Psychology Course Descriptions
PSYCH1401 Child Psychology (SA)
This course studies child growth and adolescent development, learning theory and its application to classroom management, measurement theory and techniques. Papers emphasize integration of theory and practice. This course will not count toward the Psychology Major unless the student also has taken PSYCH1405.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
PSYCH1405 Adolescent Psychology (SA)
This course studies the physical, cognitive, social and moral development from the onset of adolescence to young adulthood. The influence of heredity, family, culture, school and peers will be discussed, including common adolescent problems as well as adolescent psychopathological disorders. Special emphasis will be placed on the characteristics and needs of early adolescents and the role of professionals in adolescent assessment, coordination and education. This course will not count toward the Psychology Major unless the student also has taken PSYCH1401.
Fall and spring semester, 4 credits.
PSYCH1501 General Psychology (SA)
This course introduces the broad field of psychology by surveying a wide range of topics, including personality, development, motivation, emotion, adjustment, cognition, consciousness, the nature of psychological research, social problems and behavioral disorders. The objective is for students to gain a base of knowledge, which they will broaden and deepen in other psychology courses.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
PSYCH2103 Relationships, Marriage, and the Family (SA)
This course considers how intimate relationships are formed, what makes a successful relationship and how relationships fail. Topics include people’s choices of different life styles, sex and love, communication and conflict. Modern data is used to consider changes in the typical family, the troubled family and abuse, and racial and ethnic patterns in family life.
Spring semester. 4 credits
PSYCH2203 Social Psychology (SA)
Social psychology deals with the study of people and the environmental contexts in which they live. Social psychology encompasses a broad range of topics, including such areas as conformity, attitudes, gender, attraction and love, helping and aggression, and prejudice and discrimination. Through lectures, discussions, demonstrations and group activities, we will take a scientific approach to explore these everyday topics. We will examine classic, as well as more contemporary, research in social psychology, critically evaluate this research and apply social psychological findings to real world situations.
Fall semester. 4 credits
PSYCH2207 Quantitative Methods in Psychology (QA)
This course is designed to introduce students to the analysis and interpretation of research data and research designs. Topics covered are descriptive statistics, probability, sampling and estimation and hypothesis testing. Student t tests, psi square and ANOVA are introduced. This course is required of all psychology majors.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501, and MATH1117 or permission of the instructor
PSYCH2209 Physiological Bases of Behavior (SI)
This course covers current knowledge concerning the relationship between anatomy and physiology on the one hand, and behavior on the other. Although the focus is on the central nervous system, other structures having wide ramifications for behavior, such as sex differentiation and cardiac, endocrine and gastrointestinal systems, are studied.
Fall and spring semester 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
PSYCH2303 Human Development I: Child and Adolescent Psychology
This course offers a comprehensive view of the research and theory dealing with the psychological development of the individual through the stages of childhood and adolescence. Within these stages, the focus will be on the specifics of cognitive, emotional, physical, social and moral tasks of development. In addition to dealing with the key markers of early life stages, language development and the emergence of personality, appropriate applications from research will be made to parenting and educational situations.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
PSYCH2304 Human Development II: Adulthood and Aging
This course offers a comprehensive view of the research and theory pertaining to the developmental tasks of adulthood and the later adult years. The focus is on normal adjustment processes, both biological and psychological, from young adulthood, through mid-life, to the end stages of life. Topics will include biological process of aging, changes in emotional and cognitive functions, relationships, parenting, mid-life crises, life choices as to occupation and retirement, coping and adaptation.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
PSYCH2405 Health Psychology
This course deals with the psycho-physical bases of health and illness. It considers health enhancing and health endangering behaviors, the causes of stress, ways of dealing with stress and the psychological preparation for stressful situations. Psychological research on coping and adaptation is applied to specific questions of pain, illness and modern behavioral medicine.
Fall semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
Recommended: PSYCH2209, or BIOL1110 and BIOL1111
PSYCH2701 Research Methods in Psychology
This course introduces the process of experimental and non-experimental methods in the field of psychology, focusing on research design, implementation, and analysis. Special emphasis is placed on the scientific method in order to understand, predict, and control psychological phenomena. Papers integrate theory and application within psychological research. There will also be an emphasis on reading primary-source material and learning appropriate writing conventions.
