Courses

This page displays the schedule of ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ courses in this department for this academic year. It also displays descriptions of courses offered by the department during the last four academic years.

For information about courses offered by other ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ departments and programs or about courses offered by Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, please consult the Course Guides page.

For information about the Academic Calendar, including the dates of first and second quarter courses, please visit the College's calendars page.

Fall 2024 PSYC

Course Title Schedule/Units Meeting Type Times/Days Location Instr(s)
PSYC B105-001 Introductory Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM MW Taylor Hall F
Peterson,L.
PSYC B105-002 Introductory Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM TTH Old Library 224
Wexler,A.
PSYC B205-001 Research Methods and Statistics Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM MW Taylor Hall G
Albert,D.
PSYC B205-00A Research Methods and Statistics Semester / 1 Laboratory: 10:40 AM-12:00 PM F Canaday Computer Lab
Albert,D.
PSYC B205-00B Research Methods and Statistics Semester / 1 Laboratory: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM F Canaday Computer Lab
Albert,D.
PSYC B205-00Z Research Methods and Statistics 1 Albert,D.
PSYC B209-001 Clinical Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM TTH Carpenter Library 21
Mukerji,C.
PSYC B218-001 Behavioral Neuroscience Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM TTH Taylor Hall G
Herman,R.
PSYC B224-001 Cultural Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 11:40 AM-1:00 PM MW Dalton Hall 300
Wang,Z.
PSYC B231-001 Health Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM MW Dalton Hall 300
Leszko,M.
PSYC B265-001 Computational Neuroscience Semester / 1 Lecture: 2:40 PM-4:00 PM TTH Canaday Computer Lab
Shin,Y.
PSYC B281-001 Laboratory in Counseling Psychology First Half / 0.5 Laboratory: 7:10 PM-10:00 PM M Bettws Y Coed 127
Le,T.
PSYC B284-001 Lab in Health Psychology: Pandemic Decision Making First Half / 0.5 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM F Bettws Y Coed 127
Peterson,L.
PSYC B284-002 Lab in Health Psychology: Neuroscience of Mindfulness Semester / 0.5 LEC: 7:10 PM-10:00 PM T Bettws Y Coed 127
Mervis,J.
PSYC B289-001 Laboratory in Clinical Psychology First Half / 0.5 Lecture: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM W Bettws Y Coed 127
Conlin,S.
PSYC B318-001 Data Science with R Semester / 1 Lecture: 7:10 PM-10:00 PM W Canaday Computer Lab
Sorhagen,N.
PSYC B320-001 Helping Skills: Theory and Practice Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM MW Bettws Y Coed 127
Le,T.
PSYC B322-001 Culture and Development Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM T Bettws Y Coed 239
Wang,Z.
PSYC B352-001 Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology: Children and Identity: Understanding Self and Othe Semester / 1 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM M Bettws Y Coed 127
Baird,J.
PSYC B353-001 Advanced Topics in Clinical Psychology: Multicultural Competence Semester / 1 LEC: 8:40 AM-10:00 AM TTH Bettws Y Coed 127
Conlin,S.
PSYC B400-001 Senior Thesis 1 Thapar,A.
PSYC B400-002 Senior Thesis 1 Le,T.
PSYC B400-003 Senior Thesis 1 Mukerji,C.
PSYC B400-004 Senior Thesis 1 Conlin,S.
PSYC B400-005 Senior Thesis 1 Peterson,L.
PSYC B400-006 Senior Thesis 1 Orvell,A.
PSYC B400-007 Senior Thesis 1 Albert,D.
PSYC B400-008 Senior Thesis 1 Wang,Z.
PSYC B400-009 Senior Thesis 1 Grafe,L.
PSYC B403-001 Supervised Research 1 Dept. staff, TBA
DSCI B314-001 Advanced Data Science:Regression & Multivariate Statistics Semester / 1 LEC: 8:40 AM-11:30 AM TH Bettws Y Coed 239
Schulz,M.

