Psychology

This course introduces students to the field of psychology and gives a general understanding of foundational concepts of psychology. Students will apply psychological science to everyday life and career exploration, emphasizing scientific inquiry, ethical reasoning, cultural humility, and social responsibility. Topics may include the historical development of the discipline, scientific methodology, motivational theory, consciousness, sensation and perception, learning, thinking, memory, emotions, biological basis of behavior, personality theory, and psychopathology.

This course examines human growth and development from conception through late adulthood using a lifespan perspective. Students explore physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development while examining major developmental theories and current research. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of biological, psychological, cultural, and environmental factors that shape development across the lifespan. Students apply developmental concepts to real-world contexts such as education, healthcare, and community settings, with attention to diversity, equity, and cultural humility.

Educational Psychology is designed to cover five broad topics: development, learning, lesson and classroom management, assessment, and characteristics of learners. The development component focuses on developmental theories of cognition and affect as they relate to education. The learning component presents behavioral and cognitive perspectives on learning, problem solving, critical-thinking, and reasoning. The classroom management component focuses on the evaluation of learner characteristics to include those with exceptionalities and ethnically diverse learners. This course provides basic knowledge from the discipline of psychology as related to the field of education and application of this basic knowledge to improve the quality and outcome of the educational process.

This course explores the diagnosis, treatment and care of the symptoms associated with abnormal behavior. The theoretical causes of various types of psychological disorders – particularly the neurotic, psychotic, and mood disorders will be presented as will a historical perspective regarding treatment. The history surrounding the treatment of mental illness will be discussed. The psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and medical model approaches to treatment will be emphasized.

This course surveys the major areas of social psychology - the science of individual human behavior in social situations. The course emphasizes an understanding of the important methods, terms, theories, and findings in the field of social psychology. By understanding social psychology, we can become more aware of others and ourselves. It is required that you have passed an Introductory Psychology course before taking this class. The course employs primarily a lecture format, although your comments, questions, and discussion are strongly encouraged.

Counseling Theories and Techniques is a course designed to provide students with a foundation in the theoretical concepts of the major theories of counseling and interviewing skills. Students will examine the theories and research as it applies to counseling and psychotherapy. Specific emphasis will be given to interviewing techniques and preliminary counseling skills necessary for effective interaction with clients. Topics also include basic assessment, ethics, diversity, and self-awareness.