DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY
PSYCHOLOGY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Graduate Courses
500-599 - introductory master's courses open to master's and doctoral students
600-699 - advanced master's courses open to master's and doctoral students
700-799 - introductory doctoral courses open to doctoral students and selected master's students
800-899 - advanced doctoral courses open to doctoral students only
PSY 530 Psychopathology. This course examines psychological disorders and involves review, critical evaluation, and integration of current scientific literature regarding diagnosis, phenomenology, and etiology. Issues in the application of the multiaxial diagnostic system in clinical practice are discussed.
PSY 531 Graduate Seminar in General Psychology. This course surveys the science of psychology, providing an advanced synthesis of the scientific study of human behavior that includes the biological, perceptual, developmental, and social determinants of behavior, emotion, and cognition,.
PSY 532 Advanced Social Psychology. This course examines social factors that influence individual behavior. Integrative theoretical perspectives and emerging programs of research within the discipline are given specific consideration. Readings include a variety of original sources.
PSY 533 Theory and Research in Psychotherapy I. This course is a comparative analysis of different systems and techniques of psychotherapy. The role of therapist, client, and setting are examined along with ethical principles.
PSY 534 Theory and Research in Psychotherapy II. This course examines in detail selected advanced systems or techniques of psychotherapy, including group therapy, marital and family therapy, therapy for sexual dysfunction, or others. Content may vary from semester to semester.
PSY 535 Special Problems in Psychology. This course allows for in-depth study in individually selected topics not specifically included in the formal course offerings. Prerequisite: Consent of department chair and instructor.
PSY 536 Advanced Cognitive Psychology. This seminar-style course examines the major psychological issues related to cognition. Topics covered include attentional processes, memory, language, knowledge representations, decision making, problem solving, and cognitive neuroscience. By combining reading assignments in the textbook and current research articles, in-class discussions explore the relationship between empirical evidence and theoretical explanations of cognitive processes. This course includes a specific focus on the practical applications of cognitive theories and research..
PSY 538 Consultation in School Psychology. Various methods and techniques of consultation in schools are examined and applied. Best practices according to the National Association of School Psychologists provide the basis for the curriculum. The course has both didactic and field experience components.
PSY 539 Advanced School Psychology. This course is designed to acquaint the student with history, theory, delivery models and techniques underlying the practice of school psychology. Various historical and contemporary roles of the school psychologist are examined in addition to a thorough examination of all applicable federal and state laws. There is also a field experience aspect to the course.
PSY 560 Advanced Physiological Psychology. This course examines the biological substrates of behavior. Particular attention is given to the effects of psychoactive chemicals..
PSY 561 Neuropsychopharmacology. This course examines the field of behavioral pharmacology: the systematic study of the effects of drugs on behavior and the way in which behavioral principles can help in understanding how drugs work. The focus is on the neurophysiological mechanisms of action of various psychoactive drugs and on the various neurotransmitter systems within the nervous system. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
PSY 777 Emotions. This course examines the intersection of affective and cognitive bases of behavior. It debates the nature of emotion, delineates its components, and examines the roles of emotion in self-control, cognition, well-being, psychopathology, and relationships. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Credit: 3.
PSY 581 Advanced Learning Theory. This course examines processes of learning through a critical discussion of current research and theory in the areas of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social and cognitive influences in learning
PSY 582 Advanced Industrial/Organizational Psychology I. This course provides an integration of psychological principles as applied to industrial/organizational milieu. The focus is on the application of research methodology, psychological assessment, and personality theories to the work environment.
PSY 583 Advanced Industrial/Organizational Psychology II. This course provides an integration of psychological principles as applied to organizational environments. The focus is on the application of research methodology, psychological assessment, and social psychological theory to leadership, employee satisfaction and motivation, behavioral analysis and conflict resolution, and intervention in work related stress.
PSY 585 Advanced Health Psychology. This course explores in depth the theoretical and conceptual foundations of health psychology, the interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors in health, health promotion and prevention, stress and coping with disease and illness, and recovery and rehabilitation to acute, chronic, and terminal illness, including a variety of specific assessment and intervention strategies. A review of the literature and independent research is expected.
PSY 587 Advanced Statistics. This course is an advanced study of the use of statistical methods as tools for inferential hypothesis testing. It includes consideration of data screening, effect sizes, and simple effects tests. It also provides an introduction to multiple regression. Prerequisite: PSY 387 or equivalent.