Spring 2025 PSYC

Course Title Schedule/Units Meeting Type Times/Days Location Instr(s)
PSYC B105-001 Introductory Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 8:40 AM-10:00 AM TTH Conlin,S.
PSYC B105-002 Introductory Psychology Semester / 1 LEC: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM MW Le,T.
PSYC B203-001 Educational Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 7:10 PM-8:30 PM MW Graziosi-Hibbs,S.
PSYC B205-001 Research Methods and Statistics Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM TTH Shin,Y.
PSYC B205-00A Research Methods and Statistics Semester / 1 Laboratory: 4:10 PM-5:30 PM TH Shin,Y.
PSYC B205-00B Research Methods and Statistics Semester / 1 Laboratory: 8:40 AM-10:00 AM F Shin,Y.
PSYC B205-00Z Research Methods and Statistics 1 Shin,Y.
PSYC B208-001 Social Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM TTH Orvell,A.
PSYC B209-001 Clinical Psychology Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM TTH Conlin,S.
PSYC B211-001 Lifespan Development Semester / 1 Lecture: 11:40 AM-1:00 PM MW Wang,Z.
PSYC B280-001 Laboratory in Computational Neuroscience First Half / 0.5 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM W Shin,Y.
PSYC B283-001 Laboratory in Developmental Psychology: Adolescence Semester / 0.5 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM T Albert,D.
PSYC B285-001 Laboratory in Cultural Psychology First Half / 0.5 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM TH Wang,Z.
PSYC B288-001 Laboratory in Social Psychology First Half / 0.5 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM W Orvell,A.
PSYC B289-001 Laboratory in Clinical Psychology First Half / 0.5 Laboratory: 9:10 AM-12:00 PM F Conlin,S.
PSYC B320-001 Helping Skills: Theory and Practice Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM MW Le,T.
PSYC B330-001 Reproducible Research in Psychology Semester / 1 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM TH Albert,D.
PSYC B332-001 Unlocking the self-control toolbox Semester / 1 LEC: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM M Orvell,A.
PSYC B344-001 Early Childhood Experiences & Mental Health Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM M Mukerji,C.
PSYC B344-002 Early Childhood Experiences & Mental Health Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM T Mukerji,C.
PSYC B399-001 Senior Seminar Semester / 1 Lecture: 1:10 PM-4:00 PM W Dept. staff, TBA
PSYC B400-001 Senior Thesis 1 Dept. staff, TBA
PSYC B400-002 Senior Thesis 1 Dept. staff, TBA
PSYC B400-003 Senior Thesis 1 Dept. staff, TBA
PSYC B400-004 Senior Thesis 1 Orvell,A.
PSYC B400-005 Senior Thesis 1 Peterson,L.
PSYC B400-006 Senior Thesis 1 Conlin,S.
PSYC B400-007 Senior Thesis 1 Mukerji,C.
PSYC B400-008 Senior Thesis 1 Le,T.
PSYC B400-009 Senior Thesis 1 Grafe,L.
PSYC B403-001 Supervised Research 1 Dept. staff, TBA

Fall 2025 PSYC

(Class schedules for this semester will be posted at a later date.)

2024-25 Catalog Data: PSYC

PSYC B105 Introductory Psychology

Fall 2024, Spring 2025

How do biological predispositions, life experiences, culture, and other social forces contribute to individual differences in human and animal behavior? This biopsychosocial theme will be examined in domains such as perception, cognition, learning, motivation, emotion, and social interaction thereby providing an overview of psychology's many areas of inquiry. The laboratory component of the course provides students opportunities to engage in data collection, research design, data analysis, and scientific writing in the psychological sciences. Students sign up for a laboratory component during the first week of class (laboratory times are typically held for 2 hours per week; (four weekday evening times and one weekend time.

Quantitative Readiness Required (QR)

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B203 Educational Psychology

Spring 2025

Topics in the psychology of human cognitive, social, and affective behavior are examined and related to educational practice. Issues covered include learning theories, memory, attention, thinking, motivation, social/emotional issues in adolescence, and assessment/learning disabilities. This course provides a Praxis Level II opportunity. Classroom observation is required. Prerequisite: PSYC B105 (Introductory Psychology)

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Counts Toward Praxis Program

Back to top

PSYC B205 Research Methods and Statistics

Fall 2024, Spring 2025

An introduction to research design, general research methodology, and the analysis and interpretation of data. Emphasis will be placed on issues involved with conducting psychological research. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, research design and validity, analysis of variance, and correlation and regression. Each statistical method will also be executed using computers. Lecture three hours, laboratory 90 minutes a week.

