Research Methods
This course presents students with conceptual approaches and practical techniques for applying the scientific method to behavioral research. Students learn about observational, correlational and experimental research designs and have the opportunity to apply these designs in the laboratory while investigating relevant psychological phenomena. Appropriate statistical procedures and computer software are used to analyze the data from these labs; therefore, students must take a course in statistics prior to 205.
Personality
Personality theories provide a framework with which to understand a person’s development, motivation, and behavior. This course examines traditional and contemporary theories of personality, focusing on representative theorists from the psychoanalytic, trait, behavioral, cognitive, and phenomenological approaches. Evaluation of theories on logical and empirical grounds is discussed. Prerequisite: PSYC 101WL or 101NL.
Sport Psychology
This course is designed to develop an understanding of human behavior and mental processes in sport and exercise settings.
Abnormal Psychology
This course is designed to study the major psychological disorders, and how stress plays a role in their appearance and severity. The course uses case histories, lecture, movie excerpts, discussion, and extensive use of primary literature to explore the latest thinking in how our biology, psychology, and social environment intertwine to create mental illness and mental health. Prerequisite: PSYC 101WL or 101NL.
Social Psychology
This lecture-laboratory course covers the theory and research of how individual humans think, feel, and behave when influenced by their social environment. Topics include the social self, thinking about people and situations, attributions, attitude formation and change, conformity, affiliation and attraction, altruism, aggression, prejudice and group dynamics. The laboratory is required of all students. Prerequisite: PSYC 101WL or 101NL and PSYC 205. Also offered through Peace Studies.
Animal Behavior
Permission of Instructor Only. PSYC AND NRSCI Majors OR Minors This lecture-laboratory course examines various forms of behavior as they appear throughout the phylogenetic scale. The roles of evolution, genetics and the neural system in the control of diverse behaviors from feeding to territoriality and human aggression are considered. Counts toward the neuroscience major (behavioral track). Prerequisite: PSYC-101WL OR PSYC-101NL AND PSYC-205. You MUST also register for PSYC-432L in the same semester.
What the Heck is Religion?
Throughout human history, religion has profoundly shaped human life ethically, socially, politically, psychologically, and existentially. And yet, how religion is defined-what we identify as something religious-- is, by definition, controversial. What is religion? How do we go about substantively describing it? What power does religion play in human life and why? How does it function in human life? What meaning and values do people find in their religious or spiritual experiences? Does religion play an important role in the contemporary world?
Culture & Identity in the Digital Age
In this 200-level sociology course, we ask: what does it mean to live in a networked world, where our offline lives are increasingly and irrevocably tied to digital spaces? The popularity of phrases like “in real life” represent a common view of the physical world as something wholly distinct from and superior to the digital realm. Still, the digital realm has proven to have very real consequences, which increasingly structure individuals’ opportunities and experiences in everyday life.
Calculus I
The study of differential calculus. The focus is on understanding derivatives as a rate of change. Students also develop a deeper understanding of functions and how they are used in modeling natural phenomena. Topics include limits; continuity and differentiability; derivatives; graphing and optimization problems; and a wide variety of applications.
Calculus II
The study of integral calculus. Topics include understanding Riemann sums and the definition of the definite integral; techniques of integration; approximation techniques; improper integrals; a wide variety of applications; and related topics. Prerequisite: MATH 135 or the equivalent.