucial skills related to a virtual team's formation, maintenance, and performance. In many respects, this is more challenging than in-person collaboration/teamwork.
• Technology – Since this course is fully online, students will learn to navigate various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with the following technology: Adobe Rush, Google Drive, and Powerpoint (Psych Spotlight – content creation and collaboration), Voicethread

Course Description

Only for students who have not taken PSYC/PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology). An introduction to mind and behavior. Broad coverage of wide-ranging issues including how minds reflect social influence and how neural systems underlie thoughts and conscious awareness.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Patrick Smith, Allison Tackman

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Define and describe the key concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in the field of psychology.
• Identify, analyze, and interpret the common research methods and quantitative methods used in the field of psychology.
• Develop hypotheses, propose methods for testing hypotheses, and evaluate data to reach a conclusion.
• Apply skeptical inquiry and critical thought when interpreting psychological research data and findings.
• Interpret data from psychological science to solve larger problems.
• Describe applications of psychological research findings into everyday life.
• Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice.
• Explain how social and personal biases have influenced psychological research, and identify the benefits of becoming a more diverse and inclusive field.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: As an introductory course in a STEM field, the entire curriculum of PSY 150 involves critical thinking and problem solving. Students are taught to think critically and skeptically about claims, evaluate the data and evidence supporting those
claims, and make informed judgements about the application of those claims and findings. Many of the weekly quizzes and activities students complete emphasize these skills.
Communication – Students will develop their communication skills via both in-class discussions as well as through various written assignments in the course.
Teamwork & Collaboration: PSY 150 is hybrid in structure with students meeting on campus in collaborative learning rooms. Each meeting involves collaboration and team work to complete the assignment for the day. Students work together in groups of 4-5 to discuss, brainstorm, debate, solve a problem, and overall, complete each assignment.
Equity and Inclusion: Students will consider how social and personal biases have influenced psychological research and identify the benefits of becoming a more diverse and inclusive field.
Career & Self Development: This course will explore different career pathways of Psychology graduates for our program. Additionally, students will learn about the research labs of current faculty members within our department.
Technology: Since this course is hybrid, students will learn to navigate various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with a variety of online technology as part of the online component of this class.

Course Description

This course is for incoming first year students only.  Peer mentors will assist the instructor in increasing students' awareness of campus resources and foster the development of appropriate skills to assist in the students' personal, academic, and professional development. In addition, this course will briefly introduce students to various fields within psychology and career opportunities. It combines class activities and discussions with out-of-class learning experiences and reflective writings in a weekly journal.

Fall 2024 Instructors: Christy Ball, Shanda Romans, Melanie Lipton, Alan Truong, Ryan Smith (last semester with Psychology), & Rani Metz (last semester with Psychology)

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of fields within and related to Psychology
• Learn about different career opportunities with a degree in Psychology
• Understand how to create a professional online presence and Resume
• Discover the various resources on campus that will support your academic, personal and professional goals

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

• Career & Self Development: Students will learn about many career options after undergrad. Students will research and gather information on one self-selected career path. Students will discover the necessary experience needed to apply for a job in that field.

• Communication: Students will engage with their peers in a group project researching an assigned campus resource. Students will interact and communicate both verbally and in email with professionals who work at the campus resource site. As a group, students will present their findings in a formal presentation to the class.
• Equity & Inclusion: In the course reading, students will have the opportunity to reflect on the Psychology major and its strength in diversity. Chapter 7 in “Psychology as a Major” specifically addresses this topic and challenges students to become self-aware and develop their multicultural competence.
• Professionalism: Students will demonstrate their professionalism in their communications with professionals at the various campus resources.
• Teamwork: Students will be working together on a group project. Instructor assigns students together. Students will need to collaborate inside and outside of class to research and gather information on their campus resource. Finally, they will be presenting their findings as a group to the rest of the class.
• Technology: Students will utilize various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with D2L, email, Google Slides, Adobe, PowerPoint, YouTube and Zoom, etc.

Course Description

This course is a survey of research and theory in child development. We will examine age-related changes in the social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic domains from infancy to adolescence. The course emphasizes the exploration of the empirical literature in psychobiology, and social science as it relates to developmental issues. 

Spring 2024 Instructor: Dana Narter

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Describe and explain the nature of child development as a scientific discipline that is biological, psychological and social.
• Describe and analyze major theoretical perspectives and overarching themes of child development.
• Describe, apply and analyze selected content areas within child development.
• Use critical thinking to evaluate popular media and scholarly literature relating to child development.
• Use creative thinking to address psychology-related issues.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills in various contexts and for various purposes.
• Apply biopsychosocial concepts, theories and research findings to issues in everyday life.
• Understand and value cultural differences and other forms of diversity pertaining to child development.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Communication: You will develop your written communication skills in this course through writing done in class and outside of class.

Critical Thinking: Critical thinking plays an important role in the discipline of psychological science, and this holds true for developmental psychology as well. You will learn to think skeptically about developmental research claims, evaluate data and evidence supporting those claims and make informed inferences about the implications of developmental research findings.

Technology: You will be interacting with digital platforms and uploading and submitting files electronically.

Course Description

Does sleep improve memory? Does having friends improve mental health? These questions can be examined through controlled scientific experiments. This course will teach students the methods of statistics that are used for exploring data collected in experiments and for evaluating scientific hypotheses. Students will learn how to apply the core statistical tools used in science such as t-tests, ANOVA, regression, and Chi-square tests.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Adam Lazarewicz, Patrick Smith & Ashley Jordan

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Define and describe basic statistical terminology and procedures 
• Identify and conduct appropriate statistical analyses for hypothesis testing 
• Critically evaluate results of psychological research and interpret research results into everyday language 
• Recognize the systemic influences of sociocultural, theoretical, and personal biases on the research enterprise and evaluate the effectiveness with which researchers address those influences in psychological research.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

• Technology – Since this course is fully online, students will learn to navigate various online tools to complete assignments.
• Critical Thought – Students analyze, summarize, and interpret data and effectively communicate key take-aways (Article Review Assignment)

Course Description

Psychology majors will gain experience in a range of psychological research methods.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Alma Tejeda-Padron & Dana Narter

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Systematically evaluate the validity of different claims that you might encounter in future psychology textbooks, in psychology research articles, in the media, or in casual conversation.   
• Plan psychological research that can test different claims.  
• Identify the pros and cons of different research choices and plan research that optimizes these pros and cons.
• Describe and explain the importance of sampling diverse populations in research and how the lack of diversity in samples has implications scientifically and ethically.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Critical Thinking: In order to be a well-informed consumer of psychological research, you need to be able to have a strong conceptual foundation in research methodology so that you can critically evaluate research claims and their respective validities.