PSY 588 Experimental Design. This course teaches students skills that will allow them to design their own scholarly research projects. Students are encouraged to understand that research design often requires finding the right balance between advantages and disadvantages of specific methods. Students will become familiar with the current scholarly literature regarding research design and will write an independent research proposal that can serve as a thesis or dissertation proposal.
PSY 592 History and Systems of Psychology. This course examines the philosophical, theoretical, and paradigmatic antecedents of modern psychology. Important early publications, central figures, and major university centers are studied in detail, and students explore and critique the assumptions that inform influential perspectives within psychology today.
PSY 594 Psychometrics. This course covers principles of psychometric theory and applications, including reliability, validity, and test construction. The course emphasizes tests and scales that measure personality and mental health. Limited practicum is required.
PSY 595 Assessment of Intelligence and Achievement. The course provides supervised instruction and practice in the administration, scoring, interpretation, and reporting of results of the Wechsler Scales and other measures of intelligence, achievement, adaptive behavior, and personality to produce integrated reports. Prerequisites: PSY 594 or equivalent.
PSY 596 Assessment of Personality and Psychopathology. This course provides supervised instruction in the theory, administration, scoring, and interpretation of personality assessment instruments. Two separate sections of this course are offered, one focusing on objective measures (e.g., MMPI-2, PAI) and one focusing on projective measures (e.g., Rorschach).
PSY 597 Advanced Developmental Psychology. The course provides an advanced study of growth and development processes throughout the life cycle. Theories and applications of basic research are both examined in detail, and students are expected to delve into one of the major topics--such as multicultural aspects of development, cognitive development, social-emotional factors, and physical development--in depth through critical reading of original research.
PSY 598 Advanced Child Assessment. Students will gain in-depth practical experience in the comprehensive assessment of infants, children, and adolescents. A variety of individual testing instruments will be reviewed, including those used to evaluate cognitive, social-emotional, behavioral and executive functioning. Alternative methods of assessment, such as transdisciplinary play-based assessment, dynamic assessment, and curriculum-based measurement, as well as techniques and instruments specifically designed for the evaluation of Autism and other disabled populations, will be emphasized.
PSY 671 Master's Internship in Psychology. This course is designed to be the culmination of the master's level training in applied psychology. Students will be required to demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply their knowledge.
PSY 691 Practicum I. The practicum experience is designed to provide the graduate student with an opportunity to develop interviewing skills, provide an introduction to psychotherapy, and bring together theory and practice as a developing psychologist. The first practicum course begins with the assumption that the student has had little to no experience in this domain. Ethical issues related to clinical practice are thoroughly explored.
PSY 692 Practicum II. The practicum experience provides students with an opportunity to bring theory and practice together to develop their psychotherapy skills. Students are assigned to practicum sites where they provide therapy to clients with various psychological disorders and problems in living. Ethical issues in treatment are also covered.
PSY 693 Practicum III. The practicum experience provides students with an opportunity to bring theory and practice together to develop their psychotherapy skills. Students are assigned to practicum sites where they provide therapy to clients with various psychological disorders and problems in living. Ethical issues in treatment are also covered.
PSY 694 Practicum in Psychometrics. The practicum experience is designed to provide the graduate student with an opportunity to develop skills in administration, scoring, interpreting, and reporting of psychological tests, including the Rorschach Comprehensive System and related instruments. This practicum is taken in conjunction with PSY 596.
PSY 698 Thesis I. This first phase of the Thesis includes a review of the literature, research design, collection of pilot data, and related steps. Students are required to present and defend a research proposal.
PSY 699 Thesis II. The second phase of the Thesis includes data collection, manuscript preparation, and a final defense of the Thesis.
PSY 730 Clinical Psychology Proseminar. This course introduces students to the field of clinical psychology, to current topics in clinical psychology, and the areas in which clinical psychologists practice and conduct research. The students are also introduced to the research programs and clinical interests of the core faculty in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program. As part of the course, students are expected to begin scholarly work with a faculty member of their choice.
PSY 733 Law and Social Psychology. This course applies social psychological theory and research to the legal system. Critical examination of contentious topics such as recovered memories, false confessions, eyewitness adequacy, and death qualification is undertaken through careful study of a wide variety of original sources. The influence of social class in legal settings Is also considered.
PSY 735 Law and Psychology. This course explores historical and contemporary applications of the social sciences to the law. Special emphasis is placed on the use of information derived from the science and profession of psychology to shape judicial, legislative, and administrative law.