Fall semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
Recommended: PSYCH2207 or be taken simultaneously with PSYCH2207
PSYCH3101 Seminar: Psychology of Women
The experiences of women, both as a group and as unique individuals, are an important focus of research by psychologists today. In this service learning course, students will examine critical issues in the field (e.g. gender roles, body image, violence against women), integrate research with applied resources and service in the Boston area, and develop educational programs on these issues for adolescent girls. Classic and contemporary research will guide dialogues about specific issues women and girls face as a group. Examining Boston’s resources (e.g., shelters) will allow students to study how theoretical and empirical research is applied to real world situations and affects real individuals. Finally, students will work with small groups of adolescent girls to develop resources and programs that will ultimately benefit them and their peers. The work accomplished in this seminar will reflect the core mission of social awareness and social justice.
Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: Junior or senior status, PSYCH1501, or PSYCH2203 or permission of instructor recommended. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
PSYCH3111 Cognition
This course is designed to introduce students to cognitive psychology with an emphasis on cognitive methods. Students will examine internal mental processes such as attention, memory, language, and reasoning. At all times, students will be challenged to make links between cognitive theory, research, and methods.
Fall semester. 4 credits
Prerequisites: PSYCH1501
PSYCH3211 Theories of Personality
This course presents the major features of several important personality theories, including the psychoanalytic, the humanist and the cognitive-behavioral. Emphasis will be given to contemporary and psychodynamic theories. Case studies will be used to clarify, compare and contrast different theoretical approaches.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
PSYCH3212 Abnormal Psychology
This course studies mental deviation from the normal; the etiology and description of various symptom categories, including the changes brought about by D.S.M. IV; major explanatory systems, methods of diagnosis and study of abnormal mental processes, and methods of treatment and rehabilitation.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
Recommended: PSYCH3211
PSYCH3215 History and Systems of Psychology
This is a seminar-like presentation of the evolution of psychological concepts from the 18th century to the present. Emphasis is placed on contributions from philosophy and the physical sciences in the early stages of science leading to the development of modern theoretical approaches and systems.
Fall semester, alternate years. 4 credits
Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology including PSYCH1501
PSYCH3601 Counseling Theories and Techniques
This course provides an introduction to the theories and techniques of behavior change and psychotherapy. Students will be exposed to various schools of thought, with greater emphasis on empirically validated treatments. Specific skills in interviewing and clinical techniques will be learned through role plays and classroom demonstrations.
Fall semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: PSYCH1501
Recommended: PSYCH3211, PSYCH3212
PSYCH4100 Experimental Psychology
This course helps students, by immersing them in the research process, to understand and learn the complex decisions made in designing and implementing a research study. Students will be exposed to a wide range of contemporary research topics and issues, and will also actively conduct their own independent research, from the choosing of an appropriate topic to presenting their results to an audience of colleagues.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisites: PSYCH1501, PSYCH2207, PSYCH2701
PSYCH4178 Directed Study
Offered as needed. 4 credits
Prerequisites: Junior or senior status or permission of instructor
PSYCH4282-4283 Senior Directed Research I – II
Students in any track may do a directed research project. This course rotates among department members who will supervise all directed research projects. Students can either (a) develop and implement their own research study or (b) participate significantly in an existing research study at an outside placement. Regardless of their choice, all students will produce an APA style, formal manuscript that contains a literature review, description of research methods, analysis of data, and a discussion of the relevance of the study. To ensure that students working at outside institutions have significant exposure to the research process, several requirements must be met by the supervisor, including providing students with background to the theory and development of the study, experience in collecting and entering data, and ability to analyze data for the students’ own projects. The course faculty member will monitor the students’ outside work and be responsible for grading the final project. There will be regular class meetings, as well as individual meetings to discuss individual projects.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisites: PSYCH1501, PSYCH2207, PSYCH4100 and senior status. Credit granted upon completion and acceptance of the work. Some students may be advised to complete INT1001.
PSYCH4478 Senior Directed Study
A student, with departmental approval, may pursue research in a specialized area in psychology under the personal direction of one or more members of the department.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of instructor.
PSYCH4494-4495 Internship in Psychology I - II
This course involves supervised experience work in clinical or social service-oriented placements. Students should consult at least a semester beforehand about which sites they should apply for. Students also must assume responsibility for transportation to placement site.
Fall and spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisites: INT1001, six courses in psychology, including PSYCH3601, and permission of instructor. Senior status required.
PSYCH4496 Internship in Psychology
This course is for those students who, by exception, need only one semester of internship. This course involves supervised experience in practical or clinical settings designed for psychology majors.
Fall semester. 4 credits
Prerequisites: INT1001, six courses in psychology including PSYCH3601, and permission of instructor. Senior status required.