 Teamwork: This is a collaborative learning course in which you will be working in small groups to discuss topics related to research methods and solve problems related to research design. You and your table group members will be working together toward common goals while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities within the group context.

Technology: In this course, you will leverage technologies to complete tasks and accomplish goals. You will use be using the digital platforms D2L and Inquizitive in this course to complete assignments and to take exams.

Course Description

PSY 296A intends to provide students with exposure to various hands-on experiences related to the field of Psychology (e.g., campus or community-based internships, volunteer positions, undergraduate precepting, and/or research experiences). This course will cover searching for these experiences and provide a step-by-step approach to applying for them. Students will research multiple sites and positions, craft professional documents and applications, and learn the importance of professional communication. This course aims to have students successfully apply for these positions during the course and obtain and gain professional insight and experience they will then reflect on and relate to an academic focus. The experience is recommended for sophomore or junior students.

Fall 24 Instructor Christy Ball

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Describe the variety of possible hands-on experiences related to psychology and the career paths they can lead to.
• Explore students' interests in working at community agencies, the university campus at large, in the classroom, in research labs, etc., to identify (or confirm) a desired possible career path.
• Identify students' interests that will facilitate the discovery of the necessary hands-on experiences and define a series of concrete steps required to achieve students' goals of obtaining them.
• Explain issues that professionals in the student's intended career encounter regularly.
• Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in relation to students' desired hands-on experience (e.g., email correspondence with professionals, resume writing, interviewing skills, etc.).
• Integrate possible hands-on experience locations that work with or serve populations from diverse backgrounds.

Career Competencies

• Career & Self Development Each assignment in this course supports the students' career and self-development. Students will be taken on a journey of researching, comparing, and contrasting various hands-on experiences with the goal to find a strong match. In addition, students will create professional documents, interact with professionals/faculty in the field, and self-reflect on their overall fit with their chosen hands-on experience and possible future career.
• Communication Students will develop and enhance communication skills through email correspondence with various professionals in their chosen hands-on experience possibilities.
• Professionalism Students will exercise and grow their professionalism both in email and oral exchange while interacting with professionals from various agencies/labs etc.
• Technology Students will utilize various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with D2L, email, Google Slides, Adobe, PowerPoint, YouTube, Zoom, etc.

Course Description

This course is a user guide to your brain. How do you store a lifetime of memories, make difficult decisions, and understand and generate language? What factors drive how you perceive the world and engage in a wide range of motor actions from taking a single step to dancing? What enables you to feel emotions and understand what others are thinking? The main objective of this course is for you to advance your knowledge of how the brain supports these cognitive abilities and others. Major topics will include sensation and perception, motor control, attention, learning and memory, language, executive functions, and social cognition. To cover these topics, you will be exposed to multiple methods for studying the brain, including a variety of modern brain imaging techniques as well as examination of individuals with brain lesions.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Yinghui Chou, JeanMarie Bianchi & Stephanie Matijevic

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Learn about the organization of the brain and the methods of a cognitive neuroscientist. 
  • Expected Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of brain structure and function and how cognitive neuroscientists use different methods to study the neural bases of the mind. 
• To learn how the brain perceives and acts. 
  • Expected Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of how the brain perceives the world through multiple sensory channels and translates thoughts into simple and complex motor responses. 
• To learn how certain brain regions support different aspects of cognition. 
  • Expected Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of how cognitive neuroscientists break down “cognition” into broad domains and how brain regions support different components of these cognitive domains. 
• To learn how the structure and function of the brain can change. 
  • Expected Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of how the brain develops and changes because of experience, injury, practice, and age. 
• To understand the importance of sociocultural and other individual difference factors in cognitive neuroscience.   
  • Expected Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of sociocultural influences and other individual differences on aspects of perception, action and cognition, and acknowledge that such factors should be taken into account when designing studies and evaluating the findings and generalizability of research in cognitive neuroscience. This outcome will be assessed through performance on exams, collaborative in-class discussion and participation, homework packets, and critical written synthesis of a research finding in recent literature. 

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Survey of the basic principles of nervous system function in relation to perception, learning, memory, emotion, and thinking.

Fall 2023 Instructor: Jean-Marc Fellous

Expected Learning Outcomes

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Career & Self Development – This course will highlight different career pathways in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroscience. Students will learn about the research labs of current faculty members on campus.

Communication – Students will develop their communication skills by participating in group activities in class and turning in lecture notes for the class that will be posted online. Students will be encouraged (e.g. earn extra credits) to interact and communicate with the instructors during office hours.

Equity & Inclusion – Students will consider how social and personal biases have influenced neuroscience research and identify the benefits of becoming a more diverse and inclusive field

Course Description

The coordinated activities of the 80-billion neurons in our brain produce our thoughts, memories, perceptions, and actions. These interactions generate waves of electrical activity, and this activity can be measured from electrodes placed on the scalp or deep within the brain. In this course, we will explore the variety of cyclical or oscillatory electrical activity that the brain produces and the roles that brain waves and brain oscillations play in learning, sleep, navigation, movement, and memory. We will also explore how brain waves are changed in diseases such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and depression. This course will focus will be on the mechanism and function of brain waves and specifically on neurobiology and the cellular (neurons) and systems-level brain mechanisms that generate of brain waves. We will also explore the key ideas and sometimes intense debates regarding the function of brain waves.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Stephen Cowen

Expected Learning Outcomes

Broadly, students will understand the basic biology by which oscillations of electrical activity in the brain are generated and basic ideas of their function.

