PSYC - Psychology

Major emphasis is upon normal human behavior. The biological structure of the human organism and its effect upon behavior as well as environmental effects on behavior are studied. The major areas of psychological study are surveyed.

A course designed to help students understand the basic concepts and principles of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development at each major stage of life - from conception until old age. Major theories are explained and fully integrated throughout the life span.

An examination of the problems of human adjustment through the psychoanalytic, social-learning, and humanistic perspectives. The course also focuses on stress, its effects and its management. The third area of study concerns interpersonal and social aspects of adjustment.

The course is an introduction to social psychology - the scientific discipline which studies the psychology of the individual in society. It focuses on the individual during social interaction, social influence, and interaction processes. Among topics considered are: attitude change, person perception, attrition theory, verbal and nonverbal communication, conformity and nonconformity, aggression and affiliation, power, social justice, and interpersonal attraction.

This course is designed to assist the student in developing the helping skills necessary to conduct a productive, helping session. Helping models, ethical considerations, and interview methods will be examined, particularly as they apply to the human services field. Students will video and participate in mock counseling sessions.

This course is an introduction to sports psychology, a scientific discipline that studies the psychological/mental and behavioral factors that influence and are influenced by the participation in and performance of sports and physical activity. Specific topics include personality and motivation; cognition and decision making; stress and arousal; violence in sports; team dynamics, the history of sports; rituals and bonding; mental imagery; and performance and spectator behavior.

Major emphasis is upon understanding the symptoms, etiology, diagnostic classification, and theories pertaining to psychopathology. Special attention is paid to the medical model, the psychological model, and the behaviorist model as they apply to the causes and treatment of the behavioral disorders. Newer developments in therapy are analyzed which treat mental disorders as problems of living rather than specific diseases.

This course allows students who have successfully completed a previous course in psychology to continue study in that subject. A student may contract for one to four credit hours. However, directed study may be contracted by a student only with the approval of the directing instructor and the department chair.

An advanced course to acquaint the student with general principles of psychology as they are applied in industry and business. The focus of the course will be on the viewpoints of industrial and organizational psychologists and will cover such topics as: history of work (Scientific Management and Human Relations), personnel selection, training and performance appraisal, job satisfaction and work motivation, group dynamics, leadership, labor-management relations, organizational communication, organization development (e.g., TQM) and work conditions including stress, drug abuse, alcoholism, employment, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Some topics will be discussed from a global perspective.