| | | PSYC322 - Abnormal Child Development | | This course examines common psychological disorders that affect children and adolescents. Students review factors that contribute to emotional, behavioral, cognitive and social problems in children and adolescents, as well as specific diagnostic criteria of psychological disorders. In addition, treatment of childhood disorders is discussed. Prerequisite: PSYC 221. | | PSYC318 - Abnormal Psychology | | This course examines the wide range of personality and behavioral disorders. Both traditional and contemporary theories of psychopathology are reviewed. Emphasis is also placed on the tools, techniques, and process of both the diagnosis and the treatment of various disorders. Prerequisite: PSYC 202 or PSYC 220. | | PSYC223 - Adolescent Psychology | | This course examines the adolescent period of life as one of multiple simultaneous changes in the mind and body that set the stage for adult life. Particular attention is paid to gender differentiated experiences in adolescence; how males and females differ in their experience of the changes that occur during adolescence. The role of culture in determining the adolescent experience is discussed. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. | | PSYC314 - Adult Development & Aging | | This course examines the psychological development that occurs during the adult years. It begins with the transition years of the young adult and concludes with bereavement and death. Topics include formation of various forms of adult identities, the establishment of both family and casual social relationships, and the strategies used to deal with the physical, social, and cognitive transformations during the adult years, including aging processes. The course also examines theoretical accounts of aging and adaptation to extended life spans, characteristic of contemporary industrial societies. Prerequisite: PSYC 221 or PSYC 223. | | PSYC111 - Aging in America | | This course offers a social-developmental, multidisciplinary overview of issues related to the expanding age population in the United States. Students examine aging stereotypes, characteristics of aging populations, and the impact of age-related forces on individuals in American society. The course is geared toward students in a variety of disciplines and provides a knowledge base that can be applied to other areas of study. | | PSYC345 - Assessment of Individual Differences | | This course studies a wide variety of tests and measurements used to assess intelligence, aptitude, achievement, and personality in clinical and counseling psychology, in education, and in business. Consideration of the history and theory of these tests is complemented by discussion of practical concerns related to their selection, their administration, and their interpretation in specific settings. Prerequisites: MATH 208 and PSYC 101. | | PSYC319 - Behavior Change | | This course reviews the principles of human behavior based upon behavior therapy, social learning theory, and operant conditioning techniques. The course includes the study of positive control, aversive control, modeling behavior, token economy systems, and extinction procedures used to produce change in human behavior. Attention is paid to the ethical implications of controlling human behavior in educational, mental health, and medical settings. The material is relevant to those who are or will be working in organizations that serve people with developmental disabilities, children, adolescents and the elderly. Prerequisite: any 200 level psychology course. | | PSYC302 - Biological Basis of Behavior | | This course examines current research in the fields of biology, neuroscience, and psychology that explain the role of neural mechanisms in evoking and controlling human behavior. Topics include: thirst and hunger, sleep and arousal, sexual behavior, emotion, aggression, learning, memory, and mental disorders. Prerequisites: BIO 101, BIO 112 or BIO 205. | | PSYC323 - Brain Function & Dysfunction | | This course provides a survey of contemporary knowledge of the human brain, examining normal developmental brain processes and common brain functions. The course also covers common disorders and emphasizes understanding the impact of atypical brain development and the consequences of brain trauma. Intervention strategies and treatment are included. Prerequisite: BIO 101, BIO 112, or BIO 205. | | PSYC221 - Child Development | | This course examines the physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development of the child from birth to adolescence. The contributions of social and cultural experiences as well as the role of biological factors in development are examined as are major theories of development. Students are introduced to the research approaches used to study human development and may be required to carry out observations in various settings. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. | | PSYC328 - Cognitive Processes | | This course studies the ways that humans learn, remember, communicate, think, and reason. Emphasis is on the role of experimental data in development and evaluation of cognitive theories. Prerequisite: any 200 level psychology course. | | PSYC340X - Community Psychology | | Community psychologists work with individuals and communities to effect broad changes to support well-being. In this class, we will explore the relationships between individuals, their communities, and society, applying knowledge from all of the social science disciplines. Health promotion, prevention of social problems, and social action are key methods in community psychology. We will work to create social justice, liberation, and well-being in our classroom and beyond. Through exercises addressing current issues in community life (e.g., immigration, poverty, ableism, mental health systems, racism, HIV/AIDS, climate change…) and through work with a Boston community agency, we will learn how to create interventions that help communities grow and support their members. This course will have a participatory action research component, and is open to students with some research experience such as a research class or an individual research project. Pre-requisites: PSYC331 or SOC331 or COM315 or permission of the instructor