After completing the course, students will be able to…

• Describe cellular, synaptic, and neural systems level theories for the generation of oscillations.
• Understand how oscillations may function to coordinate the precise timing of activity between neurons to support neural communication and neural plasticity.
• Understand how oscillations may support key cognitive processes such as attention and spatial navigation.
• Understand how oscillations and their respective brain regions support sleep and sleep-associated memory consolidation.
• Understand the debate surrounding the causal role that oscillations play in behavior and cognition (e.g., Are oscillations causal players in cognition and behavior or are they only epiphenomenal correlates?).
• Describe oscillation associated with disease states such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Humans have used mind-altering drugs for thousands of years. These mind altering drugs come in many forms, ranging from common drugs such as caffeine, Adderall, and alcohol, to illicit drugs such as LSD and heroin. Advances in neuroscience and psychology have greatly expanded our capacity to understand
how drugs alter neural circuits and how these alterations affect decision making, perception, and memory. This course will explore the connection between drugs, brains, and cognition and incorporate recent discoveries in neuroscience, biochemistry, and psychology. The course will be a combination of lectures and discussion of recent brain and behavior related science news and readings from instructors and students.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Stephen Cowen

Expected Learning Outcomes

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

There is growing interest in studying how the injured central nervous system reorganizes due to brain rehabilitation. Through lectures, textbook / journal article readings, group projects, discussions and presentations, this course will provide a foundation of brain rehabilitation using non-invasive neuromodulation techniques for clinical practice and empirical research. Students will learn about brain rehabilitation protocols for different populations. Grades are based on quizzes, leading class discussion, participation in class discussions, literature review, and final presentation.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Yinghui Chou

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the scientific study of aging. In it, students will learn about the intricacies of aging from a biological, psychological, and sociological perspective and will consider the social impact of increasingly older population demographics.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Linda Hollis

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Learn the foundational concepts, processes, and theories relevant to aging:
a. Define and describe key foundational concepts relevant to aging, aging processes, and theory.
b. Distinguish between healthy aging vs pathological aging by identifying the various processes that are expected to change with age vs the processes which are expected to be retained.
c. Identify common psychopharmacology agents within the field.

Understand the foundational terms of aging and the effects of aging on our Nation and the World:
a. Define general terms associated with the field of aging.
b. Identify factors that have been shown to influence healthy aging and life expectancy in the U.S. and other countries.
c. Examine the demographic shift within the US and the World.

Become familiar with the term Ageism and the societal myths and facts of aging. How older adults are perceived within the United States as well as other countries.
a. Identify common myths and misconceptions of aging.
b. Define ageism, provide examples of ageism, and create ways to eliminate ageism.
c. Express the attitudes towards aging in the various fields, not exclusive to the medical field
d. Compare and contrast ways various countries define old age and the various treatments of older adults.

Students will be expected to think critically about relevant literature and research findings related to the field of gerontology.
a. Identify and retrieve credible academic sources in the field of aging.
b. Recognize and discuss the factors related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of aging studies, as well as within research.
c. Apply aging literature to real-world scenarios and personal experiences.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

1) Communication - clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with peers.
2) Critical Thinking - express critical thought and problem-solving to support a career in the field of aging.
3) Equity & Inclusion - demonstrates the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage peers and different local and global cultures.

Course Description

Introduction to scientific study of human memory including structures and processes, memory failures, acquisition and retention of knowledge, memory development, and memory disorders.

Fall 2024 Instructor: not offered this semester

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the psychology and neuroscience of learning and memory.
2. Identify and describe different types of learning.
3. Identify and describe different types of memory.
4. Understand how memory is influenced by emotion, social context, development and aging.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Teamwork: In the group memory in the movies project, students will work in small groups to apply theory and research on learning and memory to feature film. This will help students  build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Critical Thinking: Students will engage in critical thinking on exams, on in-class assignments and in the group memory in the movies project. Students will identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Technology: Students will use technology to access course information on D2L, when taking exams on D2L, and when submitting assignments to the D2L digital assignments folder. Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals

Course Description

Illusions and magic are entertaining, but they also reveal significantly about the human cognition. That is, while engineered illusions use our own mind's intrinsic properties against ourselves, fooling us every time even when we know full well that we are being 'tricked', this also leads to scientific investigations that elucidate how the mind works. The course will explore the dynamic integration between these awe-inspiring perceptual illusions and magic effects, and the neural and psychological mechanisms involved. For example, how does redirected of visual attention work in a magic performance and how can this be studied scientifically. What neural mechanisms are involved in seeing a real versus make-belief object? We will survey a number of magic tricks and perceptual illusions. Students will have the opportunity to apply acquired knowledge to independently explore other illusions and real-world applications.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Eve Isham

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Did you know that an image projected on to our retina is upside down? Have you ever wonder why we sneeze when we look at the sun? What would food taste like if we had no sense of smell? Do you see red the way I see red? Why do some amputees still have sensation in their amputated limbs? Why does time pass so slowly when a lecture is boring? These are some of the questions that keep perception psychologists up at night. This class will touch upon these fascinating questions and many others - some we have answers to, and others are still waiting to be explained.

 Instructor: Eve Isham

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms and processes involved in the sensorial information processing (vision, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, and tactile).

Demonstrate an understanding of how the brain interprets the sensory information and translate it into simple and complex responses.

Demonstrate an understanding of how the brain develops, changes because of experience, injury, and practice, and changes with aging.

Apply critical thinking in the context of sensation and perception. This training will help students develop and/or continue to develop the skill needed for future courses and in life.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

• Career & Self Development: Proactively develop oneself and one's career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one's organization. Class activities: Acquire knowledge in sensation and perception. Where applicable, we will discuss career fields that require this knowledge.

• Communication: Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization. Class activities: group quizzes, students also have the option to present to the audience.

• Critical Thinking: Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information. Class activities: Practice critical thinking skills through class discussions, and demonstrate this ability via quizzes and exams, or via an extra credit activity.

• Equity & Inclusion: Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in antiracist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism. Class activities: Where applicable, course materials will help raise awareness and knowledge regarding equity and inclusion in both human and non-human species.

• Leadership: Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals. Class activities: through class activities such as group quizzes, students are encouraged to use the opportunity to lead or facilitate discussions.

• Professionalism: Knowing work environments differ greatly, understanding and demonstrating effective work habits, and acting in the larger community and workplace interest. Class activities: Classroom etiquette, email etiquette, academic honesty, and respect for others’ opinions and their learning environment are required in our class.

• Teamwork: Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities. Class activities: Students will have the opportunity to build their teamwork skills especially through group quizzes.

• Technology: Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. Class activities: Students learn to understand the use of technology by navigating course website, and by learning to search for information. Additionally, they will
learn about different technological advances used to investigate sensation and perceptual processes.

