School of Humanities, Education, Justice & Social Sciences
Psychology
The Psychology Major has a professional focus, rooted in Connected Learning, that seeks to educate students by promoting self-expression, academic exploration, and critical thinking in academic, civic, and career-relevant areas.
The Psychology major emphasizes how individuals think, feel, and behave within personal, social, cultural and societal contexts.
Students in the Psychology degree program are prepared to seek employment in a wide variety of social service or therapeutic settings in administration, education, child welfare settings, research and human service agencies.
Students are also prepared for graduate programs in areas such as clinical or counseling psychology, school psychology, organizational psychology, social work, hospital administration, public health and criminal justice.
Connected Learning complements traditional approaches with active learning experiences by doing internships, service learning, and challenging projects in and out of the classroom.
Classes & Projects
The Case Management & Counseling course provides first-year students the opportunity to dive right into the world of counselors and case managers by learning first hand how to assess, interview, and communicate with clients.
Students conduct and collaborate on research projects to publish in scholarly journals and present at national industry conferences, and learn to write grant proposals to secure funding for advocacy and academic endeavors.
The Persuading People, Preserving Planet class partnered with Lasell's Environmental Studies program to research why people tend not to recycle their Dunkin Donuts cups and bags. The class explored current environmental issues from a scientific perspective with an environmental scientist while learning about the psychological techniques of persuasion and social influence. They then implemented the findings of their research and designed new bags, which were then surveyed to measure effectiveness.
Partnerships
Lasell has a partnership with Regis College which gives students the opportunity to start taking graduate level courses at no additional cost. The credits can be applied to the undergraduate degree and may carry over to the graduate level. This program provides graduate level experience and the opportunity to continue graduate work at Regis - the GRE requirement and application fee may be waived.
Internship Sequence
Students complete a three-semester internship sequence which allows them to link theory with practice while networking and building their resumes. Through a set of structured experiences, students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate and counsel individuals, groups, organizations, and communities.
With the Pyschology program at Lasell, students have flourished in careers in social work and advocacy, working as counselors, educators, researchers, case managers, and clincians. We have also had students work as pre-school directors, family intervention specialists, and in hospital administration. Specifically, we had students go on to work with:
The Red Cross, organizing disaster relief and coordinating needs
New England Center for Children, working with boys on the autism spectrum
Boys and Girls Club as the Director of Camp and Day programming
Harvard University as a research assistant
VA Hospital as a project manager
Students have also gone on to continue their studies at the graduate level, focusing on public health, nursing, law, and criminal justice.
Lori Rosenthal, Ph.D. Dean, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Education; Professor of Psychology Areas of Expertise: psychological perspectives; personality psychology; social psychology
Sarahbeth Golden, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Areas of Expertise: clinical psychology; media consumption and their relationship beliefs and expectations; human sexuality; psychology of personality
Betsy Leondar-Wright, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Sociology Areas of Expertise: race and ethnicity; social movements; sociology
Tessa LeRoux, Ph.D Professor of Sociology, the Joan Weiler Arnow '49 Professor Areas of Expertise: gender and family studies; sociology
Marsha Mirkin, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Areas of Expertise: family therapy; women's studies; adolescent psychotherapy
James Ostrow, Ph.D. Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor of Sociology Areas of Expertise: intersection of social theory, continental philosophy, and American pragmatist philosophy; sociological theory; qualitative research; educational philosophy; educational research methods
Jesse Tauriac, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology; Director of the Donahue Institute for Ethics, Diversity, and Inclusion Areas of Expertise: transformative education; cultural competence; clinical psychology
Zane Zheng, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology; Chair of Academic Research Areas of Expertise: cognitive neuroscience; speech perception; biological basis of behavior; psychological perspectives
This course encourages an examination of one’s own value system, motivations and interests in relation to the wish to pursue a career working with people. Students are introduced to the history and development of the field: the concept of the social welfare system; resources and services offered by a range of community agencies; a model to understand social and psychological problems; and interventions to address social needs interventions range from individual case management and counseling to community organizing and planning. The course highlights a social justice basis for human service work. A service learning requirement enables students to examine their interests and apply the concepts learned in class.
