CRN	14298	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY 103
Title	Introduction to Psychology
Professor	Frank Scalzo
Schedule	Mon Wed 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 203

The course is designed to be a broad survey of the academic discipline of psychology. The text for the course, and therefore the course, is organized around five main questions: How do humans (and, where relevant, other animals) act; how do they know; how do they interact; how do they develop; and how do they differ from each other? Students are responsible for learning the material in the text without an oral repetition of the material in class.

CRN	14299	Distribution	C/E
Course No.	PSY 115
Title	Introduction to Social Psychology
Professor	Barbara Luka
Schedule	Tu Th 8:30 am - 9:50 am OLIN 203

Humans are social animals. We thrive in the context of a supportive social network but suffer in the social isolation of solitary confinement. In this course we explore the cognitive processes and interpersonal forces that shape our opinions and our actions. For example, how does the way we think influence the way we interpret the actions of others? How are our decisions influenced by the social context in which those decisions are made? Importantly, “the way we think” includes not only our attitudes, but also cognitive constraints due to the neurophysiology of memory. Sometimes these influences are overt and sometimes they are more subtle, including circumstances and processes about which we may not be consciously aware. Specific topics covered include conformity, group processes, stereotypes, empathy, attitudes and attitude change, emotion, and self-concept.

CRN	14300	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY 204 Q course
Title	Research Methods in Psychology
Professor	Nancy Darling
Schedule	Th 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm HDRANX 106 Mon Wed 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm ROSE 108

Cross-listed: ES

This course is a continuation of Psychology 203. Its objective is to extend to the area of methodology the skills and abilities students acquired in the fall semester, and to give students hands‑on experience in doing psychological research. The primary focus is the measurement of psychological constructs, multi-method research designs, and the statistical analysis of data. Students develop an understanding of research methods and design through reading, lectures, and conducting research. Quasi‑experimental methods are emphasized. Students participate in modest projects in the areas of reliability, replication, sampling, and scaling and also design and conduct their own survey study. We discuss ethical issues relevant to each stage of the research process and work to develop students’ ability to assess research reports critically.

Prerequisite: eligibility for a “Q” course.

CRN	14304	Distribution	C/E
Course No.	PSY 214
Title	Contexts of Development: The Family
Professor	Nancy Darling
Schedule	Mon Wed 11:30 am - 12:50 pm PRE 128

Our lives are nested in intimate relationships that both shape and are shaped by us. This course focuses on relationships with people in our families and those we hope to become family members – our romantic partners. We will explore such questions as: What are men and women looking for in their romantic and sexual partners? How do relationships change when people marry? Why do people have children and how are they changed by the experience? What makes someone a good parent? and How important are relationships with siblings and grandparents? We will also look at the negative side of family experiences: What are the causes of intimate violence? What happens when families change through death or divorce? and Can we survive bad families? This class will help you develop an understanding of the concepts, methods, and research findings central to understanding individual development within the context of family relationships and how research can be used to shape social policy. The focus of this course is on families within the United States. Prerequisites: Introduction to Developmental Psychology (Infancy and Childhood, Adolescence, or Lifespan) or permission of the instructor.

CRN	14301	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY 230
Title	Introduction to Neuroscience
Professor	Frank Scalzo
Schedule	Tu Th 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 203

The ability to express thoughts and emotions, and to interact with the environment, is dependent in large part on the function of the nervous system. This course will examine basic concepts and methods in the study of brain, mind and behavior. Topics include the structure and function of the central nervous system, brain development, learning and memory, emotion, sensory and motor systems, the assessment of human brain damage, and clinical disorders such as schizophrenia, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.

Prerequisite: Introduction to General Psychology, Introduction to Developmental Psychology or Introduction to Biology

CRN	14303	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY 241
Title	Abnormal Psychology
Professor	Richard Gordon
Schedule	Mon Wed 10:00 am - 11:20 am OLIN 301

The course reviews the principal forms of psychopathology, with an emphasis on clinical definition, formal diagnosis, etiology, and treatment. The system of psychiatric diagnosis offered by the DSM-IV will be utilized in defining clinical syndromes including anxiety disorders, conversion disorders, psychophysiological disorders, antisocial and impulse disorders, schizophrenia, affective disorders, alcoholism, and eating disorders. Case descriptions will also be included in the reading. Theoretical perspectives include psychodynamic, social-learning, biological and contemporary research on the etiology of syndromes.