Course Description

This course will serve as an introduction to empirical and theoretical research on the psychology of judgment, choice, and decision-making. Research on judgment and decision-making is being used for a broad range of applications, from improvements in medical practice, environmental policy, and business decisions, to methods to increase satisfaction with decisions about one's personal life. The primary goal of this course is to teach students about the research methods that are used to study judgment and decision making processes, and the findings of scientific research on this topic. (Writing Emphasis Course)

Spring 2024 Instructor: Robert Wilson

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

In this course you will learn how young children learn to think, starting in infancy and extending into early and middle childhood, along with theories and experimental methods used to study cognitive development. For example, you will learn about the negative effects of early media exposure, how children learn to take another person's perspective, that infants and toddlers understand much more than they can say, about the development of self-control, the reliability of children's eyewitness testimony, surprising ideas children have about the size of themselves and their toys, how well we can predict children's school performance from tests of basic cognitive processes, how children "learn" to learn, and the effect of culture on the developing mind. Writing Emphasis Course.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Veronica Kraft

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Define key terms and concepts in cognitive development.
• Describe and compare the ages at which typically developing children engage in particular cognitive behaviors.
• Evaluate how scientific data apply to theories of cognitive development.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course focuses on dementias and other conditions that commonly compromise cognition and memory in older adults, how these disorders impact daily functioning, and the warning signs that an individual may need additional care. Emphasis will be given that normal cognitive aging does NOT result in cognitive impairment, but that these conditions are the result of acquired disorders. Students will learn the differences between degenerative, stable, and reversible forms of memory and cognitive impairment, as well as signs/symptoms that differentiate underlying conditions. Students will also learn about the most recent advances in the assessment and treatment of cognitive and mental health disorders among the elderly.

Fall 2024 Instructor: Annalysa Lovos

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Distinguish between essential topics concerning age-related memory and cognitive impairment.

• Identify cognitive symptoms of four common neurodegenerative causes of dementia.

• Identify the cognitive consequences of three common age-related medical conditions, namely Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and cancer.

• Describe age-related mental health, psychosocial, and lifestyle factors that can be problematic among older adults, and how these factors can be assessed and treated to improve quality of life.

• Explain challenges and assess best practices among the LGBTQ+ community that are living with dementia.

• Interpret and differentiate between pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and interventions for many of the conditions discussed in this course.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This lecture course will provide a broad overview of how sleep/wake rhythms factor into everyday cycles of behavior and physiology, underpinned by the larger solar and weather cycles that prevail in terrestrial, coastal, and oceanic environments. In these areas, I will build towards, among other select topics: (1) how climate change is fostering the loss or invasion of different species across the Northern hemisphere owing to the animals occupying new temporal niches they hadn't before global warming, and (2) the mental and physical health consequences of the built environment pertaining to its sequestration of people from sunlight (the ultimate time bearer).

Fall 2024 Instructor: Fabian Fernandez

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Define and describe the universal molecular clockwork that regulates biological timekeeping from simpler organisms to plants and animals
• Identify the bacteria that colonize the human body and how they synchronize their activities to the host’s biological schedule.
• Critically evaluate the contextual features of sleep that have changed throughout human history and the effects of this ancestry on present-day sleep patterns.
• Define and interpret the approaches used to objectively measure sleep (EEG, actigraphy).
• Identify and understand the pathways linking mental and physical health to sleep.
• Describe the underlying biology for how sleep loss promotes Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
• Critically evaluate how standards of care in medicine can be significantly improved by implementing protocols that are in phase with a person’s unique biological schedule.
• Define the health consequences of exposure to electric light at night.
• Identify the general legal protections safeguarding access to daylight in North America, Europe, and Asia.
• Describe the species dislocations arising from climate change.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Basic concepts and issues in personality theory and research; approaches to personality description and assessment.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Allison Tackman, Adam Lazarewicz

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the trait approach to personality, and how we might measure traits 
• Describe the role of biological and evolutionary and social forces in determining personality
• Identify ways in which psychological processes such as motivation, cognition, and emotion influence personality 
• Describe the psychoanalytic perspective on personality, and how it has shaped the field 
• Analyze and interpret scientific research on the above topics 
• Describe how diversity among human beings contributes to individual differences in personality, as well as how psychologists have explored this relationship.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Introduction to the major theories and research findings of social psychology. Specific topics covered in the class include the self, social cognition, attitudes, interpersonal relations, group processes, prejudice, and aggression.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Daniel Sullivan

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain how perception, cognition, and attitude-formation are shaped by social situations 
• Identify, accurately describe, and distinguish between different social psychological concepts, including relevant social psychology theories, basic human motivations, and social influences on human thought and behavior 
• Apply the information learned in the class to real life settings, recognizing social psychology concepts all around us
• Synthesize theory and research concerning the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to interpersonal and institutional prejudice and discrimination on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, and religious, cultural, or national background.
•  Analyze the ways in which social and cultural factors contribute to a diverse range of identities, beliefs, attitudes, and cognitive styles in our society.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Social-psychological and developmental aspects of human sexuality. Examples of topics include: courtship, pregnancy and delivery, sexual health, and sex education.

Expected Learning Outcomes

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

In this course, students will examine conceptions of healthy aging within the United States and cross-culturally. Students will explore how social factors like changing relationships and changing self-concept contribute to aspects of aging. Learning about culturally-specific theories of aging, students will consider how cultural norms and expectations influence perceptions of healthy aging. By the end of the class, students should be left with an impression of what constitutes "healthy aging" in the United States and elsewhere. Furthermore, students will learn active strategies that can be employed to help contribute to a successful aging process embedded within the larger sociocultural context.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Linda Hollis

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Identify key relationships and key relationship transitions that occur in older adulthood.
• Apply sociocultural theory to the various relationships older adults encounter in the United States.
• Describe the purpose of theories of aging and relationships in a sociocultural context.
• Identify and recognize strategies for maintaining or improving psychological well-being throughout aging relationships.
• Prepare for a career in the field through expressing critical thought and problem solving by applying research and supported evidence into practice.
• Demonstrate an awareness, attitude, and knowledge required to equitably engage with older adults and peers of diverse backgrounds.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course is intended to be an introduction to the scientific study of the psychology of terrorism. Topics will include definitions of terrorism, pathological and non-pathological psychological reactions to terrorism, psychological factors that may contribute to terrorist behavior, systems for communicating terrorism threats, possible methods to reduce terrorism, and resilience and post-traumatic growth.