| | PSYC218 - Dynamics of Small Groups | | This class examines the basic theory and application necessary to understand and facilitate small groups. Topics may include group types, formation, roles and stages; group process; cultural awareness; group interventions and ethics within the field of psychology and human service; therapeutic value of groups; and the family, classroom, and peers as small groups. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or SOC 101. | | PSYC213 - Ethics Across Generations | | A growing interest in ethics across different generations has emerged with dramatic changes in the age demographics of our society. This course examines a range of ethical dilemmas both unique to and common across different generations. Intervening factors such as generational identity, personal attitudes, and social forces are explored to understanding how individuals approach and behave in these situations. | | PSYC331 - Experimental Design in Psychology | | This laboratory course covers concepts of the scientific method in psychology including the logic of experimental and correlational designs, issues of control, sampling, measurement of variables, ethical issues in research, use of online professional search procedures, and writing in APA style. As part of the lab, students carry out an experiment and learn to use SPSS to create a database and perform statistical analyses. Prerequisites: MATH 208 and either PSYC 101 or SOC 101 or permission of the instructor. | | PSYC331L - Experimental Design in Psychology | | This laboratory course covers concepts of the scientific method in psychology including the logic of experimental and correlational designs, issues of control, sampling, measurement of variables, ethical issues in research, use of online professional search procedures, and writing in APA style. As part of the lab, students carry out an experiment and learn to use SPSS to create a database and perform statistical analyses. Prerequisites: MATH 208 and either PSYC 101 or SOC 101 or permission of the instructor. | | PSYC307 - Forensic Psychology | | This course deals with the application of psychological knowledge to the judicial process and the criminal justice system. Topics covered include effects of defendant, juror and case characteristics on verdicts, variables affecting eyewitness accuracy, identification and testimony, and the role of forensic psychologists in competency and criminal responsibility assessments as well as criminal profiling. Prerequisite: CJ 201 or PSYC 101. | | PSYC205 - Human Sexuality | | This course is designed to introduce factual information about gender identity and gender role theories, sexual preference and sexual orientation, and psychosexual development. The course examines issues related to research on human sexuality and behavior, as well as sexual education, sexual disorders, and societal impacts on sexuality. Students are challenged to think critically about many issues surrounding human sexuality and all of its manifestations. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. | | PSYC203X - Persuading People, Preserving Planet | | This Connected Learning Experience is designed to continue students’ development along the Core Curriculum by demonstrating in an inquiry-based way the nature of integrative learning. As such, this team-taught, multidisciplinary course will develop the ability to foster behavior change within the places they live and work as they study how to create a more sustainable planet. Students will explore the environmental challenges created by our use of energy, consumption of water, use of transportation, production of waste, and practices in agriculture. These challenges include climate change, air pollution, water quality, and biodiversity loss. Students will also investigate the behaviors that drive these environmental challenges. Students will select behaviors to study on campus and use the tools of science to collect informing data. They will then study strategies to change behavior from the field of psychology. Applying these strategies, students will develop programs to foster sustainable behaviors on campus. Although this course is a pilot for the proposed Core Curriculum, it will satisfy the following Areas of Inquiry in our current general education curriculum: Psychological/Societal and Scientific. (Co-requisite is that students must register for a lab section on M, W, or F 10-10:50am) | | PSYC104X - Positive Psychology | | Historically, much of Psychology has focused on decreasing maladaptive emotions and behaviors (neurosis, disorders, stress, aggression, etc.). This focus has largely ignored more optimal functioning like happiness, optimism, and life satisfaction. In recent decades more scientific research has aimed at promoting and sustaining psychological health. The emerging field of Positive Psychology is the study of how human beings prosper and overcome adversity. Its goal is to identify and enhance human strengths and virtues and allow individuals and communities to thrive.
This introductory-level course will detail the history of this emerging field and focus on current research in social and positive psychology on happiness, virtue, and personal development. The course will explore research that has helped highlight factors that promote and sustain psychological health. Additionally, we will look at tools and techniques that have been shown to help cultivate thoughts and behaviors that effectively contribute to well being.
