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Psychology Current Courses

Fall 2024

Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
PSYC 120-01 Introduction to Health Psychology
Instructor: Supriya Dixit
Course Description:
This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of health psychology, which uses scientific research methods to study the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. We will discuss psychological states such as stress and how they affect the body, and mental processes such as finding meaning that are associated with effective coping and positive health outcomes. We will also study health behaviors such as exercise, sleep, eating, and substance use. Finally, we will explore how psychological concepts and research can be applied to health promotion and illness prevention. Course content will be especially relevant to students considering careers in health care or public health.
12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
KAUF 179
PSYC 125-01 Brain and Behavior w/Lab
Instructor: Emily Brown
Course Description:
This course will introduce the structure and function of the brain as it influences human behavior. Findings from neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and endocrinology will be considered in their relation to a number of behavioral processes such as perception, memory, and social behavior. In the laboratory, students will engage in hands-on activities to explore brain anatomy and brain-behavior relationships. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week.
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, T
JAMESR 1206
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 179
PSYC 130-01 Perception, Memory & Thought
Instructor: Azriel Grysman
Course Description:
This introduction to cognitive psychology will focus on how the mind structures information. The world that we experience is highly processed by our various mental structures. First, perceptual mechanisms lead us to see objects and colors the way we do. Second, memory processes keep some information accessible while discarding other information rather quickly. Third, decision making processes help us solve problems and generate creativity but are also subject to substantial bias. This course will examine the mind by conceptualizing it as an information processor, studying behavioral experiments as a window into the internal workings of the mind and supporting those experiments with research from neuroscience.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
KAUF 179
PSYC 150-01 Culture and Psychology
Instructor: Rui Zhang
Course Description:
The vast amount of what we know in psychology is based on observations from a thin sliver of the humanity pie, an unreliable foundation for generalizing knowledge across time and place. This course starts with the position that a psychological science of Homo sapiens requires examining the various cultural and historical contexts that shape human behavior. Throughout this survey course, we will consider human universals and cultural diversity across a wide array of content areas including self, cognition, motivation, emotion, interpersonal and social behaviors, and health, with emphasis on the implications of such a cultural perspective for understanding what unites and divides us in the contemporary world.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
TOME 115
PSYC 150-02 Culture and Psychology
Instructor: Rui Zhang
Course Description:
The vast amount of what we know in psychology is based on observations from a thin sliver of the humanity pie, an unreliable foundation for generalizing knowledge across time and place. This course starts with the position that a psychological science of Homo sapiens requires examining the various cultural and historical contexts that shape human behavior. Throughout this survey course, we will consider human universals and cultural diversity across a wide array of content areas including self, cognition, motivation, emotion, interpersonal and social behaviors, and health, with emphasis on the implications of such a cultural perspective for understanding what unites and divides us in the contemporary world.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
TOME 115
PSYC 165-01 Psychopathology
Instructor: Nancy Farber
Course Description:
An introduction to various psychological disorders and techniques of diagnosis and treatment. Relevant for students who anticipate careers in medicine, law, and the social or psychological services. This course is a Health Studies elective.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
BOSLER 208
PSYC 165-02 Psychopathology
Instructor: Nancy Farber
Course Description:
An introduction to various psychological disorders and techniques of diagnosis and treatment. Relevant for students who anticipate careers in medicine, law, and the social or psychological services. This course is a Health Studies elective.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
BOSLER 208
PSYC 175-01 Introduction to Community Psychology
Instructor: Howard Rosen
Course Description:
This course will provide an introduction to the field of community psychology. Community psychology focuses on promoting well-being and preventing negative mental health and social outcomes by understanding persons-in-context and the ways that social issues, institutions, and settings impact individuals, families and communities. In the course, we will: (a) review the historical underpinnings of community psychology; (b) examine the field's major tenets and theories, including its emphasis on understanding the role of the environment in human behavior; (c) explore he field's application to prevent negative mental health and social outcomes and promote well-being and social justice.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
KAUF 179
PSYC 210-01 Analysis of Psychological Data
Instructor: Anthony Rauhut
Course Description:
Permission of Instructor Required. Completion of both PYSC 210 and PSYC 211 fulfills the WID requirement. This course will introduce you to analytic methods commonly used to evaluate the results of psychological research, with an emphasis on the statistical analysis of quantitative data. You will gain a conceptual and practical understanding of the statistical building blocks needed to report and interpret research findings and practice APA-style writing and visualization of results. We will discuss the concepts and assumptions that underlie common statistical procedures and their limitations. To practice statistical analyses, you will be exposed to the formulae that underly statistical tests. You will become proficient in conducting analyses with the help of a data-processing software that is popular in both academic and non-academic institutions: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The course will cover, in-depth, descriptive statistics (which summarize numerical data obtained in quantitative research) and inferential statistics (which test hypotheses in quantitative research) and will introduce thematic analysis (a method of analyzing themes in qualitative research). We will also consider the ethical use of data in psychological research. Three hours classroom plus three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: any 100-level course. NOTE: Completion of both 210 and 211 fulfills the WID requirement.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
