Subject Description
Psychology

PSYC 260 | Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary forces have shaped human behavior and the mechanisms of the human mind. In this course students learn the power and limits of evolutionary explanation about human behavior and cognition. After studying the basic processes of biological evolution, including natural and sexual selection, students apply these principles to selected issues in psychology. Examples of topics that may be included in this class are mate selection, sex difference, parenting and kinship, cooperation and conflict, dominance relationships, and social status.

PSYC 240 | Counseling in Educational Settings

This course introduces the role of counseling and psychology in educational settings with a focus on K-12 schools. Students examine the specific roles and responsibilities of school counselors, school psychologists, and mental health counselors working in the school setting. Class discussions focus on the academic, career, and social emotional needs of school aged students and how these professionals promote culturally sustaining practices and support a safe, healthy learning environment.

PSYC 222 | Lifespan Development

This course considers human development from the beginning to the end of life. Students focus on the major biological, cognitive, and social changes that occur at each stage of development. Students examine the central questions, theoretical perspectives, research methods, and scientific findings that guide current understanding of human development. The course also emphasizes the ways in which individual development cannot be clearly understood without examining the social and cultural context in which individuals are embedded.

PSYC 221 | Developmental Psychology: Adolescence Through the End of Life

This course focuses on the development of individuals from adolescence through death. The domains of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial development are examined, with a particular emphasis on the multiple factors and contexts that influence development in each of these areas. Current theories and research are explored on a variety of topics relevant to adolescence and adulthood, including adolescent rebellion, identity development, midlife crisis, and caring for elderly parents.

PSYC 220 | Developmental Psychology: Prenatal through Childhood

This course focuses on the milestones of human development from conception through late childhood. It considers physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional changes that occur during the first decade of life with special attention to various contexts of development. It addresses major theories as well as current research and methodology that explain how and why developmental change occurs. Implications for child-rearing, education, and social policymaking are also examined.

PSYC 200 | Writing and Thinking in Psychology

Although many people believe that psychology is based on common sense, personal experience, or intuition about human behavior and mental processes, the discipline is actually founded on the results of scientifically conducted experiments and studies. Thus, learning the methods for how data are collected, analyzed, interpreted, and communicated form the foundation for an undergraduate degree in Psychology.

PSYC 101 | Introductory Psychology

Humans are complex organisms, and psychology provides a rich, interdisciplinary understanding of the study of mental life, experience, and behavior. Through this course, students develop an appreciation for these complexities by focusing on individual and social behavior, as well as the physiological and neurological processes underlying them. Central to this course is an understanding of the diverse methods, experimental designs, foundational theories, and research used to inform the various subdisciplines in psychology.