Courses

PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

PSY 101-102
PRINCIPLES OF
PSYCHOLOGY I & II are comprehensive introductory courses concerned with such topics as learning, emotion, intelligence, heredity, and environment; differences between individuals; the nature and development of personality and how they influence us; and how the body relates to and affects human behavior. Prerequisite for all other Psychology courses for Psychology majors. (Social Science Core)

3 credit hours per semester

 

PSY 103
INTRODUCTION TO
MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES examines the fields of community mental health and the provision of services to people with problems due to mental illness, mental retardation, alcohol and drug abuse, and family and personal problems. Students will be exposed to information needed for a career in human services and will be aided in developing certain attitudes needed for such a career. (Social Science Core)

3 credit hours

 

PSY 105
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
presents a picture of the science of Psychology as it exists today. Factors that are characteristics of individuals in general are studied. These topics include the nervous system, emotions, perception, sensation, thinking, motivation, and personality development. Prerequisite for all other Psychology courses for non-psychology majors. (Formerly Psy 201) (Social Science Core)

3 credit hours

 

PSY 204
PSYCHOLOGICAL
STATISTICS is based on the principle that a scientific study of man and his behavior requires the measurement and description of his behavior in an objective, systematic manner. This course introduces the student to the fundamental statistical techniques used in psychological research. These methods include sampling techniques, measures of central tendency, variability, correlation, and probability. (Communications Core)

Prerequisite: Mth 155 3 credit hours

 

PSY 206
PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
I examines the physical, cognitive, social, and personality development of the child from birth through adolescence. Human development in Education involves the study and critical review of the child development and the developmental theories of early and middle childhood, as well as those of adolescence and young adulthood. Knowledge of physiological, sociological, and psychological forces as they influence the behavior of the child and maturing adolescent are vital to the understanding of the human personality. This course also examines some of the problems involved in these phases of the development sequence. (Social Science Core)

3 credit hours

PSY 207
PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT II
is a continuation of the study of human personality focusing on the psychological, physiological, and sociological forces as they influence maturity and decline in behavior during early, middle, and late adulthood. (Social Science Core)

3 credit hours

PSY 208
ADJUSTMENT
recognizes the fresh insight contemporary psychology has found into human behavior, which has developed new approaches for helping individuals overcome their problems and fulfill their personal potential. Through small group discussion and interpersonal encounter, students learn to cope with such problem areas and to discover personal potentials.

3 credit hours

PSY 210
INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH presents the scientific research methods used by social scientists. A detailed study is made of the research designs employed most frequently in social research. The ethics of research with human subjects will be discussed. The student will learn the basics of parametric and non-parametric data analysis procedures. (Communications Core)

Prerequisite: Mth 155 3 credit hours

PSY 224
SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY explores the growth of a social personality, the effects of crowd behavior, the development of values and attitudes, and the mechanics of group life in general. The recognized scholars, Maslow, Goffman, Berger, Luckman, and others, are included in this study of the whole person.

3 credit hours

PSY 301
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
emphasizes the psychological approach to learning, methods of evaluation, transfer of learning, training, developmental patterns of pupils, and teacher-student interaction, along with focus on language development. Although when compared to some other sciences, educational psychology is relatively young, the problems this course deals with are very old. Solutions to some of these problems are offered through the ideas of James, Thorndike, Watson, Skinner, Goddard, Bayler, Bruner, Piaget, Erikson, White, Marcia, Elkind, Gardner, Chomsky and others. Students will be given opportunities to engage in small group discussions as well as experiential exercises designed to bring to life the ideas of several of the educational theorists.

3 credit hours

PSY 302
HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY
delineates the slow, steady advances that have been made in Psychology through the contributions of great men and the interaction of historical forces such as social, political, cultural, and intellectual circumstances. Modern Psychology, its origins in philosophy, and its evolution into a science is studied by following the great man approach from Aristotle to Freud.

3 credit hours

PSY 305
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
surveys the important and widespread applications of Psychology to industry and business, involving many different areas of general Psychology. Some of these applications have been in the following areas: motivational research, evaluation and interviewing of employees, factors in adjustment, and efficiency in work such as employee morale, training, job evaluation, and fatigue.

3 credit hours

PSY 307-308
EXPERIMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGY I & II deal with scientific psychological experimentation as it consists in the following kinds of activities: the formulation and selection of a problem for investigation, making observations and collecting facts relevant to the problem, the processing and analysis of the facts, the explanation and analysis of data, and finally, the reporting and communication of conclusions. Class lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory experiments enable the student to learn and apply the scientific method in psychological research. 1 lecture hour and 4 lab hours per week.

Prerequisite: Psy 204 3 credit hours per semester

 

PSY 309
PERSONALITY
investigates one of the most complex phenomena studied by Psychology. It is so because in our daily lives, we continually meet and deal with other personalities, anticipate their actions, and understand their feelings. Personality theories that underlie the various approaches to psychotherapy are studied in this course. Phenomenological, existential, behavioristic, social learning, and psychoanalytic theories are examined.