KAUF 186
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
KAUF 186
PSYC 211-01 Design of Psychological Research
Instructor: Marie Helweg-Larsen
Course Description:
Completion of both PYSC 210 and PSYC 211 fulfills the WID requirement. This course is an introduction to research methods in psychology. In this class, we will explore the major concepts in planning research studies, research design, and analysis. We will discuss the various strengths and limitations of each research approach (including quantitative and qualitative methods), as well as methods for assessing threats to validity and reliability of psychological measures. In class and lab, we will explore the relationship between data analysis and research design. In designing your own study, you will learn how to search and critically summarize and evaluate scientific research; design and conduct research projects ethically; collect, analyze and interpret data; and communicate the findings for a scientific audience in APA-style writing. Throughout the course, we will work on developing critical thinking skills and deepen our understanding of the field of psychology as a science. Three hours classroom plus three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 210. NOTE: Completion of both 210 and 211 fulfills the WID graduation requirement.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
KAUF 186
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
KAUF 186
PSYC 211-02 Design of Psychological Research
Instructor: Paula Yust
Course Description:
Completion of both PYSC 210 and PSYC 211 fulfills the WID requirement. This course is an introduction to research methods in psychology. In this class, we will explore the major concepts in planning research studies, research design, and analysis. We will discuss the various strengths and limitations of each research approach (including quantitative and qualitative methods), as well as methods for assessing threats to validity and reliability of psychological measures. In class and lab, we will explore the relationship between data analysis and research design. In designing your own study, you will learn how to search and critically summarize and evaluate scientific research; design and conduct research projects ethically; collect, analyze and interpret data; and communicate the findings for a scientific audience in APA-style writing. Throughout the course, we will work on developing critical thinking skills and deepen our understanding of the field of psychology as a science. Three hours classroom plus three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 210. NOTE: Completion of both 210 and 211 fulfills the WID graduation requirement.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
KAUF 186
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
KAUF 186
PSYC 325-01 Research Methods in Behavioral Neuroscience
Instructor: Ben Basile
Course Description:
Behavioral Neuroscience, also known as Biological Psychology, is the study of the anatomical, chemical, and physiological mechanisms of behavior in humans and other animals. The underlying premise of Biological psychology is that no external behavioral event can take place unless there is a corresponding set of internal events involving the biochemical and electrochemical activity of the nervous system. In this course, students will learn about various research methods used in behavioral neuroscience, such as experimental methods in lab and field, quasi-experimental methods, and observational methods. We will discuss the application of these methods to research in behavioral neuroscience, as well as related topics of validity, measurement, and research ethics. This intensive lab course will culminate in the design and implementation of an original research project in the area of behavioral neuroscience. Three hours classroom plus three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisites: 110, 125, or 130, 210 & 211; OR BIOL 132, PSYC 125 and NRSC 200.
11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
JAMESR 1206
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
JAMESR 1206
PSYC 370-01 Research Methods in Counseling Psychology: Psychological Testing
Instructor: Michele Ford
Course Description:
Many individuals complete brief magazine or online surveys about their personality, relationships, or psychological symptoms to better understand themselves or others. Comprehensive psychological testing, however, is much more in-depth and occurs only after significant research and development have taken place. Counseling psychologists take an empirical approach to understand many aspects of peoples functioning; one of the ways is through assessment. This course will address research methods in counseling psychology, with a specific focus on test development. This course will examine how psychological assessment tools, including structured and unstructured clinical interviews, objective and projective personality tests, measures of intellectual functioning and learning aptitudes, and vocational instruments, are developed and tested. Students will critically evaluate issues such as test validation, norming and standardization, reliability and validity, and test bias. This intensive lab course will include an original research project in test development. Students will also gain practical experience in the administration of assessment tools commonly employed in counseling psychology. Three hours classroom plus three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 165 (can be taken concurrently), 210 & 211.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
KAUF 185
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
KAUF 185
PSYC 375-01 Research Methods in Community Psychology Research: Program Evaluation
Instructor: Sharon Kingston
Course Description:
