PSY - Psychology

General Psychology offers an overview of psychological science, which uses theory and empirical methods toward understanding thought, feeling, and behavior. The course will introduce students to the methods of psychological research, and to topics including personality, learning, development, cognition, social psychology, abnormal psychology, the biological basis of behavior, and mental health.

Principles and methods of research on human behavior. Scientific method as an approach to problem identification, analysis, and solution. How to evaluate methods and findings. How to design studies relevant to a given problem.

Introduction to psychological and sociological research with emphasis on quantitative methods. Topics include sampling, hypothesis testing, statistical analysis, and computer usage.

Structure and function of the nervous system, with implications for both normal and abnormal development and behavior. How the function of the brain is related to behavior.

In this course we will examine the evolutionary basis of human behavior and cognition. The ways in which natural and sexual selection have shaped human nature will be explored. Selected topics include evolutionary explanations of human mating systems, jealousy, interpersonal and sexual attraction, warfare, sexual orientation, and cognition. A special emphasis will be placed on exploring the evolutionary basis of male-female differences.

A systematic study of the learning process emphasizing topical, research, and theoretical orientations. Topics covered include major theories of learning and memory, Pavlovian conditioning, appetitive and aversive conditioning, biological influences on learning, stimulus and cognitive control of behavior, and memory processes: storage, encoding, retrieval, and forgetting.

Examines the higher mental processes of attention, learning, memory, language, concept formation, problem solving, and reasoning. Students will participate in simulations of classic experiments in cognitive psychology.

Experimental study of sensation and perception emphasizing human visual and auditory processes and the methods of experimental psychology. The student will gain laboratory experience by participating in experiments and by designing, carrying out, and writing up an original study.

Psychological behavior of an individual as a member of a group; the influence of culture and society on attitudes, personality, and behavior; the dynamics of group interaction.

This course will provide students with varying perspectives on human sexuality.  Through film, reading class discussion, and guest lectures, student will explore sexuality from historical, biological, psychological, developmental, sociological, and cultural contexts.  Attention will be given to how different perspectives on sexuality may affect individuals and the larger society.

Examines psychosocial aspects of human development from birth through death. Focuses on major psychological, social, and cognitive topics as relevant to the stages of the life span.

Focuses on issues related to moral development. Using the writing of various psychologists, novelists, and philosophers, this course will address such issues as moral reasoning, meaning, and purpose.

Examines diverse perspectives on human personality. The focus is on asking what we know when we know a person. This involves analyzing basic assumptions, postulates, and research related to major personality theories including: trait, psychoanalytic, humanistic, cultural, biological, and cognitive.

This course will examine the social self; competing needs for uniqueness and similarity; the meaning of self-identity and self-concept; individual coping strategies; attributional analyses; social influence and defining gender.

Examination of problem behavior, its causes, its treatment, and its social and legal ramifications. Emphasis is given to personal and societal understanding of abnormality as well as to psychological and medical considerations.

Credit arranged.

Credit arranged.

Psychological ideas and theories from their philosophical origins to the present. Discussion of five main schools of psychology and how they influence current thought in psychology.

Study of the nature of language, how humans use language, how humans learn language, the psychological factors in language use, and the neural basis of language. Students will study the knowledge and processes that underlie a person's ability to produce and understand language.

Explores relationships between cultural variables and human behavior. The development of cross cultural psychology and research methodologies used by cross cultural researchers in examined. Theories that reflect the cultural, social, and developmental perspectives on behavior are considered.

This course will engage each student in a service practicum in a local parish or agency, while studying how Catholic thought, culture, and principles of social justice are practiced there. The course will require a synthesis of readings on social justice and Catholic thought, as well as the practical experience gained.

Considers the implications of combined medical, psychological, and pastoral care models on health and recovery. Special attention given to influences in health of personality, social context, belief and meaning, and mind-body connection.

This course introduces students to the field of gerontology. The course examines the aging process and its impact upon the individual, the family, and society. The course also covers various social, cultural, political, and economic issues for older adults in our society.

Introduction to group dynamics, contemporary models of group counseling, and the development of group skills.

This course is about child and youth development as embedded in social and cultural contexts. The particular emphasis will be on early childhood through the transition into adulthood, and on thinking about childhood and youth as social phenomena. The course is reading/discussion intensive and involves a community-based learning project.

Major theories which account for aggressive behavior or violence. Emphasis given to personality, social, biological, and environmental determinants of aggression and violence.

Review of major theories and techniques of psychotherapy; issues in the contemporary practice of psychotherapy.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the symptoms, causes, and treatments of psychological disorders in children. This includes a particular focus on developmental factors that influence the onset, course, and treatment of psychological problems in young people, and the cultural, social , psychological, emotional, and biological factors that influence our understanding of mental illness in children.

Guided inquiry for superior students by arrangement with the psychology faculty.

Credit arranged.

Credit arranged.

Participate directly in the research process with a faculty member. Before enrolling a student must consult with a faculty member to define project.

Practical field experience working within a human service organization. Internships are individually arranged and may be done in a wide array of settings. Students will be required to supplement their experience with a classroom seminar. Psychology majors may take up to 6 credits in internships.

A capstone seminar for psychology majors designed to help the student integrate major contemporary psychological methods, theories, and research findings. Restricted to senior psychology majors.

Research, study, or original work under direction of a faculty mentor, leading to a scholarly thesis document with a public presentation of results. Requires approval of the thesis director, department chair, dean, and director of the honors program, when appropriate.