Quantitative Methods (QM)

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Counts Toward Data Science

Back to top

PSYC B208 Social Psychology

Spring 2025

This course is designed to expose students to the key theories in social psychology and help develop critical thinking skills to ask questions like a social psychologist (e.g., How do we explain behavior? Why do people behave differently toward outgroup vs. ingroup members?). The course will cover social psychology's history and its philosophical perspectives, including classic theories, methodologies, and research of social psychology. Special attention will be given to how these classic theories can be applied to current events, media, and everyday situations. Topics include attribution, emotion, attitudes and rationalization, stereotyping and prejudice, and social influence. Prerequisite: PSYC B105 or H100 (Introductory Psychology), or instructor's permission.

Course does not meet an Approach

Back to top

PSYC B209 Clinical Psychology

Fall 2024, Spring 2025

This course examines the experience, origins and consequences of psychological difficulties and problems. Among the questions we will explore are: What do we mean by abnormal behavior or psychopathology? What are the strengths and limitations of the ways in which psychopathology is assessed and classified? What are the major forms of psychopathology? How do psychologists study and treat psychopathology? How is psychopathology experienced by individuals? What causes psychological difficulties and what are their consequences? How do we integrate social, biological and psychological perspectives on the causes of psychopathology? Do psychological treatments (therapies) work? How do we study the effectiveness of psychology treatments? Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B105 or H100). Please note that this course was previously known as "Abnormal Psychology" and has now been renamed "Clinical Psychology" and can not be repeated for credit.

Course does not meet an Approach

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Counts Toward Health Studies

Back to top

PSYC B211 Lifespan Development

Spring 2025

A topical survey of psychological development across the lifespan, focusing on the interaction of personal and environmental factors in the ontogeny of perception, language, cognition, and social interactions within the family and with peers. Topics include developmental theories; infant perception; attachment; language development; theory of mind; memory development; peer relations and the family as contexts of development; identity and the adolescent transition; adult personality; cognition in late adulthood; and dying with dignity. Prerequisite: PSYC B105 or PSYC H100. Interested students can take this course or PSYC B206, but not both

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Back to top

PSYC B212 Human Cognition

Not offered 2024-25

This course provides an overview of the field of Cognitive Psychology, the branch of psychology that studies how we think. Over the semester we will survey classic and contemporary theory and findings on a wide range of mental processes that we use every day - from attention and memory to language and problem solving - and our goal will be to understand how the human mind works! Prerequisite: PSYC B105 or H100 (Introductory Psychology), or instructor's permission.

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Counts Toward Neuroscience

Back to top

PSYC B218 Behavioral Neuroscience

Fall 2024

This course will introduce students to the field of behavioral neuroscience. The first part of the course will familiarize students with the brain and neuronal communication. Then, we will delve into brain-behavior relationships. Topics covered will include: sex behavior, hunger, sleep, emotion, and psychopathology. Classic and state-of-the-art neuroscience research methodologies leading to this knowledge will be highlighted. Students will learn course content through lectures, readings, and digital media. To culminate the course, students will write a literature review on a topic of their choosing within the field of behavioral neuroscience. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B101 or PSYC H100) or NEUR H100

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward Neuroscience

Back to top

PSYC B224 Cultural Psychology

Fall 2024

Explores human behavior as a product of cultural context. Why are some aspects of human behavior the same across cultures, while others differ? Topics include the relationships between culture and development, cognition, the self, and social behaviors. Discussions include implications of cross-cultural psychology for psychological theory and applications. Prerequisites: ANTH101, PSYCB105, PSYCH100, SOCL102 or permission of instructor

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Back to top

PSYC B231 Health Psychology

Fall 2024

This course will provide an overview of the field of health psychology using lecture, exams, videos, assignments, and an article critique. We will examine the current definition of health psychology, as well as the theories and research behind many areas in health psychology (both historical and contemporary). The course will focus on specific health and social psychological theories, empirical research, and applying the theory and research to real world situations. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B105) or Foundations of Psychology (PSYC H100). Students may take either this course or HLTH/PSYC H245 not both.