This course will satisfy the Psychological and Societal Area of Inquiry and can be used as a substitute for PSYC101 (Introduction to Psychology) whenever that class is needed as a pre-requisite for an upper-level class. In addition, since the content is different from PSYC101, students who have taken PSYC101 but are interested in an additional Psychology elective, one that focuses on growth and well-being, are encouraged to take this class.
| | PSYC209X - Psyc of the Black American Experience | | This course is an introduction to the psychological experience of Blacks in the United States, including the historical, sociopolitical, and cultural influences that shape personality and mental health in community, family, and individual contexts. Connections between Africa, the Caribbean, and Black America will be examined with respect to culture, belief systems, and values. At the same time, we will also explore the many differences in history, culture, and experience within numerous groups and individuals of African-descent in the U. S. Prerequisite: PSYC101 | | PSYC101 - Psychological Perspectives | | In this course, students learn to think like psychologists as they study classic and contemporary topics in human behavior, feeling, and thought. Students learn to apply psychological perspectives of thought, including biological, cognitive, sociocultural, humanistic, psychodynamic, and behaviorist, to better understand the human experience. Students will learn to use these perspectives to explore how individual behavior is influenced by and influences one’s biology, family, community and society. Topics may include human development, personality, psychopathology, human relationships, language, memory, perceptual processes, and intelligence, among others.
| | PSYC316 - Psychology of Diversity | | This course explores diversity and its relation to identity, relationship, and power. Areas of diversity that may be a focus of the course include race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, disabilities, aging and/or health status. Students study diversity on micro, meso and macro levels including perspectives on individual and group identity, prejudice and discrimination, and psychological well-being. Students are challenged to explore their own identities and the assumptions they make about various forms of diversity. Prerequisites: Any 200 level Social Science course. | | PSYC201 - Psychology of Drugs & Behavior | | The course examines the relationship between drugs and behavior, including evidence about the effects of drugs on the brain. Several classes of drugs, including chemically or psychologically addictive substances, psychoactive and therapeutic agents, as well as recreational drugs, are examined. Drug use is related to psychological variables such as personality structure and interpersonal relationships, and theories of addictive processes and factors influencing drug use are examined, as are treatment strategies. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. | | PSYC202 - Psychology of Personality | | This course introduces students to a variety of the most important theories of personality: i.e., Freud, Jung, Adler, Rogers, and others. Case studies are examined with the intent of making theories more practical and useful. Prerequisite: Any 200 level psychology course. | | PSYC333 - Research Assistantship | | This course is designed to enable 1-3 students to assist a faculty member who is engaged in research. The faculty member mentors the student(s) through the research process. The process may involve some or all of the following components: Literature review of previous research on the topic, development of the research proposal and project design, development of any materials needed for the research, completion of IRB application, follow-through with the IRB recommendations and approval process, implementation of the research, analysis of the data, and presentation of the work through writing, conference presentation, or Lasell presentation. Prerequisites: SOC 331 or PSYC 331 and Permission of Department Chair. Students may enroll in the course for up to two semesters. | | PSYC220 - Social Psychology | | This is an introduction to the study of social interactions from a psychological perspective. Research reviewed focuses on topics such as: social perception, group interaction, attitude formation, attitudinal change, aggression, conflict, and pro-social behavior. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. | | PSYC222 - Social Psychology in Film | | This course uses film to examine social psychological concepts and research and provides an opportunity for students to explore how people influence and are influenced by their social relationships, communities, and larger society. Films illustrate a range of social encounters that are examined from a social psychological perspective. Topics include conflict, love, personal and group behavior, prejudice, roles, privilege, and oppression. NOTE: This course meets the social psychology requirement for Social Sciences majors. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or SOC 101. | | PSYC206 - Special Topics in Psychology | | This course provides for specialized offerings in psychology in order to allow faculty and students to explore issues that meet special interests. Courses could be offered at the 200, 300, or 400 levels, depending on work required and announced prerequisites. | | PSYC306 - Special Topics in Psychology | | This course provides for specialized offerings in psychology in order to allow faculty and students to explore issues that meet special interests. Courses could be offered at the 200, 300, or 400 levels, depending on work required and announced prerequisites. | | PSYC406 - Special Topics in Psychology | | This course provides for specialized offerings in psychology in order to allow faculty and students to explore issues that meet special interests. Courses could be offered at the 200, 300, or 400 levels, depending on work required and announced prerequisites. | | PSYC240 - Sport Psychology | | This course examines settings such as school, recreational, and professional where sport activities occur. It covers topics such as motivation, anxiety, competition, cooperation, gender issues, and age and developmental level in relation to sport activities. Behavioral problems such as substance abuse and eating disorders, along with psychological factors in prevention and treatment of injuries are included. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. | | PSYC241 - The Psychological Life of Girls & Women | | This course utilizes intrapersonal, psychosocial, and sociocultural perspectives to explore the psychological strengths and problems experienced by girls and women. Topics may include the mental health system, eating disorders, depression, women in families, violence against women, friendship, identity and diversity, immigrant experiences, biological influences, sexuality, issues at school and in the workplace, leadership, and research bias. Literature is examined critically for gender, racial, ethnic, and sexual preference biases, power dynamics, and limitations imposed on both females and males by gender imperatives. Prerequisite: PSYC 221 or PSYC 223, or permission of the instructor. |
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