Prerequisite: one previous Psychology Course.

CRN	14425	Distribution	C/E
Course No.	PSY 261
Title	Introduction to Counseling Psychology
Professor	Christie Achebe
Schedule	Mon Wed 10:00 am - 11:20 am OLIN 307

Cross-listed: AADS, SRE

Counseling Psychology has been described as the most broadly based applied specialty of the American Psychological Association (APA), whose “practitioners focus on the broadest array of professional psychological activities of any specialty.” This course untangles this claim by exploring the following questions. What is counseling psychology? What are its defining features and roots, areas of overlap with and dissimilarities to other psychological specialties? Who is a counseling psychologist, how and where is she/he trained and what is the range of activities referred to above? Our comprehensive overview of the field will cover the historical beginnings of the field, highlighting counseling psychologists’ scientist-practitioner basis. It will address the four paradigms that comprise the fundamental approaches to counseling (the psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic/experiential and the “fourth force” of multiculturalism. We will also examine counseling techniques, assessment in counseling, career development and interventions, group procedures and consultation.

CRN	14305	Distribution	B/C
Course No.	PSY 263
Title	Language and Cognition in Cultural Contexts
Professor	Barbara Luka
Schedule	Mon Wed 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm OLIN 309

Language is a social construct. In this course we examine a broad range of topics relating language, mind, body, and culture. For example, rhythm and rhyme in epic poetry are known to aid memory, but what are the cognitive mechanisms that make this possible? How do metaphors such as “love is a journey” and “life is a gamble” convey depth of meaning in so few words? What is the relationship between ideas and the words we use to describe them? Do properties of language such as grammatical gender influence memory? How do cultural categories reflect or shape language? The goal of this course is to examine the dynamic properties of language and cognition in social contexts.

Prerequisites: Previous 100-level course in psychology, anthropology, or sociology or consent of instructor. Students with multilingual experience should find this course of particular interest.

CRN	14308	Distribution	C/E
Course No.	PSY 321
Title	Multicultural Counseling Competencies
Professor	Christie Achebe
Schedule	Tu 4:00 pm - 6:20 pm OLIN 306

Cross-listed: AADS, SRE

Multicultural Counseling Competencies (MCC), recently endorsed by the American Psychological Association(APA) involves the process of critically examining one's personal beliefs , attitudes and assumptions and others' cultural variations in terms of lifestyle orientation, gender, race, ethnicity , social class etc.; the acquisition of accurate and comprehensive non stereotypic normative data about other groups and the capacity to integrate these cultural dynamics into intervention strategies that are ethically tailored to the mental health needs of the client. Known as the three stage developmental model of AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE and SKILLS, " once defined and endorsed," it calls for critical attention from "even the most skilled , trained and intelligent mental health professionals" . This advanced course begins with defining, redefining , clarifying and debating controversial terms like: culture, multicultural diversity, minority, race, and ethnicity. It then proceeds sequentially through the three components of MCC. Close attention is given to an understanding of the critical components of within group differences such as racial identity development, acculturation, worldviews , knowledge of and barriers to counseling procedures and techniques and communication styles- all critical first steps to making appropriate diagnosis and intervention with clients. Other competency proposal will also be discussed along with critical reviews of assessment instruments ant their current research status. Instructional strategies will include a combination of didactic methods, experiential exercises, readings and review of research journal articles, writing assignments, participatory learning-role play, modeling, case scenarios, and videos.

