11254

PSY 103   Introduction to Psychology

Frank Scalzo

. . W . F

10:30 - 11:50 am

OLINLC 115

SSCI

How does the mind create the reality we perceive? How do experiences shape the brain, and how do processes in the brain influence thought, emotion and behavior?  This course investigates these and similar questions by studying the science of the human mind and behavior. The course covers topics such as memory, perception, development, psychopathology, personality, and social behavior. A focus is on the biological, cognitive, and social/cultural roots that give rise to human experience. Additionally, the course will consider how behavior differs among people, and across situations.

 

11255

PSY 204 A  Research Methods in Psychology

Barbara Luka

              LAB A:

M . W . .

. T . . .

9:00 - 10:20 am

1:00 -3:00 pm

OLIN 202

HDR 101A

SCI

This course is a continuation of Psychology 203. Its objectives are to extend the skills and abilities students acquired in the fall semester, and to provide an introduction to the research methods and data analyses used in the study of psychology. Students will gain an understanding of research methods and design through a combination of readings, lectures, class discussions, and hands-on laboratory experience.  Students will work both individually and in groups to design and conduct observational studies, surveys, and experiments.  There will be a strong emphasis on learning to present research results in different ways.  Ethical issues will be discussed at each stage of the research process, and students will develop their ability to assess research critically. This course has a choice of labs, see below.

 

11256

PSY 204 B  Research Methods in Psychology

Barbara Luka

              LAB B:

M . W . .

. . W . .

9:00 - 10:20 am

1:30 -3:30 pm

OLIN 202

HDR 101A

SCI

See above.

 

11257

PSY 210   Development & Psychopathology

Sarah Lopez-Duran

. T . Th .

1:00 -2:20 pm

OLIN 202

SSCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science  This course investigates the early and multiple factors contributing to psychopathology emerging in childhood, as well as the diagnostic and treatment standards now in practice. We will emphasize an empirically-based developmental psychopathology perspective, with an emphasis on the risk and protective factors that shape abnormal and normal developmental trajectories. We will explore various models for understanding maladaptive development (e.g, the role of genes, psychosocial influences) through the examination of current research and diagnostic practices in specific diagnostic areas (e.g., autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Throughout this course, students will be encouraged to relate empirical findings to the field’s theoretical models in considering the genetic, biological, cognitive, and cultural influences on child development. 

 

11258

PSY 216   Developmental Psychology

Sarah Lopez-Duran

. T . Th .

9:00 - 10:20 am

HEG 102

SSCI

Cross-listed:  Gender and Sexuality Studies   To develop is to change. From birth to death, we are constantly changing as we grow – sometimes we gain skills, sometimes we lose them. In this class, we will study the balance of growth and decline across the lifespan, and think carefully about the unique characteristics of people at each life stage. We will explore many changes from infancy through old age, including: cognition, physical maturation, social interaction, gender, language, and cultural influence. Textbook, research articles, and popular writings on the nature of growth and decline at different life stages will be used to facilitate discussion and writing.

 

11404

PSY 240   Social Psychology

Kristin Lane

. T . Th .

10:30 - 11:50 am

RKC 102

SSCI

Cross-listed:  Gender and Sexuality Studies   Social Psychology is the scientific study of human thought, behavior, and feelings in their social contexts. This class will survey many of the processes that influence and are influenced by our interactions with others, such as attitude formation and change, conformity and persuasion. We will also use principles of social psychology to understand the ordinary origins of benevolent (e.g., altruism, helping behavior) and malevolent (e.g., aggression, prejudice) aspects of human behavior. Throughout the course, we will emphasize the influence of culture, race, and gender on the topics addressed. Students should have completed Introduction to Psychology or its equivalent.

 

11570

PSY 249   History and Systems in Psychology

Stuart Levine

M . . . F

12:00 – 1:20 pm

RKC 101

SSCI

Over the course of the semester we study theoretical insights and conceptual attempts to understand human behavior.  These are traced from the speculations within the Ancient World to current scientific thinking and methods guiding the study of psychology and other social science disciplines.  Importantly, because a discipline is also about people who advance it, students are introduced to the lives and times and ideas of individuals who have made significant contributions to the field.  Particular attention is given to such figures as James, Pavlov, Freud, Skinner and Asch, to mention just a few.  Illumination will also come from a consideration of correspondence between and among pivotal individuals in the field.  Critical analyses and integrations are juxtaposed with historical renderings.  Upper college students likely will benefit from this course because they already possess the foundational knowledge necessary to draw comparisons and critically evaluate varying points of view.  Lower college students likely will use the course to greet the intellectual domains they enter.

 

11007

PSY 250   Psychology of Women

Beth Gershuny

M . W . .

10:30 - 11:50 am

OLIN 202

SSCI

Cross-listed:  Gender and Sexuality Studies   Psychology of Women involves an integrated study of women?s behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social experiences, as well as a variety of issues faced by women both historically and currently.  This course is designed to provide a broad overview of relevant topics including, but not limited to:  sex differences and similarities in personality and cognition, gender development, sexuality, love relationships, media portrayals, physical and psychological health, and violence against women.  Several disciplinary domains of psychology (e.g., personality, abnormal/clinical, social, developmental) will provide the theoretical and research lenses through which these topics are contextualized.  Lectures, discussions, films, writings, and experiential exercises will be the primary vehicles for learning in this course; and critical examination and integration of material will be strongly encouraged.  Prerequisite for this course is Permission of Instructor.

 

11390

PSY 325   Anxiety & Its Disorders

Beth Gershuny

. T . . .

9:30 - 11:50 am

OLIN 308

SSCI

“…For [some] individuals, anxiety is a curse – something they could live without.  But could we all live without anxiety?  Many of our most prominent philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists think not (David Barlow).”  Everyone feels anxious at various points in their lives.  For some, however, such anxiousness becomes extreme, incapacitating, and perceived as beyond the person’s control.  Similar to the pervasiveness of anxiety in general, anxiety disorders specifically are the most prevalent of all psychological illnesses.  They also are among the most treatable.  This course will provide a detailed overview and critical analysis of the anxiety disorders with particular focus on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of such disorders; and state-of-the-art psychological/cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations and approaches, and related empirical findings, will be emphasized.  Prerequisite for this course is PSY 245 (Personality), PSY 241 (Abnormal Psychology), or PSY 264 (Adult Psychopathology).

 

11405

PSY 348   The Man and Experiment that Shocked the World: The Work and Legacy of Stanley Milgram

Stuart Levine

M . . . .

3:00-5:20 pm

Library

SSCI

Cross-listed:   Science, Technology & Society ; related interest: Human Rights  The title for this course is taken from the title of a recent biography of Stanley Milgram authored by Thomas Blass, a professor of social psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus. It has now been forty years since the original work of Stanley Milgram demonstrated the remarkable and unpredicted finding that large numbers of individuals in multiple samples of American men and women 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. It could well be that 100 more have appeared since the Blass review. Beside the volume of studies conducted and the attempts at review and theorizing, the domain of the "Milgram" study is worthy of continuing interest not only because of the vastness of both criticism and praise to which the work was subjected but because of events of our current time. These suggest that the continuing study of obedience phenomena is necessary and that social scientists should likely find a way to safely and ethically investigate the conditions which promote destructive obedience. This is an upper college seminar which serves as a Research Conference for psychology majors but 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 the obedience literature will be reviewed from the perspective of trying to assess the continuing status of the phenomenon and the explanations and understandings that have been brought to light.   

 

11406

PSY 391   Psychobiology of Stress

and Mental Illness

Frank Scalzo

. T . . .

9:30 - 11:50 am

OLIN 309

SSCI

Cross-listed:  Cognitive Science  Recent advances in the understanding of the neurobiology and physiology of stress have changed the way stress is viewed, both as a primary phenomenon and as a secondary factor that precipitates or causes a variety of psychiatric disorders. The latter include phobias, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and schizophrenia. This research conference will examine

recent findings on the mechanisms and biological consequences of stress and will explore links between these effects and psychiatric disorders as reported in journal articles. Students will be expected to read and develop critiques of these articles as well as make class presentations.  This seminar is intended for students who have moderated in psychology or biology, but is open to students with suitable background.

 

11268

PSY CLN   Indt. Research in Clinical Psy

Beth Gershuny

. . . Th .

