Psychology Course(s)

As a student of 2itions Psychology, you will learn to think critically and scientifically about
human behaviour and mental processes. You will work to understand human problems and
provide practical solutions to them. Upon completion of the major, you will have a solid grasp on
how thoughts, motivations, and feelings influence behaviours, and a strong background for
advanced study in the field.
Begin your studies with (1) Introduction to Psychology, (2) Introduction to Statistics, and the corequisites (3)Research Methods and (4)Research Methods Lab. These introductory courses will
provide you with a solid background in contemporary psychological theory and methodology.
Due to the importance of biology and neurology in psychological inquiry, (5) Introduction to
Statistics Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology and Introduction to Evolutionary Biology
and Ecology should also be taken. Finally, Clinical Psychology and Cognitive
Psychology provide detailed coverage of two of the most important areas of modern
psychology. This core program will equip you with the tools necessary for the study of more
complex areas of psychology, such as personality theory, neuropsychology, and learning.
It is also recommended that you take **six electives. The courses will introduce a subject area in
psychology for further exploration in one or multiple courses. Elective courses are more
advanced and more specific than the broader Core courses. At this advanced level, you will
learn to integrate theory and experience in your studies of complex human behaviours.
In order to complete the knowledge equivalent of a psychology major, you
should complete the *core program (8 courses) and 6 **electives of your choice (6
courses total 14 courses.

*Core Program
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Statistics
Research Methods
Research Methods Lab
Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Psychology

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**Elective Courses
Social Psychology
Lifespan Development
Educational Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
The Psychology of Learning and Behavior
Sensation and Perception
Abnormal (Psychology) Behaviour
Neuropsychology
Cultural Psychology
Psychotherapy
Gender and Sexuality

*Core Program
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Statistics
Research Methods
Research Methods Lab
Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
**Elective Courses
Social Psychology
Lifespan Development
Educational Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
The Psychology of Learning and Behavior
Sensation and Perception
Abnormal Behavior
Neuropsychology
Cultural Psychology
Psychotherapy
Gender and Sexuality
To earn the equivalent of a minor in Psychology, you must complete three broad introductorylevel courses (Required Core Courses) as well as three upper-level courses (Elective Courses).
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Required Core Courses

Although there are eight Required Core Courses in the Psychology major curriculum, the
following four are the primary foundational courses you will need to gain a strong understanding
of the field of psychology and to fulfill the requirements of the minor. Please select three
courses from the following four options:

Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Statistics OR Research Methods
Clinical Psychology
Elective Courses
Track A (General Psychology)

Abnormal Behavior
Theories of Personality
Lifespan Development
Track B (Social/Cultural Psychology)

Cultural Psychology
Gender and Sexuality
Social Psychology
Track C (Cognitive/Learning Psychology)

Educational Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
The Psychology of Learning and Behavior
Track D (Physiological Psychology)

Sensation and Perception

Neuropsychology
Lifespan Development
Track E (Business Psychology)

Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Psychotherapy
The Psychology of Learning and Behavior

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Kinds of Psychologists and What They Do

Typical Activities

Specialty
Clinical

Does psychotherapy; investigates clinical problems; develops

methods of treatment.

Cognitive

Studies human thinking and information processing abilities

Community

Promotes community-wide mental health through research,

prevention, education, and consultation.

Comparative

Studies and compares the behavior of different species,

especially animals.

Consumer

Researches packaging, advertising, marketing methods, and

characteristics of consumers.

Counseling

Does psychotherapy and personal counseling; researches

emotional disturbances and counseling methods.

Cultural

Studies the ways in which culture, subculture, and ethnic group

membership affect behavior.

Developmental

A, B

Educational

Conducts research on infant, child, adolescent, and adult

development; does clinical work with disturbed children; acts as
consultant to parents and schools.
Investigates classroom dynamics, teaching styles, and learning;
develops educational tests, evaluates educational programs.

Engineering

Environmental

A, B

Evolutionary

Studies how behavior is guided by patterns that evolved during

the long history of humankind.

Forensic

Gender

Health

A, B

Studies problems of crime and crime prevention, rehabilitation

programs, prisons, courtroom dynamics; selects candidates for
police work
Does research on differences between males and females, the
acquisition of gender identity, and the role of gender throughout
life.
Studies the relationship between behaviour and health; uses
psychological principles to promote health and prevent illness.

Industrialorganizational

Selects job applicants; does skills analysis; evaluates onthe-job training; improves work environments and human
relations in organizations and work settings.

Learning

Studies how and why learning occurs; develops theories of

learning.

Does applied research on the design of machinery, computers,

airlines, automobiles, and so on, for business, industry, and the
military.
Studies the effects of urban noise, crowding, attitudes toward
the environment, and human use of space; acts as a consultant
on environmental issues

Sample Research Topic

Im curious about the relationship
between early child- hood trauma
and their adult relationships so that I
can help adults be more successful
in their marriages.
I want to know how reasoning,
problem solving, memory, and other
mental processes relate to computer
game playing.
How can we prevent the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases more
effectively? Thats what I want to
better understand.
Personally, Im fascinated by the
communication abilities of
porpoises.
My job is to improve the marketing
of products that are environment
friendly.
I am focused on better
understanding why people become
hoarders and how to help them
stop.
I am interested in how culture
affects human eating behaviour,
especially the foods we eat and
whether we eat with a spoon,
chopsticks, or our fingers.
Im focusing on transitions from the
teenage years to early adulthood.
My passion is to figure out how to
help people with different learning
styles be effective learners.
Im studying how people use
movement-based computer
interfaces, like the Kinect.
I am concerned about global
warming and want to understand
what impact rising temperatures
have on human culture.
I am studying some interesting
trends in male and female mating
choices.
I am interested in improving the
reliability of eyewitness testimony
during trials.
I want to understand how young
boys and girls are influenced by
gender stereotypes.
How to better help people
overcome drug addictions is my
field of study.
Which plays a greater role in
successful management styles,
intelligence or emotion? That is
my question.
Right now Im investigating how
patterns of reinforcement affect
learning. I am especially
interested in superstitious
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Medical

Personality

School

Sensation and
Perception

Social

Applies psychology to manage medical problems, such as

the emotional impact of illness, self-screening for cancer,
and compliance in taking medicine.
Studies personality traits and dynamics; develops theories
of personality and tests for assessing personality traits.
Does psychological testing, referrals, emotional and
vocational counselling of students; detects and treats
learning disabilities; improves classroom learning.
Studies the sense organs and the process of perception;
investigates the mechanisms of sensation; develops
theories about how perception occurs.
Investigates human social behavior, including attitudes,
conformity, persuasion, prejudice, friendship, aggression,
helping, and so forth.

Typical Activities
Specialty
*Research in this area is typically applied (A), basic (B), or both (A, B).

conditioning.
I want to know how to help
people take better charge of their
own health.
I am especially interested in the
personality profiles of people
willing to take extreme risks.
My focus is finding out how to
keep students in school instead
of having them drop out.
I am using a perceptual theory
to study how we are able to
recognize faces in a crowd.
My own interest is interpersonal
attraction. I place two strangers
in a room and analyze how
strongly they are attracted to
each other.
Sample Research Topic

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