3 credit hours

PSY 310
MOTIVATION AND EMOTION
builds upon the long history of interest in human motivationwhy people behave in certain ways. This history can be traced from the early speculation of philosophers to the scientific research of contemporary psychologists. In this course, the student will survey the major philosophical points of view concerning motivation and will study intensively the work of psychologists interested in motivation. The student will also study emotion in this course. Emotions are linked closely to motivation because they influence the way people perceive and adapt to the world. Psychologists believe that emotions determine the quality of motivated behavior.

3 credit hours

PSY 316
PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING
recognizes that what actually takes place during the process of learning is still something of a mystery. Psychologists assume that certain changes occur in man's central nervous system, but these changes have not yet been fully identified. Even so, the facts of learning are among the basic facts of human behavior. The kinds of learning man displays and that are studied in this course are conditioned response learning, rote learning, trial and error learning, and cognitive-insight learning. Through an evaluation of current learning theories and their supportive research, students acquire a deeper appreciation of this highly complex form of human behavior.

Prerequisites: Psy 101-102 3 credit hours

PSY 318
PERCEPTION
is studied in an attempt to explain man's observations of the world around him. Each man lives in his own world, for his world is determined by what and how he experiences it. By studying the sensory processes, the organization of visual and auditory experiences, and perceptual anomalies such as illusions, students gain a better understanding of "why things look as they do" to the perceiver.

Prerequisites: Psy 101-102 3 credit hours

PSY 319
INTRODUCTION
TO COUNSELING assists students in developing counseling skills through an analysis of contemporary models of counseling designed for behavior change or adjustment. Theories and rationale behind these counseling models will be presented with actual counseling case materials.

Prerequisite: Psy 309 3 credit hours

PSY 320
GROUP DYNAMICS
discusses general principles of interaction in human relation situations. Through demonstration and participation, students learn to work effectively with groups and to achieve deeper self-understanding by employing the various group techniques used in personal, social, and emotional adjustment.

Prerequisites: Psy 208 and 319 3 credit hours

PSY 322
ADVANCED
COUNSELING deals in further depth with many of the issues presented in the introductory counseling course. Emphasis will be placed on actual experience in counseling through extensive use of role-playing situations and actual counseling cases. Close supervision will give the opportunity for interaction with the instructor in the development of the student's counseling skills.

Prerequisite: Psy 319 3 credit hours

PSY 324
HUMAN AND
SPIRITUAL INTEGRATION is a seminar in contemporary Psychology and Christian humanism. This interdisciplinary approach is designed to critically examine stage theories, normative behavior, human perspectivity, faith experiences, Christian conversion, and Pauline anthropology. Practical applications of pastoral psychology to issues of human development, character deficiencies, and growth potential will address differing strategies used in pastoral counseling, therapeutic intervention, and spiritual direction.

Prerequisites: Completion of two courses in both psychology and theology 
3 credit hours

PSY 401
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
deals with the most fascinating of topicsthe disorganized personality. It explores a wide variety of unusual human experiences ranging from minor maladjustments encountered in daily living to chronic neuroses and psychoses requiring prolonged treatment or institutionalization. Students gain an understanding of mental and emotional dysfunctions as classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4.

3 credit hours

PSY 403
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TESTS makes a principal distinction between modern scientific psychology and philosophical psychology through its emphasis on quantitative measurement as a means of acquiring knowledge about human behavior as contrasted to the speculative approach. To describe human abilities, psychologists have developed measures of intelligence, achievement, aptitudes, interest, and personality. This course examines these types of evaluation instruments and gives the student the opportunity to administer and interpret such tests.

Prerequisite: Psy 204 3 credit hours

PSY 405
PHYSIOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGY has made great strides in determining the functions of the various areas of the brain. Some of the most recent and exciting work in this area of Psychology relates such psychological processes as reward, punishment, and attention to brain function. The role of the nervous and endocrine systems in sensation, perception, learning, and adjustment is studied.

Prerequisites: Bio 133, 134 3 credit hours

PSY 407-408
INTERNSHIP
aids students in improving their professional skills through a directed, extensive 150-hour experience in a psychological, psychiatric, mental health, or human services setting. Psychology majors may serve their internship as undergraduate research or teaching assistants

3 credits per semester

PSY 409
INTERVIEWING
AND ASSESSMENT studies the purpose, structure, and techniques of effective interviewing, history taking, and recording client data. Selected types of assessment techniques are also presented.

3 credit hours

PSY 434*
THESIS
requires senior majors to write a thesis on an approved psychological topic. The thesis will primarily involve library research. Guidance and supervision will be provided by a departmental faculty member.

1 credit hour

 

PSY 435*
COORDINATING
SEMINAR is a formal presentation of an extensively researched and approved topic of psychological interest.

1 credit hour

 

*Senior majors must choose either Psy 434 Thesis or Psy 435 Coordinating Seminar to complete their major course requirements for graduation.