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward Health Studies

Counts Toward Museum Studies

Back to top

PSYC B265 Computational Neuroscience

Fall 2024

This course introduces students to the field of computational neuroscience. Computational neuroscience uses mathematical models to understand the information carried in the brain at many scales: a single neuron, synaptic connections between neurons, and populations of neurons. Mathematical models help us gain a precise understanding of the dynamics of our nervous system and make better predictions by running simulations of the system. In this course, students will learn key concepts and topics in computational neuroscience. Topics include neural encoding and decoding, artificial neural networks, reinforcement learning, and Bayesian probability theories. They will gain hands-on experience formulating the mental processes in the brain in terms of mathematical equations and writing computer codes in programming languages such as Python and MATLAB to simulate these processes. Prerequisites: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B101 or PSYC H100), or Introduction to Neuroscience (NEUR H100).

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Counts Toward Data Science

Back to top

PSYC B280 Laboratory in Computational Neuroscience

Spring 2025

This writing-intensive laboratory course offers students hands-on experience in conducting computational neuroscience research. Through lab projects, students will develop research questions, perform literature reviews, apply computational theories to interpret existing findings, and run model simulations. They will write an APA-style manuscript and give an oral presentation. This 0.5-unit writing-intensive class that meets half of the writing requirement for the major. Prerequisites: ( PSYC B105, or PSYC H100 or NEUR 100) AND (PSYC B205, or PSYC H200, or MATH H103, or MATH H203, or MATH B104, or ECON H203). Suggested preparation: PSYC B265 (Computational Neuroscience) is helpful, but not required.

Writing Intensive

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B281 Laboratory in Counseling Psychology

Fall 2024

This writing-intensive laboratory course will offer experience in conducting psychological research in the area of counseling psychology. This course involves designing a study to answer a research question relevant to counseling psychology, including conducting a literature review, identifying appropriate research methods, statistical analysis, interpretation of results and intensive writing in the format of an APA-style research manuscript. This course will also emphasize expanding students' self-awareness about how privilege and oppression related to gender, race, sexual orientation, and other forms of social identity influence how we conduct and interact with research.. This is a .5 unit course that meets for the first half of the semester.

Writing Intensive

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B283 Laboratory in Developmental Psychology

Section 001 (Spring 2024): Adolescence
Section 001 (Spring 2025): Adolescence

Spring 2025

This laboratory course is designed to provide students with hands-on exposure to the principles and practices that guide scientific research on human psychological development. Topics will vary by section, and students can take any section of PSYC 283 (Early Childhood; Adolescence; Cognitive Neuroscience) for credit toward meeting the lab requirement in the major. This course is writing intensive and, as a 0.5 unit class, is designed to meet half of the writing requirement in the major. This is a 0.5 unit course that meets for the full semester. Prerequisite: Psych 105 (Introductory Psychology) and Psych 205 (Methods and Statistics); Suggested preparation: Psych 206 (Developmental Psychology) or Psychology 211 (Lifespan Development) or PSYC B208 (Social Psychology) is helpful, but not required.

Current topic description: This laboratory course is designed to provide students with hands-on exposure to the principles and practices that guide scientific research on human psychological development, with a focus on adolescence and emerging adulthood. We will examine the core steps in the scientific research process, including developing research questions and hypotheses, identifying an appropriate research design, evaluating measurement reliability and validity, analyzing data, and communicating results. Emphasis will be placed on the use of appropriate and reproducible data analysis practices at every project stage. Through lab activities, group collaboration, and individual writing, students will evaluate developmental research questions and communicate the results in the form of APA-style manuscripts and presentations. This class is a WRITING INTENSIVE class and, as a .5 unit class, is designed to meet half of the writing requirement in the major.