2:30 -4:30 pm

PRE

SCI

2 credits   This course will provide basic training and direct experience with research in Clinical Psychology in general, and research in the empirical domains of Anxiety- and Trauma-Related Disorders (e.g., Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) in particular.  Rudiments of research planning, design, and conduction will be discussed; and relevant ethical issues will be considered.  Theoretical paradigms and empirical findings – and relevant books and articles – will be reviewed and critiqued, and these will be used to create bases for the evaluation of existing research questions as well as the creation of new research questions.  In addition, existing datasets will be analyzed, and new data will be collected.  Ultimately, the goal is that projects – both preexisting and new – will lead to the generation of Senior Project ideas and plans, and ultimately to conference presentations and publications. 

 

11267

PSY COG   Indt. Research:Cognitive Psych

Barbara Luka

. . . Th .

2:30 -4:30 pm

PRE

SCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science   (2 credits) This course provides an opportunity for guided research in psycholinguistics. You will contribute to ongoing studies of language comprehension, including preparing stimuli, working with participants, analyzing collected data, reviewing recently published empirical papers, and developing your independent project. Requirements include consistent participation in weekly lab meetings and two short papers (a literature review and a summary of your empirical project). Open to first-year, second-year and junior students with consent of the instructor.  (This course may be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits and must be taken twice to fulfill the Laboratory Science distribution requirement.) 

 

11269

PSY DEV   Research in Developmental Psy

Sarah Lopez-Duran

. . . Th .

2:30 -4:30 pm

PRE

SCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science   (2 credits)  In this course, students will participate in laboratory research in child developmental psychology. Special emphasis will be placed on 3- to 5-year olds' social cognition, perspective-taking, and memory in the context of games. The majority of time in this course will consist of independent laboratory work and research, and students will work with young children, parents, and members of the community to initiate research protocols in our Preston-based laboratory . There will be a weekly laboratory meeting, readings, assignments, two short papers (a literature review and a summary of your empirical project) and student presentations. Open to first-year, second-year and junior students with consent of the instructor. (This course may be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits and must be taken twice to fulfill the Laboratory Science distribution requirement.)  

 

11270

PSY NEU   Ind Research in Neuroscience

Frank Scalzo

. . . Th .

2:30 -4:30 pm

HDR 106

SCI

(2 credits)  In this course, students will participate in laboratory research in developmental psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, neuroanatomy and/or neurobehavioral teratology using the zebrafish as an animal model. 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 and research. There will be a weekly laboratory meeting, readings, assignments, two short papers (a literature review and a summary of your empirical project) and student presentations. Open to first-year, second-year and junior students with consent of the instructor (this course may be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits and must be taken twice to fulfill the Laboratory Science distribution requirement). 

 

11273

PSY PRC   Clinical Psychology Practicum

Beth Gershuny

. . . . .

 

.

SSCI

(2 credits )  This course will provide a unique opportunity to obtain supervised, hands-on experience working with clinical populations and to contextualize such experience with an applied scholarly analysis. Because an integral component of clinical psychology is the application of treatment to the amelioration of problematic symptoms, being an active part of the administration of such treatment both complements and enhances what can be studied only in limited ways via texts and journal articles. As members of this course, students also will become members of treatment teams at local community facilities (e.g. Astor Home for Children, Anderson School) and will receive both individual and group supervision. Because the foundation of clinical research rests on initial and direct clinical observations, students will incorporate their clinical experiences into the formation of clinically relevant empirical questions that will be addressed via critical literature review and the “case study” method. (This course may be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.)  Prerequisites:  Permission of Instructor and Treatment Facility Liaison.

 

11271

PSY SOC   Indt Research in Social Psych

Kristin Lane

. . . Th .

2:30 -4:30 pm

HDR 101A

SCI

(2 credits)  This course provides hands-on experience in the practice of Social Psychology. Students will work individually and in teams on ongoing and student-initiated research projects in the Social Psychology Laboratory. The realm of topics to be studied includes the roots of unconscious bias, perceptions and judgments of social distance, and the gender disparity in the sciences.  Students will participate in all phases of the research process, including developing stimuli, programming studies, conducting experimental sessions, and coding and analyzing research data. Requirements include attendance at weekly lab meetings, two papers, a lab presentation, and other assignments throughout the semester.  Enrollment is open to first-, second-, and third-year students with the permission of the instructor. Students are expected to enroll for two consecutive semesters. (This course may be taken for a maximum of eight credits and must be taken twice to fulfill the Laboratory Science distribution requirement.)