Community Psychology is an applied subdiscipline of psychology that uses social and behavioral science to enhance the well-being of people and their communities and to prevent harmful outcomes. In this course, students will learn how to conduct a program evaluation, one of the primary research methods used in community psychology. Program evaluation uses social science research methods to systematically collect information that can be used to improve social, educational and health services. Although community psychologists use many different methodologies (including field experiments, quasi-experimental methods, correlational research and qualitative research), this intensive class will focus on program evaluation because it is one of the most commonly used methods in community psychology and is considered a core competency for community psychologists. This is a community-based research class and we will be partnering with a community agency to evaluate their services. Three hours classroom plus three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisites: 210 & 211.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
KAUF 185
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
KAUF 185
PSYC 450-01 Cultural Processes and Human Behavior
Instructor: Rui Zhang
Course Description:
This seminar covers advanced research as it pertains to culture and psychology. To fully appreciate how culture is intertwined with human behavior, it is necessary to go beyond a survey of research that merely describes cultural variation. By cultural processes, we mean why, how, and when culture comes to shape psychological functioning for group differences to arise. As a result, we will pay close attention to different ways of accounting for cultural influence as well as the specific ways in which cultures vary. We will conclude this course by discussing some recent applications of this emerging science of cultural processes.Prerequisite: 210 & 211.
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
KAUF 178
PSYC 480-01 The Biology of Mental Illness: From Movies to Memoirs
Instructor: Anthony Rauhut
Course Description:
Permission of Instructor Required. Is clinical depression a brain disease? Do clinically depressed individuals suffer from a chemical imbalance? Is clinical depression best treated with antidepressant medications? For better-or-worse, modern psychiatry has answered yes to these questions. Yet is this the correct answer? Is conceptualizing mental illnesses such as clinical depression and drug addiction as brain diseases correct and are biologically focused therapies the best strategy in the treatment of mental illness? Clinical Neuroscience is a new and exciting subfield of neuroscience, one that focuses on the understanding of mental illness from a neurobiological perspective. In this course, we will review mental illness from a neurobiological perspective, focusing on how modern neuroscientific research has helped inform us about the etiology, prognosis and treatment of mental illness. Along the way, we discuss other perspectives (popular and first-person) on mental illness and how these other, non-scientific perspectives contribute to our understanding (or misunderstanding) of mental illnesses. We too will critically evaluate the neuroscientific perspective, discussing the limitations and problems associated with this approach to the understanding of mental illness. Finally, modern neuroscience has given way (and continues to give way) to modern technologies (brain scans, designer drugs, etc.) for use in clinical as well as non-clinical settings. While the emergence of these modern technologies has provided benefits to society, their use also raises ethical questions. For example, should medical drugs (e.g., Ritalin) be used/prescribed for non-medical reasons? In this course, we will discuss some ethical considerations that stem from the development of neuroscientifically-based technologies.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
KAUF 178
PSYC 480-02 Seminar in Music and Mental Health
Instructor: Nancy Farber
Course Description:
Music and Mental Health is a field that is evolving and growing in both research and practice. In this course, we will travel together through literature, our own experiences, and our own research questions about the impact of music on mental health. We will be learning together through multiple methods: reviewing professional literature on give topics, class discussion, experiential exercises, and developing informed research questions and proposals. As this class is a seminar, we will be learning from each other, and topics and exercises will evolve and develop as we go, much in the way that a song evolves through its development. No prior experience with singing or playing an instrument is necessary, only an openness to critical thinking and to pushing your comfort zones experientially
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
KAUF 187
PSYC 480-03 Seminar in Comparative Psychology
Instructor: Emily Brown
Course Description:
How are different animal minds, including human minds, alike and not alike? Do ants navigate the desert the same way you find your way around Carlisle; do misbehaving dogs feel guilty; can apes use sign language; does a pigeon think about its own thoughts? Comparative psychology is the study of how different species think and behave, and how the cognitive processes of all species, including humans, have been shaped by evolutionary pressures. Considering the pressures that shaped cognition helps improve functional applications with working animals, the care for animals used in agriculture, the validity of animal models used in neuroscience, and human understanding about the evolution of minds. Students will read, present, discuss, and propose novel research on topics like numerical cognition, memory, language, and metacognition. By the end of the semester, you will leave with a better understanding of not only human minds, but minds more broadly.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
KAUF 185
PSYC 500-01 Perceived Social Support of Marginalized Students
Instructor: Michele Ford
Course Description:

PSYC 500-02 Investigating Substance Use Issues in College Students
Instructor: Michele Ford
Course Description:

PSYC 550-01 Dynamic Norms and Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors
Instructor: Rui Zhang
Course Description:

PSYC 550-02 The Impact of Social Media on Attitudes Towards Clean Eating Symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa
Instructor: Sharon Kingston
Course Description:

PSYC 550-03 Cultural Priming Among German
Instructor: Rui Zhang
Course Description:

PSYC 560-01 Memory Reconsolidation and Sensitization
Instructor: Anthony Rauhut
Course Description:

PSYC 560-02 Evoking Empathy Through Autobiographical Narratives and Artificial Intelligence
Instructor: Azriel Grysman
Course Description:

PSYC 560-03 College Friend Groups: Implications for Well-Being
Instructor: Paula Yust
Course Description:

PSYC 560-04 Autobiographical Memory and Well-being
Instructor: Azriel Grysman
Course Description: