Psychology (PSYC)

This course is an introduction to the methodology, concepts, principles and issues in the study of behavior. Topics to be covered include: the biological bases of behavior; sensory and perceptual processes; learning, memory and cognition; motivation and emotion; personality, psychopathology and psychological approaches to therapy; and social interactions. This course is a requirement for enrollment in all higher-level psychology courses.

This course will expand upon the biological bases of behavior. An emphasis will be placed on the relationship between the brain and behavior. Topics will include synthesis of neurotransmitters, an introduction to drugs and behavior and neural substrates that underlie behaviors. Prerequisite:PSYCH 101

Consideration of the various classifications and symptomatology of psychopathological disorders ' their origin, assessment, prognosis, treatment and prevention. Prerequisite: PSYCH 101 Minimum Grade of D

Students will examine the interplay between the disciplines of psychology and law. The course will examine the psychological and behavioral issues that impact the legal and criminal-justice systems, and how law and justice affect human behavior. Topics to be covered include crime and criminal behavior, victims, law enforcement, trials, witnesses, mental illness and criminal justice, corrections, family law, crime intervention and prevention. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 Minimum Grade of D

Students will study the acquisition, activation, direction and retention of human and animal behavior. Topics to be covered include instincts, drive, conditioning and instrumental learning, human verbal learning and language learning and memory processes. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 Minimum Grade of D

Study of human thinking, memory, problem solving and the relationship between damage to the cortex and information processing. Empirical research and applied examples and demonstrations will be presented to address such topics as the content of memory, memory improvement, strategies and approaches for solving different kinds of problems, and pathologies and problems of thought.

Students will analyze the process of human development and change throughout the lifespan. Research on both humans and animals will be presented to promote understanding of human physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. Topics include prenatal and postnatal development, issues and theories of human development, genetic influences and personality and issues related to Prerequisites: PSYC 101 Minimum Grade of D

Students will study the historical development of significant psychological concepts, theories and systems. The focus and far-ranging content of this course serves to provide an overall synthesis of the major subfields of psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 Minimum Grade of D

This course is an overview of basic concepts and principles essential to understanding the psychological and behavioral aspects of sport and exercise. Emphasis is given to the conceptual frameworks and the applied aspects of sport performance enhancement and mental skills, exercise behavior and motivation, sociological factors, and health and well-being. Applications are made to future practitioners of coaching, teaching, sports medicine, counseling, sport management, and fitness instruction

The goal of positive psychology is to achieve a scientific understanding of effective interventions to build thriving individuals, families, and communities. This course will provide you with an understanding of the core research within the field of positive psychology and how this research can be applied at the individual, dyad, group, institution and community level. Throughout this course you will have the opportunity to explore how positive psychology principles apply within your own experiences and can help you to achieve future goals. This class is a 3-credit lecture course. Prerequisite for this course is Introduction to Psychology (PSYC101).

This course will provide students with an opportunity to use current theories to address individuals with mental health issues. Topics will include professional duties and skills of the clinical psychologist, treatment procedures and resources, and the diagnosis and management of common psychological disorders. Emphasis will be placed on humanistic and behavioral theories of etiology, treatment and the enhancement of psychological wellbeing. Prerequisite:PSYCH 201 Minimum Grade of D

This course is a survey and comparative analysis of the major representative theories of personality, both traditional and contemporary. Special topics such as the effects of genetic predisposition, physical status and environmental factors on personality configurations will also be discussed. Prerequisite:PSYCH 101 Minimum Grade of D

This course provides an overview and general understanding of the field of counseling psychology. The course is designed to familiarize students with the basic concepts, interventions, scientific research, professional practices and contemporary issues of the profession of counseling psychology. Students will learn a variety of theoretical approaches and psychotherapy techniques to counseling, including psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive and humanistic approaches. The course contains both didactic and skill application to encourage competency in the performance of counseling skills. Prerequisite: PSYCH 201 Minimum Grade of D

This course is a survey of family systems and theories underlying marriage and family counseling. The course will explore the history of marriage, the choosing of a partner, parenting styles, and issues that create marital discord and divorce. Specific course objectives are to provide information about the therapeutic process and the practical elements of counseling interactions with families, to identify differences between individual- and system-oriented therapies, and to encourage the integration of theoretical and experiential learning. Prerequisite: PSYCH 101 Minimum Grade of D

This course is a survey of current psychological theories of the addiction process and treatment modalities based on each. Physiology and neurobiology will be considered, but are not the primary focus of the course. Theoretical models include: the disease model, psychoanalytic formulations, conditioning theory, social-learning theory, family-systems theory and the opponent process model. Sociocultural perspectives, including deviance theory, will also be discussed. Prerequisite: PSYCH 101 Minimum Grade of D

Psychology of Trauma provides a survey of the phenomena of psychological trauma. Discussion includes the conceptualization of trauma, defining a trauma event, and the identification of major types of trauma, as well as human responses in the neurobiological, cognitive and behavioral, and relational domains. Prerequisite: PSYCH 101 Minimum Grade of D

This course will give undergraduate students an overview of the art therapy profession, including foundations, history, philosophies, theory, and applications. Students will identify and discuss the roots of art therapy in culture and the relevance in modern healthcare and treatment. Students will examine the value of creativity in healing, the role of metaphor, and the importance of skill, talent, experience, performance and mastery as pertains to making artwork for expression. This course is experiential and students will explore the use of art making for expressive, communicative, collaborative, and commemorative purposes.