Spring 2025: Adam Lazarewicz

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the many definitions of terrorism that are in use today.
• Explain the key findings (and limitations) of traditional research on psychopathology in response to terrorism.
• Apply a wide range of existing psychological theories to an understanding of nonpathological responses to terrorism.
• Explain possible contributing factors to the motivation and decision to carry out a terrorist attack.
• Evaluate threat dissemination techniques for their benefits and drawbacks.
• Identify predictors of psychological resilience and post-traumatic growth in response to terrorism.
• Evaluate the potential effectiveness of various anti- and counter-terrorism approaches.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course will address general intersections of various areas of psychology and law. In particular, lessons from developmental, social, clinical, and cognitive psychology will be applied to important substantive issues in criminal law and criminal defenses. In addition, a significant portion of the course will focus on developmental issues in adolescence and their implications for juvenile justice. As such, alternative forms of antisocial behavior (e.g., aggression, delinquency) in adolescence, as well as alternative responses (e.g., rehabilitation, punishment) to these varied behavioral patterns will be explored and discussed in detail.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Tammi Walker

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course will serve as a broad introduction to the topic of child maltreatment from a psychological perspective. The course will examine the history of child maltreatment in the United States as well as the numerous roles that professionals play in the prevention, investigation, and treatment of
maltreatment. Students will be challenged to critically examine the methodological approaches to the study of maltreatment and the way maltreated children interact with multiple institutions. Moreover, students will be introduced to literature as it applies to various types of maltreatment, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, and less common forms of abuse (such as factitious disorder by proxy, sibling abuse, bullying, and institutional maltreatment).

Fall 2024 Instructor: Andrew Perkins

Expected Learning Outcomes

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Abnormal psychology is a branch of psychology that empirically studies abnormalities in cognition, emotion, and behavior. This course is intended to provide a broad overview of mental illness, with a special emphasis on the classification of mental illness by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5). The course will also cover theoretical approaches to treating mental health problems and specific treatments that work and do not work for different diagnoses. In addition to learning about diagnosis and treatment, students will be introduced to the biopsychosocial model and the causal theories behind diagnoses.

Spring 2024 Instructors: Andrew Perkins, Eric Andrews

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the issues involved in defining abnormal and normal behavior and describe the historical development of those definitions. 
• Explain the biopsychosocial and cultural factors that influence the development, expression, course, and prevalence of mental illness. 
• Define the approach and scientific status of different clinical interventions and the role of major theoretical orientations in developing clinical interventions. 
• Distinguish between the origins, scientific basis, and cultural context of the DSM as well as the structure and evidence base for the most recent iteration of the DSM.  
• Describe how culture is considered in diagnosing and treating mental illness. 
• Describe the symptoms, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of principal mental disorders. 
• Distinguish between different types of mental health professionals and the career paths for the different professions. 

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

The main aim of Health Psychology is to introduce students to the broad theories, terminology, and substantive research findings of the field through consideration of the psychological influences on illness and wellness, as well as the effects of physical health on psychosocial functioning. Throughout the term, we will examine how these processes operate across varied levels of analysis, including, for example, consideration of the different biological systems of the body, how people make health behavior changes, the effects of interpersonal contexts on physical health, the development, maintenance, and psychosocial correlates of specific diseases, cultural variation in disease and health behaviors, and the role of larger systems in promoting wellness and the management of chronic illness.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Dave Sbarra

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Describe the historical origins of health psychology as a field and understand the contributions of health psychology to the study of human well-being and illness.
• Define the bio-psycho-social model and differentiate this model from the biomedical model.
• Define the basic physiological responses associated with acute and chronic stress, including a basic understanding of the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system, as well as seminal findings from the field of psychoneuroimmunology.
• Describe the links between health behaviors and chronic illness, as well as the major theories and findings around health behavior change.
• Describe how the scientific method can be applied to test hypotheses specific to health psychology.
• Understand the roles that psychologists play in a variety of medical settings and how psychosocial interventions can be used to intervene with a number of medical problems
• Explain the role of social and cultural factors in health, including socioeconomic status, close relationships, and one’s status as a member of a historically underrepresented group.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course, designed for upper-level undergraduates, covers the basic concepts of caregiving for older adults. The emphasis is on self-care and stress management for older adults, professional caregivers, and family caregivers. Topics include family communication, caregiver identity, managing depression and stress, the economic impact of caregiving, advocacy, and coping with death and loss. Specific self-care techniques and real-world experiences will be shared throughout the course.

Fall 2023 Instructor: Linda Hollis

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Students will become familiar with various factors related to formal and informal caregiving in the US compared to other countries.
• Students will understand the various roles caregivers play and understand family dynamics throughout the caregiving journey – including the transition into end-of-life care.
• Students will identify stressors involved in caregiving and understand various approaches to help with caregivers’ well-being.
• Students will explore real-world caregiving experiences through personal experiences and the experiences of others.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Communication - clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with peers.
Critical Thinking - express critical thought and problem-solving to support a career in the field of death and dying.
Equity & Inclusion - demonstrates the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage peers and different local and global cultures.

Course Description

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the kinds of things that lead to well-being, resilience, and happiness. In this course, we will review some of recent research in this area, covering a range of topics such as the effects of sleep, exercise, community, meditation, medication, laughter, acts of kindness, and play (among others). We will also consider how well-being is measured and assessed, from questionnaires and self-reflection to physiological tests.

Expected Learning Outcomes

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to provide undergraduates who wish to pursue graduate studies in academic psychology with a thorough grounding in research methods. This course focuses on the students' ability to conduct scientific research rather than on their ability to understand and evaluate research produced by others. It will consist almost entirely of interactive lab sessions rather than a series of lectures. We will begin by thoroughly grounding students in research ethics, and all students will leave with their CITI training complete. A portion of the course is dedicated to teaching system and software administration skills. The bulk of the course will consist of experimental projects, each using a different methodology for collecting and analyzing data. The scientific content of these projects will be determined by the individual instructor.