Writing Intensive

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B284 Lab in Health Psychology

Section 001 (Fall 2024): Pandemic Decision Making
Section 002 (Fall 2024): Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Fall 2024

This laboratory/writing intensive/scientific inquiry quarter course will provide a hands-on experience conducting health psychology research and writing APA-style manuscripts. Students will be exposed to various aspects of the scientific process such as: literature reviews, hypothesis-generation, data collection, analysis, writing (drafting and polishing), peer-reviewing, and oral dissemination of scientific findings. The course will focus on biopsychosocial theory and challenge students to apply the theory to their own research project(s) and write papers on the results. Prerequisite: PSYC B205.

Writing Intensive

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B285 Laboratory in Cultural Psychology

Spring 2025

This writing-intensive laboratory course will provide students an opportunity to learn the entire process of psychological research in a small scale. Students will formulate research questions within the area of cultural psychology, review the relevant literature, collect, code, and analyze data, and produce APA-style manuscripts. This lab course will expose students to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches to investigating research questions in cultural psychology. Prerequisites: Psych 105 (Introductory Psychology) and Psych 205 (Methods and Statistics);Suggested preparation: Psych 224 (Cross Cultural Psychology) is helpful, but not required.

Writing Intensive

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B286 Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience

Not offered 2024-25

This writing-intensive laboratory course will provide students with experience in the design, implementation, analysis, and presentation of behavioral neuroscience research. Students will partake in experiments that explore the relationship between the brain and behavior, using Sprague Dawley rats as a model organism. Students should expect to write research reports on experiments performed in the lab, as well as give an oral presentation on research conducted. Prerequisites: (PSYCB105, PSYCB100 or NEUR100) AND Either (PSYCB205, PSYCH200, MATHH103, MATHH203, MATHB104, or ECONH203)

Writing Intensive

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B287 Laboratory in Cognitive Neuroscience

Not offered 2024-25

This writing-intensive laboratory course will provide students with hands-on experience in the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of the electrophysiological techniques used in cognitive neuroscience research. Students will read research articles, design an event-related potential (ERP) research project, learn to collect ERP data, conduct EEG/ERP data analysis to test original hypotheses using existing data, and write an APA-style paper. This is a .5 unit writing-intensive class that meets half of the writing requirement in the major.

Writing Intensive

Quantitative Readiness Required (QR)

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B288 Laboratory in Social Psychology

Spring 2025

This writing-intensive laboratory course will offer experience in conducting psychological research in the area of social psychology. The course involves coming up with a research question relevant to social psychology, conducting a literature review, designing and conducting research (identifying correct research method), statistical analysis (measurement and reliability, identifying and running the appropriate statistical test), interpretation of results and writing up an APA-style manuscript of a journal article in psychology. This is a 0.5 unit course that meets the first half ofl semester. Prerequisites: PSYC 205 (Methods and Statistics); Suggested Preparation: PSYC208 (Social Psychology) is strongly recommened, but not required.

Writing Intensive

Quantitative Readiness Required (QR)

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B289 Laboratory in Clinical Psychology

Fall 2024, Spring 2025

At its core, this laboratory course is designed to explore how it is that psychologists come to know (or think they know) things and how they communicate what they think they know. The class focuses on the scientific principles and practices underlying research in psychology with an emphasis on techniques and topics important to the subfield of clinical psychology. This course is intended to provide hands-on training in how to conduct research. Through lab activities and class projects, students will learn about important methodological issues and steps in the research process including how to identify important questions, measurement issues such as reliability and validity, different modes of data collection, and how to collect, analyze, and interpret data. This class is a writing intensive class and, as a .5 unit class, is designed to meet half of the writing requirement in the major. Prerequisite: Psych 205 (Methods and Statistics); Suggested preparation: Psych 209 (Abnormal Psychology) is helpful, but not required.

Writing Intensive

Quantitative Readiness Required (QR)

Scientific Investigation (SI)

Back to top

PSYC B299 Topics in Psychology

Section 001 (Fall 2023): Sports Psychology

Not offered 2024-25

This is a topics course. Course content varies. This course will provide students with an overview of a subfield of psychology, deepening exposure to the breadth of an expansive field. Topics will rotate.

Course does not meet an Approach

Back to top

PSYC B316 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience

Not offered 2024-25

This is a topics course. Topics content varies..Prerequisite: PSYC B218 or BIOL B202 or PSYC H217. PSYC 205 is strongly recommended.

