Courses

Commonly Taught

General Psychology, PSY101

In this class, we explore the building and pruning of neural networks and the influence of our environment. We test our abilities to sense and perceive, learn and remember, feel, think, and understand. We examine social and cultural influences on our lives and the people we become, and how we can influence these things in turn.

Foundations of Behavioral Research, PSY314W

In this writing-intensive class, we first learn to identify hypotheses, procedures, research designs, operationalizations, statistical methods, and validity issues in published works. Then we get our hands dirty: In teams of 3-4, students plan, design, and conduct a series of research projects, each culminating in an APA-style research paper.

Cognition, PSY307

In this course, we take a deep dive into the way the brain is built and how it works. We do a series of experiments testing the limits of our short-term and long-term memories, our capability to pay attention, the degree of our perceptual abilities, and our amazing capacity for language. We talk about learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making strategies. In short, your brain will learn its own limitations, as well as how to tap into its potential.

Motivation, PSY324

In a series of lessons, we explores the psychological processes that drive human behavior, examining why we initiate, sustain, and direct our actions toward a specific end state. We assess the influences of biological needs, emotions, and social influences. We apply the concepts of internal drive, expectancy-value, self-determination, and goal-setting to real-life contexts in education, work, and personal development. This course encourages critical thinking about how motivation shapes behavior and how to harness its power.