Spring 2024 Instructors: JeanMarie Bianchi, Ashley Jordan

Expected Learning Outcomes

This course is a writing-intensive, advanced research methods course.  Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate broad knowledge concerning the philosophy, logic, and standard implementation of several psychological research methods.
• Design a psychological study.
• Collect and analyze data for a psychological study.
• Write a research manuscript based on a psychological study.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

This course focuses on the specific job titles, and career paths students with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology can pursue. Students will conduct in-depth career research exercises, complete professional informational interviews, and learn best practices of having a solid online professional presence. In this course, students will learn about and examine multiple career possibilities and job titles with their bachelor's degree in the following areas: clinical and counseling psychology, educational and school psychology, industry, health and medicine, legal and forensic psychology, business and industrial-organizational psychology, sport, and performance psychology, marketing, and social media, and web development and information technology amongst others. Students will complete this course with a firm grasp of multiple career possibilities with corresponding professional documents (cover letter, resume, etc.) and a next steps path to achieve them. In addition, students will articulate, apply, and exhibit skills derived from psychology to best prepare them for successful careers in the workforce. Finally, students will explore data on the current job trends and outcomes of graduating psychology majors to inform their professional job search.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Christy Ball

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Describe Comprehensive Career Knowledge and Understanding: Students will provide a detailed description of various job titles and career opportunities available to individuals with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology across diverse sectors, highlighting specific roles, responsibilities, and requirements associated with each career path.
• Explore Research, Networking, and Professional Engagement Proficiency: Students will explore the methods and techniques involved in conducting targeted career research exercises, organizing professional informational interviews, and leveraging networking connections within the psychology field to inform career decisions and expand professional networks.
• Demonstrate Online Professional Presence Development and Digital Engagement: Students will actively demonstrate the development and maintenance of a robust online professional presence by applying best practices for personal branding, online networking, and digital engagement on various platforms.
• Identify Effective Career Documentation and Application Skills: Students will identify and showcase the key elements of polished and tailored professional documents, including resumes, cover letters, and other relevant materials, that effectively communicate their skills, qualifications, and alignment with specific career opportunities in psychology-related fields.
• Explain Applied Skill Integration and Workforce Readiness: Students will provide a comprehensive explanation of how psychological principles and concepts can be applied in practical contexts relevant to their chosen career paths. They will articulate the essential skills and strategies derived from psychology that prepare them for successful entry, advancement, and integration into the workforce, referencing current data and trends in job outcomes for psychology majors.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

1. Career & Self Development: Each assignment in this course supports the students' individual career and self development. Students will be taken on a journey researching, comparing, and mapping various careers with the goal to find a strong match. Students will be creating professional documents, interviewing professionals in the field and self-reflecting on overall fit with their chosen career.
2. Communication: Students will develop and enhance their communication skills through email correspondence with various professionals within their chosen career fields.
3. Professionalism: Students will exercise and grow their professionalism both in email and oral exchange while interacting while conducting their interviews.
4. Technology: Students will utilize various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with D2L, email, Google Slides, Adobe, PowerPoint, YouTube, Zoom, etc.

Course Description

This course instructs students on becoming solid graduate school applicants with an in-depth review of each step of the graduate school application process. Students will learn the importance of seeking out hands-on experiences both in research labs and in the community. Highlights of the topics covered: How to research potential programs and organize your application information, personal statements, Graduate Record Exam (GRE), letters of recommendation, funding, interviewing, and what to consider before accepting an offer to a graduate program. Additionally, the student will learn what to evaluate in their application package and the appropriate next steps, should they not receive an offer in their first round of applying. Finally, this course includes panel Q & A with faculty, current graduate students, and various professionals from the community. While this course focuses on preparation for graduate programs in Psychology and related fields; however, students are welcome to take this course to focus on other professional programs.

Spring 2024 Instructor: Christy Ball

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Learn about the different fields of post-undergraduate study within and related to Psychology.
• Understand the general graduate school application steps and program-specific admission procedures and requirements.
• Describe the three sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and how to prepare.
• Demonstrate understanding of Personal Statement/SOP format, content, structure, grammar, and flow.
• Demonstrate understanding of CV format, structure, and style.
• Learn the different types of graduate school interview processes and gain tips on preparing for them.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

Career & Self Development: Through this class, students will understand the steps to prepare and apply to their chosen graduate program(s) to get them closer to their ultimate careers. Students will self-assess their current preparedness and competitiveness for their programs and strengthen their application where needed. Additionally, students will learn about many alternative career and grad school paths from their in-depth research.

Communication: Students will develop and enhance their communication skills through email correspondence with faculty, staff, professionals, and graduate students within their field of choice. Students are tasked with interviewing these folks to learn more about their chosen area of study and career choices.

Professionalism: Students will demonstrate professionalism in their communications with graduate students, faculty, and professionals while reaching out and meeting with them to interview.

Technology: Students will utilize various online learning tools to complete assignments and communicate with various faculty, staff, and graduate students. Students will actively work with D2L, email, Google Slides, Adobe, PowerPoint, YouTube, Zoom, etc.

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Arne Ekstrom

The ability to navigate our surrounding environment is fundamental to our survival. Yet, we are only beginning to understand how the neural signals in our brain underlie this important ability, particularly in humans. In this class, we will review behavioral and invasive/non-invasive recording techniques that have helped to reveal the neural basis of spatial navigation. While our primary focus will be on humans, we will also consider other well-studied species like rodents, from whom we have learned many important properties about the neural basis of navigation. The objectives of this class will be to provide a more complete understanding of how we navigate and how neural signals in the brain underlie this critical everyday function.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Annalysa Lovos

This course will be an overview of current research and methods in the field of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience is a field in which researchers seek to understand the neurological processes that change across childhood and into adulthood, and how these changes may underscore developing cognitive processes.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Vicky Lai

This course focuses on the relationships between language and thought. Can subtle differences in the language we are exposed to affect how we attend to objects, remember events, and make decisions? Do speakers of different languages perceive and think about the world differently? Do bilingual or multi-lingual speakers have conflicting streams of thoughts? The course will survey past and present research that have provided some answers to these questions in various domains, including color, number, space, motion, time, counterfactual reasoning, etc.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Jessica Andrews-Hanna

