This course provides an overview of the scientific study of psychology in the areas of neuroscience, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning and memory, intellect and cognition, language, lifespan development and the influences of heredity and environment on behavior, motivation, sexuality, emotion, personality, stress and coping, psychological disorders, psychotherapy, and social relations.

This course provides an introduction to psychological perspectives, theoretical foundations, research, and practical application relevant to personal fulfillment, human relationships, and social functioning. It is designed with an applied focus for students interested in how psychology is used in everyday life and is related to other social sciences. As a result, it focuses on how psychological perspectives and theories are applied across a person’s life, taking into account the influence of factors such as culture, gender, ethnicity, historical cohort, and socio-economic status. A broad understanding of how scientists, clinicians, and practitioners study and apply psychology is emphasized. Additional topics under consideration are personality development; traditional and changing sex roles; intimate relationships; stress and stress management; personal and social achievement; and normal and abnormal reactions to modern society. Emphasis will be placed on recognizing typical patterns of personality development, with some attention given to fostering self-actualization and social contributions, while preventing deviant patterns.

This course introduces the scientific study of the biological bases of behavior and its fundamental role in the neurosciences. The course emphasizes the anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, including physiological, hormonal, and neurochemical mechanisms. Brain-behavior relationships underlying the psychological phenomena of sensation, perception, regulatory processes, emotion, learning, memory, and cognitive behavior including speech and language will be considered. Also addressed are drug use, psychological disorders, and brain pathology.

An introduction to the basic concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics which provides conceptual understanding of the appropriate applications of statistics in research, as well as in the social behavioral sciences and the related fields of psychology, political science, business, economics, education, criminal justice, and health science and health care. Areas of study include descriptive procedures; probability and binomial distributions; correlation and regression; normal distribution; sampling distribution; central limit theorem; hypothesis testing using interval estimation, z-test, significance testing of correlations, one- and two-sample t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, and other nonparametric techniques; concepts of sample space; mean and variance of discrete distribution; probabilities using normal and t-distributions; determining and interpreting levels of statistical significance including p-values; formulating hypothesis test involving samples from one and two populations; and critical analyses of related research designs. This course also provides supervised computer practice designed to assist students in data preparation, including tables and graphical representations, statistical computations, and data analysis. Students will interpret computerized results and apply them in generating conclusions.

This course is a discussion session to be taken concurrently with introductory statistics for the social and behavioral sciences. It provides an opportunity for better understanding of concepts learned in introductory statistics through additional practice and discussion of statistical procedures and their applications to research and hypothesis testing.

This course provides an overview, from a psychological perspective, of human development throughout the entire lifespan from conception through death, including biological and environmental influences. Current theories and research in the areas of heredity and environment, emotion, intellect and cognition, language, socialization, personality, sexuality, maturation, and gerontology will be studied. Emphasis will be placed on identifying and encouraging normal development, with some attention given to recognizing and preventing abnormal patterns.

This course introduces basic concepts, issues, and principles of scientific research as they apply to behavior and psychological processes. Strategies involved in searching the psychological literature will be presented to assist students in developing a research hypothesis. Ethical issues relevant to conducting research in the social and behavioral sciences will also be discussed. Students will design and conduct an experiment using appropriate research methodology, with emphasis on the scientific method, in addition to correlational and observational studies. Experimental data will be analyzed using statistical software and computer application related to statistics and research. Appropriate parametric or nonparametric statistical tests will guide in making decisions regarding the experimental hypothesis. Students will write a research report following APA guidelines and format.

This course focuses on the major forms and causes of behavior defined as deviant or abnormal. Diagnostic and therapeutic treatment strategies are examined, as well as the various theories currently used to explain abnormal behavior and mental illness.

This course will emphasize both the biopsychosocial aspect of human sexuality and human sexual behavior over the lifespan. The role of sex within a relationship will be explored, as well as sexual attitudes, life-styles, and changing social roles. Course material will be presented in an explicit, open, scientific, and thoughtful manner. Some the topics covered will include: structure and function of reproductive system, sexual response, pre-natal development, development of sexuality, establishing and maintaining intimacy, and cultural differences and attitudes toward sexuality. Students will be encouraged to become aware of their own sexual attitudes, values, and behaviors and to evaluate the consistency of their behaviors within their own moral frameworks. Current sex norms and various aspects of interpersonal and individual sexual adjustment will be explored.

This course is a comprehensive study of the concept of personality. The nature and development of personality will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on the current research, techniques of assessment, theories, and theorists of personality, including Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Carl Rogers, and Abraham Maslow.

This course focuses on multicultural issues and their influence on individual and group behavior. It explores how traditions and social customs shape the development of the individual’s behavior, cognition, motivation, emotion, gender roles, personality, and moral judgments across the lifespan. It examines how family, work, religion, language, artistic expressions, rituals, and clothing function as symbols of cultural identity. Cross-cultural comparisons of various psychological phenomena are reviewed, documenting similarities and differences across cultures in human behavior in an attempt to search for mediators of these differences. Topics of discussion include diversity in an increasingly pluralistic society and intercultural relations among African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Native-Americans, and other cultural groups, with the option of focusing on a particular culture in any given semester.

This course considers individual human behavior in relation to the social environment. The power of the situation, other individuals, the social group, and the individual's psychological processes will be examined. Emphasized topics include aggression, prejudice and stereotypes, interpersonal attraction, attitudes and attitude change, conformity, group phenomena, gender roles, cultural norms, person perception, and social cognition.

This course is an introduction to theories and research concerning the psychology of women and how they relate to women today. It will explore the way that biological, cultural, and psychosocial issues affect the psychological development of women. It will include topics such as sexism, the construction of gender categories, gender comparisons, communication styles, body image, and female identity formation. It will explore cross-cultural issues concerning women related to education, work, and family and how they are different from men.

This course offers specialized study opportunities for students who wish to pursue projects not included in the regular curriculum. Students are accepted only by a written project proposal approved by the discipline prior to enrollment.