Back to top

PSYC B318 Data Science with R

Fall 2024

In this course, students will build and practice data science skills to tidy up disorganized real-world data sets, generate eye-catching visualizations, and craft easy-to-interpret, polished end-products in the R programming environment. Topics include experimental design, building statistical models, and visualizing uncertainty. Students will work throughout the term on an independent data science project leveraging real-world data to investigate their hypotheses culminating in a data blitz presentation. Students will learn how to respond to coding challenges with a puzzle-solving, growth-oriented mindset. No prior R experience is not required. Prerequsites: Required PSYC B205 (ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ - Research Methods and Statistics), OR PSYC H200 (Haverford - Research Methods and Statistics), OR SOCLB265 (ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ - Quantitative Methods).

Quantitative Readiness Required (QR)

Counts Toward Data Science

Counts Toward Neuroscience

Back to top

PSYC B320 Helping Skills: Theory and Practice

Fall 2024, Spring 2025

What does it mean to help someone? What specific skills can we use to help people feel seen, heard, and understood? This course provides students with in-depth exposure to theories and research regarding effective helping relationships, with a focus on applications to counseling and psychotherapy. Students will learn skills used to assist others in exploring feelings and thoughts, gaining insight, and taking action. Students will practice helping skills with each other and will conduct research projects evaluating their helping skills. This course will also emphasize students' explorations of their own and others' biases, beliefs, and stigmas related to sociocultural and social justice issues that affect helping skills. Prerequisite: PSYC B205

Writing Intensive

Back to top

PSYC B322 Culture and Development

Fall 2024

This course focuses on children's development in cultural, social, and ecological contexts. Topics include socio-emotional development, parent-child relationship, socioeconomic status, immigration, social change, and globalization. Prerequisites: PSYC B205 and PSYC B211 or PSYC B224

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Back to top

PSYC B323 Advanced Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience

Not offered 2024-25

This is a topics course. Course content varies.

Counts Toward Neuroscience

Back to top

PSYC B327 Adolescent Development

Not offered 2024-25

Is adolescence a biologically distinct stage of life, or a social "holding ground" invented by modern culture for young people unready or unwilling to assume the responsibilities of adulthood? Are adolescents destined to make risky decisions because of their underdeveloped brains? At what age should they be held accountable as adults in a court of law? This course will explore these and other questions about the biological, social, and legal forces that define the boundaries and shape the experience of adolescents growing up in the modern world. Students will learn about: (1) historical changes in understanding and treatment of adolescents; (2) puberty-related biological changes marking the beginning of adolescence; (3) brain, behavioral, cognitive, and social development during adolescence; and (4) contemporary debates regarding age of adult maturity, and their implications for law and policy. Prerequisite: PSYC B206 (Developmental Psychology) or PSYC B211 (Lifespan Development) or permission or instructor. PSYC B205 is recommended.

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Counts Toward Health Studies

Back to top

PSYC B330 Reproducible Research in Psychology

Spring 2025

How do we know what we know and what we don't know in empirical science? Can we trust the peer review process to filter out invalid claims and identify the claims with enough evidentiary support to merit inclusion in The Literature? This course has two primary aims. The first is to introduce students to the recent history and major conclusions of the "Open Science" reform movement in psychology and related sciences. Students will learn about the structural and methodological factors that are potentially responsible for the high proportion of false positive findings in psychology. The second aim is to introduce modern best practices in research design and statistical computing, which prioritize error control, transparency, and reproducibility. The course will provide a very gentle introduction to the R programming language, which students will use to produce a simple but fully reproducible statistical analysis in the format of a scientific report. Prerequisites: PSYC B205 or PSYC H200 or similar introduction to Research Methods and Statistics.

Quantitative Readiness Required (QR)

Counts Toward Data Science

Back to top

PSYC B331 Health Behavior and Context

Not offered 2024-25

This seminar will be devoted to a discussion of theory and research in health psychology. We will investigate both historical and contemporary perspectives on the psychology of wellness and illness. We will begin with a consideration of how psychosocial forces influence health cognitions, behaviors, and physiological processes. The second half of the course will focus on contextual factors, interventions, and emerging topics in research. We will debate the question of whether/how psychological forces influence health outcomes. Prerequisite: PSYC B105 and PSYC B231 or PSYC B208, or by permission of the instructor.