In this advanced undergraduate seminar, we will explore the psychology and neuroscience behind the amazing power of our imagination a diverse set of processes involving a shift in our perspective away from the here-and-now. Imagination gives rise to creativity and innovation, and enables the artistic and technological advances that define our society. Using our imaginative brains, we can reflect on our past and entertain our future processes critical for optimal decision making and successfully reaching our goals. A healthy imagination is also essential for forging healthy social relationships and navigating the social world. This course will unpack the mysteries of the imaginative brain, and the many ways in which imagination is integral to our daily lives. We will explore how imagination is fundamental to our ability to remember the past (memory), to think about the future (prospection), and to understand others (language and empathy). We will also discuss the role of imagination as a source of creative inspiration, and consider how imagination unfolds spontaneously during the day (as when mind-wandering or day-dreaming) and at night (as when dreaming). Finally, we will consider how imagination develops and changes over the lifespan, as well as how it can break down in different mental health disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Through this course, students will gain an in depth knowledge of the imaginative brain by using their own imagination to engage in hands-on learning activities and collaborative discussion.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor: LouAnn Gerken

What cognitive skills do various animal species share with humans?  Are cognitive similarities across species due to shared genetics or shared environmental demands? Some of the cognitive skills explored in this course include: the ability to generalize beyond specific experiences to a more abstract representation of the world; awareness of self and others; learning to use tools from other members of your species; communication and language; and social structure and morality.  Research on these topics provides new perspectives on what it means to be human. Writing Emphasis.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Define key terms and concepts in comparative cognition.
• Be familiar with the difficulties involved in determining what any organism without language "knows".
• Be able to write about the scientific and social implications of different findings on animal cognition.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor: Stephen Cowen

Physiological, neurotoxic, and behavioral effects of drugs on individual neurotransmitter systems in the brain. Special emphasis will be given to the historical use and political significance of the major drugs of abuse.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Describe what a neurotransmitter is and how neurotransmitters are released by and affect neurons.
• Understand the brain systems involved in mood, movement, decision making, memory, and perception.
• Understand how drugs act on neural systems to alter thought and mood.
• Students will develop an understanding of brain regions are involved in addiction and associative learning.
• Describe neurotransmitter system(s) linked to depression, addiction, and neurological diseases.
• Be able to identify a quality peer-reviewed scientific article from non-peer-reviewed research or reviews.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Matt Grilli

Cognition collectively refers to a variety of higher mental processes that you use on a daily basis to think, perceive, remember, plan, and act. Cognition is central to your identity and provides you with incredible freedom of thought, allowing you to \"mentally time travel\" into the past and the future, to think creatively and problem solve, to select what you attend to and alter how you perceive your environment, to create language, and to place yourself in \"another person's shoes.\" The goal of this course is to provide you with a deeper understanding of how some of these higher mental processes work, and how they are prone to errors. This course will focus on real world examples of cognition at work. This will include cognitive demands of daily experience, such as focusing attention on a lecture and remembering to follow through with future plans. We also will discuss cognition in relation to hot topics in the public eye, including fake news, eyewitness testimony, return to play decisions in sports, substance use, and Alzheimer's disease. Through this course you will acquire knowledge that you can apply to your everyday life, and you will be better prepared for your future career and life challenges that can affect cognition.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Fall 2024 Instructor - Jean-Marc Fellous

Major advances in neuroscience are often accompanied by new and creative ways of analyzing and displaying data. This course will cover the basic methods available for the analyses of point processes (e.g. single unit and multi-units neural recordings). The course will be divided into a theoretical portion, where the methods and their limitations will be discussed and a practical portion where students will be required to implement them.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2025 Instructor  - Ashley Huggins

Variable content (consult schedule): learning, cognition, perception, psycholinguistics, emotion, others.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Siobhan Hoscheidt

This course is designed for upper-level undergraduates, covering theories of aging, the assessment of normal and pathological brain aging, and age-related cognitive and psychological changes. The course focuses on clinical assessments of healthy and pathological aging and prevention measures to reduce the risk of disease and disorders to improve lifestyle and psychological well-being to promote aging well. Students will also have the opportunity to apply course-related material to real-world experiences

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBA

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Fall 2024 Instructor: Linda Hollis

Basic concepts in a psychology of death and loss, with emphasis on both the adjustment to death and loss, and the underlying phenomenal, humanistic, and current social considerations.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, you will be able to...

• Reflect on and discuss your personal beliefs, values and attitudes toward death and dying.
• Gain an appreciation how awareness of mortality contributes to the construction of meaning in one’s life.
• Discuss components of end-of-life care planning.
• Apply the concept of normative and disordered grief to case examples.
• Describe interventions, strategies and resources for coping with dying and bereavement within the context of individual and cultural variations.
• Summarize and interpret research in the area of death, dying and bereavement using conceptual and methodological skills learned throughout the semester.
• Demonstrate an understanding of death and dying attitudes and practices across various cultures

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Fall 2023 Instructor - Jeff Stone

This course provides an in-depth analysis of how attitudes influence social interaction. Topics include the social psychological basis of attitudes, the attitude-behavior relationship, social influence and persuasion processes, and how attitudes impact various social problems.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Jeff Stone

The purpose of this course is to examine one of the most important problems facing the world today: Prejudice. Over 70 years of research in social psychology indicates that our daily interactions with others are influenced by negative attitudes and beliefs that we learn from our family, friends, the media, and the broader culture. However, while documenting the antecedents of prejudice, researchers have also identified over 25 strategies that effectively alter prejudiced attitudes, negative stereotypes and discrimination. So why is there still so much prejudice and discrimination in the world today? Addressing this question requires understanding not only the psychological roots of prejudice, but also what social psychologists have learned about changing attitudes, beliefs and behavior. The broad aim of this course is to examine the prejudice and prejudice reduction literature so that students can formulate novel ideas about how to reduce the prevalence of intergroup bias.
The course material will focus on how the social context determines the way that prejudice operates in everyday life. We will consider the following questions: What is a prejudiced attitude and how does it differ from a negative stereotype? When and how do prejudice attitudes and beliefs influence our behavior? How do we form negative attitudes and beliefs and are they conscious or unconscious? Are we always thoughtful and rational when we interact with an out-group member? When are we most likely to act on egalitarian attitudes and values? Can negative attitudes and beliefs be changed? Do these changes occur best at the structural or interpersonal level? What can the targets of prejudice do to reduce the biases directed at them during interaction with a prejudiced individual? We will seek answers to these and other questions in the readings, assignments and the discussions we will have in class.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Andrew Perkins

Theory, research and practice in the assessment and treatment of, and intervention with, persons involved with the legal process who have clinical problems.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Zachary Cohen

This course will give you an in depth view of the field of clinical psychology, including assessment/diagnosis, interviewing, testing and the different therapies and research on them. It will also cover specialties (child clinical, health, clinical neuropsychology and forensic psychology) and differentiate clinical from the other \"healing\" professions (social work, psychiatry, marriage and family therapy, counseling).