CRN	14306	Distribution	C/E
Course No.	PSY 343
Title	The Medication of Distress
Professor	Richard Gordon
Schedule	Tu 8:30 am - 10:50 am OLIN 301

In this course we will take a critical view of the trend towards the use of medication to treat psychological and behavioral problems. We will also examine the larger trend towards construing in biological terms problems that were previously viewed as stemming from psychological or social influences. While this course will not have an inherently “anti-medication” stance, we will attempt to understand how viewing human difficulties through a biological lens has affected the mental health system and our understanding of the social contexts of behavior. We will read several books on the subject as well as a number of classic journal articles that have defined the “new” biological psychiatry. This course is intended for upper college students and fulfills a junior conference requirement for moderated psychology students. A course in abnormal psychology is a prerequisite.

CRN	14453	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY 348
Title	Studies in Obedience
Professor	Stuart Levine
Schedule	Mon 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm LC 118

It has now been forty years since the original work of Stanley Milgram demonstrated the remarkable, startling and unpredicted finding that large numbers of individuals in the multiple samples of American men studied were willing to punish another person when ordered to do so by an experimenter. The prominence of the initial work and the continued salience of such study in social psychology cannot be over-stated. In a review of the personal and situational determinants of obedient behavior in the "Milgram design" format, Thomas Blass (1991) lists as many as 200 references. I estimate that it could well be that 200 more have appeared since the Blass review. Beside the volume of the number of studies conducted and the attempts at review and theorizing, the domain of the "Milgram" study is worthy of continuing interest if only because of the vastness of both criticism and praise to which the work was subjected. This is an upper college seminar which is not limited to psychology or even social studies majors. The single criterion for membership is a willingness to read with care. A portion of the work contained in the body of literature will be reviewed from the perspective of trying to assess the continuing status of the obedience phenomenon and the explanations and understandings that have been brought to bare along the way. The format of the class, which is limited to fifteen students, will be to closely study a small number of related studies each week. Each seminar meeting will be divided into two segments: First, student presentations of studies and then discussion of what was added to our understanding of the matter of obedience. As Thomas Blass alluded to in 1991, the durability of work within the rubric of obedience is the result of the opened window of opportunity to know something of importance about human nature.

CRN	14307	Distribution	B/E
Course No.	PSY 352
Title	Language and the Brain
Professor	Barbara Luka
Schedule	Th 1:30 pm - 3:50 pm OLIN 107

How is it possible for people to comprehend and produce language? What happens in our brains when we learn another language? How do development and aging influence our ability to learn new languages? These are some of the topics we investigate in this course. We contrast these linguistic abilities with cases in which language production and comprehension are not going along smoothly. For example, what is happening in the brains of people who stutter, are dyslexic, or suffer from auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia? Can the ability to communicate be regained after a person has a stroke? We will use evidence from brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate language processing abilities. Lastly, we study some rare but very strange ‘selective deficits’ and examine what these findings mean for brain organization.

Prerequisites: Moderation in psychology or consent of instructor. A previous course in neuroscience or second language experience would be beneficial.

CRN	14309	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY DEV
Title	Research Practicum in Developmental Psychology
Professor	Nancy Darling
Schedule	By arrangement .

2 credits The Research Practicum in Developmental Psychology is designed to give students a fuller understanding of adolescent and adult development, the research process, and how research methods and statistics are applied in collecting and analyzing data. Students enrolled in this course will participate in ongoing research in developmental psychology that involves interview, observational, and questionnaire methodologies. Although the majority of student time will be spent in supervised laboratory work, each student will also be expected to participate in weekly laboratory meetings, undertake library research, and carry out an independent research project. Open to all students with consent of the instructor.

CRN	14310	Distribution	E
Course No.	PSY NEU
Title	Independent Research in Neuroscience
Professor	Frank Scalzo
Schedule	By arrangement

2 credits In this course, students will participate in laboratory research in developmental psychopharmacology, neurochemistry, neuro-anatomy and/or neurobehavioral teratology. Within these general fields, specific roles of neurotransmitter systems in normal behavioral development and the neurobehavioral effects of chemical insults during early development will be investigated. The majority of time in this course will consist of independent laboratory work. In addition, there will be weekly laboratory meetings, readings, and student presentations. Open to all students with consent of instructor.