PSY 736 Mental Health Law. This course explores state and federal constitutional, statutory, and case law regulating mental health professional practice. Topics include: child abuse/neglect reporting laws, civil commitment, confidentiality and privilege, duty to protect third parties from harm, psychiatric hospitalization of inmates, and state licensing requirements.
PSY 739 Developmental Psychopathology. This course examines psychological disorders among children and adolescents, as understood through current empirical literature. Drawing from developmental psychology and general systems theory, the course emphasizes the ways in which biological, social, and psychological processes interact in the development of--or resistance to--psychopathology. The course is designed to help students appropriately consider the contextual and developmental influences on child psychopathology when the students review or conduct research. The course also helps clinicians-in-training thoroughly consider developmental and contextual factors when assessing and diagnosing childhood psychopathology.
PSY 760 Multicultural Psychology. This course examines the theoretical and methodological foundations of multicultural psychology. Students review and critique current research in the field and discuss applications of the course content to their practicum training and placements.
PSY 762 Ethics in Clinical Practice. This course studies the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct as well as various specialty guidelines and recommendations and their applications to practice, research, and consultation. The literature on ethics is critically examined and readings include a variety of original sources. Students examine case material that features ethical conflicts and controversies, and students practice processes to resolve ethical dilemmas.
PSY 770 Empirically Supported Treatments. This course examines the psychosocial treatments for specific psychological disorders (e.g., depression, panic disorder) that have received substantial empirical support. The course also examines the methodological, practical, and political controversies surrounding the empirically supported treatment movement. All students are required to use at least one EST with a practicum client while enrolled in this course.
PSY 774 Human Neuropsychology. This course examines brain-behavior relationships, includeing higher cortical functions. Specific consideration is given to the most common neurobehavioral syndromes likely to be confronted in clinical practice, administration of tests that are used to assess neuropsychological functioning, coverage of critical issues in differential diagnoses involving neuropsychological functioning, intervention implications, and scholarly research in clinical neuropsychology.
PSY 787 Multivariate Statistics in Psychology. This course examines the use of multivariate procedures in psychological research. Students use SPSS to conduct regression, MANOVA, discriminant analysis, and factor analyses on psychological data. Additional advanced procedures are reviewed.
PSY 792 Topics in Clinical Psychology. This course will vary in content depending on the interests of faculty and students. Students will study in-depth selected topics in clinical psychology.
PSY 860 Forensic Assessment I. This course examines issues related to conducting assessments for the criminal courts. Students review and critique current research in forensic psychology, as well as developing case law. Emphasis is placed on constructing the written report and on the ethical issues often faced in the forensic forum. This course will include a practicum component in which students perform forensic assessments with the instructor.
PSY 861 Forensic Assessment II. In this course students continue to develop skills in forensic assessment with an emphasis on the civil case Issues (e.g., juvenile evaluations, personal injury, and child custody). Current research in forensic psychology, as well as developing case law, are reviewed. Providing expert testimony in the courtroom will be discussed in detail, and students are required to participate as witnesses defending a case they have completed in a mock trial exercise. Prerequisite: PSY 860
PSY 882 Doctoral Clinical Practicum I. In this practicum, students are assigned to the Psychological Services Center operated by program faculty or a related practicum site. Students attend a didactic course that emphasizes clinical assessment and integrated report writing. Students also participate in a practicum component that allows them to practice assessment skills under supervision from a licensed psychologist in the program.
PSY 883 Doctoral Clinical Practicum II. In this practicum, students who have completed PSY 882 are eligible to engage in clinical work either at the Psychological Services Center or at various off-campus clinical practicum sites. Students will continue to enroll in this course for a total of at least 3 semesters (minimum 9 credit hours). Students may register for between 1 and 3 course credits. Prerequisite: PSY 882.
PSY 890 Internship I. Placement in an applied clinical setting for a full year (e.g., September - August) under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. APA-approved sites are preferred. Prerequisites: PSY 882, PSY 883, and consent of Clinical Training Committee.
PSY 891 Internship II. Placement in an applied clinical setting for a full year (e.g., September - August) under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. APA-approved sites are preferred. Prerequisites: PSY 890 and consent of Clinical Training Committee.
PSY 892 Internship III. Placement in an applied clinical setting for a full year (e.g., September - August) and under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. APA-approved sites are preferred. Prerequisites: PSY 891 and consent of Clinical Training Committee.