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor: Christy Ball

Overview of psychological theories of leadership. Reviews leadership as a process, analysis of leader and followers' behaviors, and situational characteristics. Analysis of historical and modern case studies will be used to apply theoretical concepts. Additionally, students will be able to apply what they learned to their everyday lives.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon the completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Comprehensive Understanding of Psychological Leadership Concepts: Students will be able to articulate and describe the concepts, principles, and theories of leadership defined from a psychological perspective, showcasing a comprehensive understanding of the field.
• Application of Leadership Theory in Daily Life: Students will explore and apply the dynamics of leadership theory in their daily lives, connecting theoretical concepts to real-world situations in their workplaces and organizations.
• Identification of Personal Leadership Style Components: Students will identify the components and contributing factors in the development of their own leadership styles, fostering self-awareness and reflection on their leadership capabilities.
• Awareness of Issues in Professional Leadership: Students will explain issues that professionals in leadership positions often encounter, demonstrating an understanding of the challenges and responsibilities associated with leadership roles.
• Enhanced Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: Students will apply course materials to improve their critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities within organizational contexts, showcasing the practical application of leadership knowledge in professional settings.
• Demonstration of Effective Communication and Analysis: Students will demonstrate effective writing and critical thinking through the analysis of situational leadership responses and a professional leadership interview, showcasing their ability to communicate and apply leadership concepts in a professional context.
• Demonstrate effective writing and critical thinking through analysis of situational leadership responses and a professional leadership interview

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

• Career & Self Development: Throughout this course, students will have numerous opportunities to self-reflect and discover their current leadership traits, skills, and abilities as applied to their personal and work lives. In addition, the student will create one Leadership S.M.A.R.T. goal to work towards during this semester to assist in their personal and career development by taking this course.
• Critical Thinking: Students will exercise their critical thinking skills as they analyze Leadership Case studies and respond to self-questionnaires. In addition, in-depth critical thinking will be required throughout and in their final Leadership Interview Analysis project. Finally, students are challenged to relate what they learned in the course to an actual leader in their community.
• Communication: Students will develop and enhance their communication skills through email correspondence with various leaders within their community.
• Equity & Inclusion: Students will complete a Cultural Diversity Awareness reflection to help them identify attitudes and perspectives regarding cultural diversity, bring awareness and understanding of potential cultural biases, and understand potential consequences of ones approach to diversity in the workplace.
• Professionalism: Students will exercise their professionalism while interacting with their interviewees and their assignments about their experiences. They keep their interviewee information private yet share enough information to explain key ideas and takeaways.
• Technology: Students will utilize various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with D2L, email, Google Slides, Adobe, PowerPoint, YouTube, Zoom, etc.

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Fabian Fernandez

Topics include sleep-wake rhythms, sleep deprivation, dreams, and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon the completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Develop a deeper understanding of psychology research and methods in the area of sleep science.
• Develop a deeper understanding of typical sleep patterns and sleep disorders, including diagnosis and treatment.
• Learn to critically evaluate sleep research.
• Successfully observe our own sleep behavior using standard sleep data collection methods and learn how to work with group level sleep data.
• Develop skills in public outreach, including the formulation of materials that can communicate important data-driven findings in sleep research.
• Gain exposure to careers in this area during a final panel discussion on applied therapeutics and other career paths in sleep science.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 & 2025 Instructor - Andrew Perkins

The major goal of this course is to provide a broad overview of the field of forensic and the numerous ways that psychology interacts with the law. The discipline of forensic psychology has become extremely popular for students over the past two decades, in part because of numerous TV programs addressing the topic such as: Law & Order, CSI, Criminal Minds, to name a few. Forensic psychology courses are being taught in numerous universities and there are now over 20 graduate programs in the United States offering doctorates in either forensic psychology or psychology and law. A good understanding of forensic psychology will benefit students entering into a number of professions including: corrections, child protective services, probation, mental health, forensic sciences, the law, etc.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to….

• Describe the diversity of topics included under the heading of forensic psychology.
• Explain research, policy, and controversy surrounding the topics within forensic psychology.
• Identify different ways that the law and psychology interact in both criminal and civil settings.
• Describe the different roles psychologists can play in the legal system.
• Critically examine the issues, myths, and facts surrounding forensic psychology.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Linda Hollis

This course will provide students with an overview of the trends in mental health and aging, mental health issues, mental wellness, and resilience as it relates to older adults. Looking through a culturally competent lens, this course focuses on common mental health conditions, substance use, suicide, and promoting mental wellness and resilience among older adults. Students will have the opportunity to review evidence-based strategies, therapies and services, and relate the literature to real-world experiences.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Fall 2024 Instructor - Julie Feldman

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the field of Developmental Psychopathology. Developmental Psychopathology is an approach to studying psychopathology in different stages of development, with a special focus on factors that contribute to the emergence of psychopathology and factors that protect against the emergence of psychopathology.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBD

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 & 2025 Instructor - JeanMarie Bianchi

Development of the discipline of psychology, primarily in the last hundred years, examined in the context of significant events occurring in society and in other disciplines. Discussion and critical evaluation of psychology as a profession and a science and of the major schools of thought: structuralism, functionalism, associationism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, and cognitive psychology.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the philosophical and scientific influences that have shaped the development of psychology.
• Identify key figures throughout history and explain how their ideas influenced the development of psychology.
• Name and describe the major systems of psychology.
• Compare and contrast the major systems of psychology in terms of how they viewed the study of psychological phenomena.
• Identify key figures within each system and explain how their ideas impacted the study of psychology.
• Describe the state of contemporary psychology and explain how enduring questions are still present in the field.

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD

Course Description

Spring 2024 Instructor - Daniel Sullivan

In-depth coverage of selected topics in social psychology.  Topics include Well-being and Culture & Diversity

Expected Learning Outcomes:

TBA

Job-Related Skills and Career Readiness Competencies:

TBD