Counts Toward Health Studies

Back to top

PSYC B332 Unlocking the self-control toolbox

Spring 2025

What is self-control? Can it be learned? Or is it something that people either "have" or "don't have"? This course will explore these questions and others, including which psychological processes and concrete strategies allow people to effectively regulate their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to meet their goals; to what extent self-control is effortful; and how it works for different people in different situations and cultural contexts. Students will learn about influential theoretical models of self-control and emotion regulation, considering how people can use attention, their mind, the external environment, and social relationships to enact self-control successfully. Students will read empirical, peer-reviewed journal articles throughout this course, learning to synthesize; critically evaluate; and extend them, by asking new questions. Prerequisite: Research Methods and Statistics (PSYC B205 or PSYC H200) and either Psych 208 (Social Psychology), Psych 209 (Clinical) or Psych 224 (Cultural)

Course does not meet an Approach

Back to top

PSYC B344 Early Childhood Experiences & Mental Health

Spring 2025

Development represents a unique period during which the brain shows enhanced plasticity, the important ability to adapt and change in response to experiences. During development, the brain may be especially vulnerable to the impacts of harmful experiences (e.g., neglect or exposure to toxins) and also especially responsive to the effects of positive factors (e.g., community resilience or clinical interventions). This seminar will explore how childhood experiences "get under the skin," shaping neurobiological systems and exerting lasting effects on mental health and well-being. We will examine theoretical models of how early experiences shape development, considering the proposed mechanisms by which different features of childhood environments could shape psychological risk and resilience. We will evaluate the scientific evidence for these models and then apply this knowledge to consider what strategies for intervention-- at the level of the child, family, and society-- could help reduce psychopathology and promote well-being. There is no textbook required for this course. We will read, critically evaluate, and discuss empirical journal articles and explore the implications of this scientific literature for public policy. Prerequisites: PSYC B209 or PSYC B206 or PSYC B218 or permission from instructor; PSYC B205 highly recommended

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Back to top

PSYC B352 Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology

Section 001 (Fall 2023): Children and Identity: Understanding Self and Othe
Section 001 (Fall 2024): Children and Identity: Understanding Self and Othe

Fall 2024

This is a topics course. Topics vary. Prerequisite: PSYC 206 or PSYC B211 or the consent of the instructor.

Current topic description: How do children come to understand themselves and other people? This seminar explores young children's developing social cognition and the factors that influence this development. Topics include self-awareness, gender identity, and the emotional self, as well as children's perception and understanding of gender, race, morality, and other social constructs in others. We will examine these topics with the goals of understanding (a) the development of young children's identity and social thinking, (b) the role of socialization in this development, and (c) the implications of children's social cognition for their participation in the social world. This seminar, which will be driven by evidence-based, student-led discussion, is aimed at developing an integrated understanding of the literature and generating ideas for future inquiry.

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward Child and Family Studies

Back to top

PSYC B353 Advanced Topics in Clinical Psychology

Section 001 (Fall 2023): Multicultural Competence
Section 001 (Fall 2024): Multicultural Competence

Fall 2024

This course provides an in-depth examination of research and theory in a particular area of clinical psychology. Topics will vary from year to year.

Current topic description: This course provides an introduction to culturally-competent practice in psychology, with emphasis on clinical/counseling settings. Multicultural Competence is defined as the ability to work effectively and respectfully across cultural and/or identity differences. The first steps toward culturally-sensitive practice are: 1) critical self-reflection and 2) understanding dynamics of power and privilege (APA, 2020). These two key areas are the focus of this course. We will examine topics such as: power and privilege, the impacts of prejudice and discrimination, mental health and healthcare disparities, intersectionality, advocacy and social justice, and finally, cultural competence as a route toward positive change. This course encourages self-reflection on each of these topics. We will reflect on our own sociocultural identities and experiences - including areas of both privilege and marginalization - to gain awareness of how these shape our ways of being in the world. Students will have opportunities to engage in interactive activities and projects geared toward experiential learning throughout the semester. This course emphasizes student-led discussions, which are designed to facilitate in-depth exploration of course topics.