HS210 - Case Management & Counseling
This course introduces students to interviewing skills used by counselors and case managers and to the types of counselor responses that can be effective in human services work. Students learn to assess clients and interventions at the micro, meso and macro levels and explore issues of professional ethics and values. Students also examine cultural contexts as they impact the client, counselor, and client-counselor relationship. Some of the contexts may include race, class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and immigration status. The course relies heavily on in-class exercises. Prerequisites: PSYC 101, HS 101 with a C or better.
HS215 - Foundation Internship
This internship provides human service students the opportunity to experience field work. Training in the skills by which students can offer direct and indirect assistance to the client population is provided. Prerequisites: HS 210 with a grade of C or better; and permission of Internship Coordinator. Corequisite: HS 217.
HS217 - Foundations of Ethical Fieldwork
This seminar is taken concurrently with the Foundation Internship (HS 215). The seminar provides a forum for discussing common human service experiences, including pathways to professional careers and practice related issues, and includes an introduction to ethical issues such as confidentiality and privacy in the context of an examination of ethical dilemmas. It also gives students an opportunity to build skills necessary to offer direct and indirect assistance to clients at internship sites. Students review professional and research literatures in relation to a topic connected to the internship experience. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisite: HS 210 with a grade of C or better; and permission of the Internship Coordinator required. Co-requisite: HS 215.
HS415 - Advanced Internship I
Seniors who have met program requirements spend 125 hours in an approved supervised internship. Prerequisites: HS 215, HS 217, with a grade of C or better; and permission of the Internship Coordinator; Co-requisite: HS 417.
HS417 - Field Intervention Strategies
This seminar is taken concurrently with Advanced Internship I (HS 415). Students integrate theory learned throughout their college career with their fieldwork experience. The seminar further develops professional behaviors such as record keeping, creating and maintaining supervisory relationships, conflict resolution, and job effectiveness. Students are also offered an opportunity to analyze cases and tasks assigned to them in their field placements, providing a theoretical framework for understanding them. There is an intensive examination of the ethical considerations involved in working with clients. Students identify and develop a research topic and conduct an extensive review of current literature on a topic related to their internship. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisites: HS 215, HS 217 with a grade of C or better, and permission of the Internship Coordinator; Co-requisite: HS 415.
HS425 - Advanced Internship II
This seminar is a continuation of HS 415. Students spend 125 hours working in an approved supervised field site. Prerequisite: HS 415 with a grade of C or better; Co-requisite: HS 427.
HS427 - Systems & Organizational Change
This capstone seminar is a continuation of Field Intervention Strategies (HS417) and is taken concurrently with Advanced Internship II (HS425). Building on knowledge and skills gained throughout the Social Sciences program, students continue to integrate theory with practice through seminar discussion and internship-related experiences. There is an increased focus on the delivery of services, examination of ethical dilemmas, and analysis of the broader systems in which services are delivered and policies are formulated. Students also have an opportunity to explore career development issues through examination of the graduate school and employment processes. This course has been designated as a writing intensive course and also has a strong public speaking component. Prerequisites: HS 415, HS 417 with a grade of C or better; and either PSYC 331 or SOC 331. Corequisite: HS 425.
MATH208 - Statistics
This is an introductory course in descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics include: data analysis, and graphical methods of describing data, measures of central tendency and variability, probability, the normal distribution, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression analysis. Prerequisites: MATH 106 with a grade of C or better or demonstrated competency through placement testing and ENG 102.
PSYC101 - Psychological Perspectives (KP)
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.
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.
SOC101 - Sociological Imagination (KP)
In this course we explore the connection between our personal troubles and public issues. How are our lives shaped by our social positions in society – our social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and more? How do the members of different groups view each other and interact with each other? Why do inequalities exist and how do these affect us? How does culture shape our behavior, and why do religions, schools, families, and other institutions remain stable but also change over time?