Students will study the more recent methods in testing, interviewing and selection of workers. Training, motivation, performance appraisal, job satisfaction, morale, job analysis, decision making, leadership and organization theory are other topics discussed.

This is a methods course concerning the basic concepts and techniques of psychological assessment tools (tests) as they are used in the profession if psychology in employment, school, clinical and medical settings. Emphasis will be placed on understanding test design, or what goes into a test, as well as understanding test scores and profiles, or what comes out of a test. Many specific tests will be highlighted throughout the course to help students appreciate psychological tests and become aware of their functions and limitations.

Students will study the experimental analysis of the individual as subjected to the social influence of other individuals or social groups. Topics to be covered include persuasion, conformity, aggression, altruism, prejudice and interpersonal attraction and an analysis of the research methods used to study these behaviors. Prerequisite: PSYCH 101 Minimum Grade of D

This course is designed to provide a theoretical and experiential exposure to group formation, group process and group dynamics, as well as to interpersonal relationships within and between groups.

The ability to work with individuals from different cultures is increasingly recognized as an essential skill for success, particularly in the fields of human services, business, communications, and medicine. Still, most people have not mastered a cross-cultural skill set. This course examines the changing demographics of the United States, teaches the core competencies for successful crosscultural interactions, and prepares students for crosscultural teamwork and leadership

Educational Psychology provides a contextual understanding of the process of human development, learning, change as it pertains to schools. The topic includes cognitive, language, personality and sociocultural development in the context of education. Discussion explores thought provoking contemporary research and theory as well as applications to everyday life.

This course will provide a survey of the study of animal behavior as related to psychology. Students will become familiar with approaches, fundamental concepts and contemporary research findings of the field. Topics include patterns and development of behavior in animals, neural and hormonal influences, animal learning and cognition and the evolution of behavior.

Students will study the basic principles of drug action in the central nervous system. Topics will include effects of stimulants, depressants, intoxicants and drug abuse on behavioral function. The clinical use of drugs in the treatment of psychological and psychiatric disorders will be discussed. Prerequisite: PSYCH 103 Minimum Grade of D or BIOL 201 Minimum Grade of D

Sensations refer to information about the environment gathered through the senses. Perception is the process by which sensory information is interpreted and made meaningful. This course will provide a survey of the study of sensation and perception from structural, functional and cognitive viewpoints.

This course involves a rigorous examination of the biological, behavioral and mental aspects of human sexuality. Among the topics to be studied are anatomy and physiology, conception and contraception, sex roles, love, sexual communication, sexual dysfunctions and social issues such as pornography.

This course will introduce you to the field of health psychology, which considers the impact of psychological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors on health and well-being. We will examine the ways that stress can negatively impact physical health, immune function, and risk for chronic health conditions, along with coping strategies that promote resilience. We will also consider empirically supported strategies for health promotion and maintenance, illness prevention, pain management, and illness treatment.

Catalog Description: This course provides students with a survey of theories of creativity and introduces them to facets of the concept of creativity beyond the traditional domains of art and design. Students will apply a case-study method to exemplars of creativity—both eminent and everyday creators—as a means of understanding the nature of creative phenomena across the broad spectrum of the construct. This course satisfies a portion of the creativity core curriculum requirements for all undergraduate students at Jefferson. This is a writing intensive course.

This course introduces psychology as an experimental science in which hypotheses are generated and tested. Major topics will include various types of experimental designs, subject selection and randomization. Students will be introduced to various data collection methods and research designs specific to the different branches of psychology.

An in-depth consideration of a particular topic, issue or problem in psychology that is of special interest to students and faculty. Recent sections have discussed topics such as educational psychology, psychosexual development and the psychology of trauma. Topic selection will be done in advance of registration.

For further details, see general description of Independent Study in 'Academic Policies' section

This course will involve an in-depth exploration of research methods in psychology. Students will conduct an original research project individually or as part of a research team. Through this course, students will apply their psychological training to designing, conducting, analyzing, discussing and presenting their own research project. Prerequisite: PSYCH322 Minimum Grade of D

This course is a senior-level seminar dealing with current controversial issues in psychology. Students will perform a search of the scientific literature on issues chosen from a list provided by the instructor and organize, analyze, orally present and discuss material with the class. Finally, students will propose a question generated from this activity and design a research structure to answer it.