Counts Toward Health Studies

Back to top

PSYC B354 Asian American Psychology

Not offered 2024-25

This course will provide an overview of the nature and meaning of being Asian American in the United States. We will examine the history, struggle, and success of Asian Americans, drawing upon psychological theory and research, interdisciplinary ethnic studies scholarship, and memoirs. Students will also learn to evaluate the media portrayal of Asian Americans while examining issues affecting Asian American communities such as stereotypes, discrimination, family relationships, dating/marriage, education, and health disparities. Prerequisite: Introduction to Psychology (Psych 105) is required, Research Methods and Statistics (Psych 205) is recommended..

Back to top

PSYC B395 Psychopharmacology

Not offered 2024-25

A study of the role of drugs in understanding basic brain-behavior relations. Topics include the pharmacological basis of motivation and emotion; pharmacological models of psychopathology; the use of drugs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis; and the psychology and pharmacology of drug addiction. Prerequisite: PSYC B218 or BIOL B202 or PSYC H217 or permission of instructor.

Back to top

PSYC B399 Senior Seminar

This seminar is intended to serve as a capstone experience for senior psychology majors who have opted not to do a senior thesis. The focus of the seminar will be on analyzing the nature of public discourse (coverage in newspapers, magazines, on the internet) on a variety of major issues, identifying material in the psychological research literature relating to these issues, and to the extent possible relating the public discourse to the research.

Back to top

PSYC B400 Senior Thesis

Senior psychology majors who are doing a thesis should register for Senior Thesis (PSYC B400) with their adviser for both the Fall and Spring semester. Students will receive one unit per semester. Prerequisite: Psychology major.

Back to top

PSYC B403 Supervised Research

Laboratory or field research on a wide variety of topics. Students should consult with faculty members to determine their topic and faculty supervisor, early in the semester prior to when they will begin.

Back to top

PSYC B499 Psychology Colloquim

Majors are also required to attend a one-hour, weekly brown bag in the junior year for one semester. This requirement is designed to sharpen students' analytical and critical thinking skills, to introduce students to faculty members' areas of research, to provide additional opportunities for student-faculty interactions, and to build a sense of community.

Back to top

DSCI B314 Advanced Data Science:Regression & Multivariate Statistics

Fall 2024

This course is designed to improve your data science skills by introducing you to advanced statistical techniques that have become increasingly important in psychology and a variety of fields. The focus will be on understanding the advantages and limitations of regression approaches and multivariate analytic techniques that permit simultaneous prediction of multiple outcomes. Topics covered will include basic regression approaches, advanced regression strategies, structural equation modeling, factor analysis, measurement models, path modeling, modeling of longitudinal data sets, multilevel modeling approaches and growth curve modeling. Students will gain familiarity with these techniques by working with actual data sets. The last part of each class will be reserved for lab time to apply lessons from class to an assignment due the following week. Students are welcome to stay beyond the noon ending time to complete the assignment. Prerequisites: Required: PSYC Research Methods and Statistics 205 (BMC), Psych 200 (HC) Experimental Methods and Statistics, or BIOL B215 Experimental Design and Statistics. Students with good statistical preparation in math or other disciplines and some knowledge of core methods used in social science or health-related research should consult with the instructor to gain permission to take the class.This course was formerly numbered PSYC B314; students who previously completed PSYC B314 may not repeat this course.

Counts Toward Data Science

Counts Toward Health Studies

Back to top

HLTH B302 Survey Methods for Health Research

Not offered 2024-25

Surveys are widely used to measure the population prevalence of various health conditions; to better understand the scope and impact of exposure to social and economic stressors on population health; to monitor health-related knowledge, attitudes and practices; and to inform health systems strengthening efforts. Through course material and hands-on experience, students will master the basic elements of survey design, including, operationalizing constructs and formulating research questions, choosing a mode of survey implementation, pretesting the survey instrument, designing a sampling plan, managing field operations, and analyzing and interpreting survey data. Prerequisites: Completion of a 200-level course in the social sciences or permission of the instructor.

Back to top