This course introduces students to descriptive and inferential statistics for use in business-related applications. Measures of central tendency and dispersion, simple probability, data analysis and statistical inference are examined. The use of computer software for analyzing statistical data is addressed. Upon completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

1. Extract information from sample data through both graphical and numerical methods.
2. Understand how probability can be used to make an inference about a population from information contained in a sample.
3. Determine the probabilities associated with both discrete and continuous random variables.
4. Estimate population means and proportions on a single sample selected from population of interest.
5. Use the sampling distribution of a sample statistic to assess the reliability of the estimate.
6. Utilize sample data from a variety of resources to make estimates, decisions or generalizations about a larger set of data.
7. Identify various software resources to aid in analyzing data.

This course provides an overview of the discipline of psychology including basic psychological processes, concepts, and methods. Major theories and contributors are studied.

This course provides an overview of theories of human development and research in the field. Physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of lifespan development are covered.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Identify the basic stages of human development from conception to old age.
2. Describe theoretical approaches to human development and how each theory explains growth, development, and behavior.
3. Understand the influence of heredity, environment, and maturation on changes across the life span.
4. Identify developmental changes from physical, cognitive, affective, and social perspectives.
5. Understand how ethnicity, culture, and gender might influence human development during particular developmental stages.
    

This course investigates the dynamics of abnormal behavior and overviews the spectrum of psychiatric disorders. Etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, research, prevention, and therapy are considered. The interactions among biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors are emphasized.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Discuss the continuum of behaviors and thought processes from mental health to mental illness and the individual and societal forces in moving individuals along the spectrum.
2. Describe research methods and evaluate empirical evidence for several psychiatric disorders.
3. Differentiate between disorders based on presentation, etiology, prognosis, and treatment approaches.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the underlying biopsychosocial issues.
5. Understand the utility and concerns with available diagnostic systems.
 

This course provides strategies for developing a clear, concise professional writing style. A variety of writing formats are addressed. Research for professional documents, writing in an electronic environment, and collaborative writing are considered. Voice, style, audience, purpose, the writing process, and strategies for editing and revision are examined in the context of interpersonal and ethical dimensions.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Write effectively in various forms of professional writing.
2. Demonstrate writing in a professional environment.
3. Exhibit a professional voice and writing style.
4. Effectively incorporate relevant research into professional writing.
5. Understand and apply the writing process to diverse audiences and purposes.
6. Effectively incorporate elements of professional document design into print and electronic documents.
7. Employ professional revision and editing skills.
    

Communication skills pertinent to organizational settings form the foundation of this course. Effective methods for design and delivery of oral communication are examined. Other topics include communication styles, interpersonal communication skills, dynamics of small group communication and persuasive speaking.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Demonstrate effective oral communication skills.
2. Demonstrate effective and active listening skills.
3. Recognize and adapt to differing communication styles.
4. Demonstrate skill in interpersonal communication.
5. Understand small group dynamics.
6. Demonstrate persuasive speaking techniques.
7. Effectively create and utilize graphics or other appropriate media in professional presentations.
8. Deliver organized, professional informational and persuasive presentations.
    

Academic writing focuses on reflective, informational, and persuasive writing directed at an academic audience. Clear summarization of material, critical reading of texts, thoughtful and developed responses, effective secondary research, incorporation of sources into documents, appropriate document of research using APA format, and construction of persuasive and informative academic papers are addressed. The format and style of essays and research papers are explored. The course also emphasizes the development of a strong, formal academic voice and style.

Upon completion of this course, students are exepcted to be ble to do the following:

1. Critically read and engage texts.
2. Express and explain, in a logical and developed manner, their responses to texts or ideas.
3. Develop a clear thesis statement and support it with evidence.
4. Develop a clear organization for a paper, and manage their ideas and sources within the paper.
5. Conduct secondary research using library databases and other appropriate academic research.
6. Apply APA format and documentation to a research paper.
7. Write in a formal academic style and voice.
8. Incorporate source materials effectively into their papers.
9. Identify and follow all ethical requirements of using source materials for a paper or presentation.
    

This course is designed to give students an opportunity to develop knowledge and basic skills associated with research, including reading research, collecting data, interpreting data analysis, and reporting results. Emphasis is placed on experimental design, interpretation of statistics, and reporting results and research ethics.

Upon completion of the course students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Know and understand the essentials of science and the salient aspects of psychological research.
2. Know, understand and apply the principles of good design.
3. Evaluate research on the basis of its construct validity, internal validity, external validity, and conformity to APA’s ethical principles.
4. Know and understand the basic concepts and principles of descriptive and inferential statistics.
5. Know and understand correlation, analysis of variance, descriptive statistics, and regression analyses.
6. Compare experimental and non-experimentation research approaches.
7. Understand the process of conducting a scientific literature search.
8. Understand the need for ethical principals in conducting and evaluating psychological research.

Social psychology is the scientific study of the perception of people and social events and how people influence and relate to one another. The linking of psychological processes to social and environmental influences is studied. Applications of social psychology to academics, the workplace, the media, and social relations are examined.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Know and understand the history and context of social psychological research
2. Describe and execute the process of research in a social psychology study that applies to life.
3. Know and understand specific content within social psychology including the following areas: social cognition, social perception, self concept, attitudes, conformity/compliance/obedience, stereotypes, attractions and close relationships, and aggression.
4. Discuss the ethical issues involved in social psychology research.
5. Summarize and interpret related literature in writing.
6. Locate and use relevant research ethically.

This course provides an overview of physiological, genetic and evolutionary explanations of behavior and health. Topics include genetics, the basic structure and function of the central nervous system, and how basic neural events function and influence behavior. The course focuses on the interaction among biological, psychological, and social factors on mental and physical health.

The discipline of cognitive psychology examines how humans perceive, encode, store, transform, retrieve, and use information. This course is designed to introduce the field of cognitive psychology, focusing on both classic and current issues. Topics include attention, perception, multiple memory systems, encoding and retrieval processes, knowledge, and decision-making. The course explores both behavioral and neuropsychological approaches to understanding cognition.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Know and explain the basic concepts, phenomena, theories, methods, and research findings in cognition.
2. Identify and compare the research methods and paradigms of cognitive psychology.
3. Understand and explain well-established cognitive theories about attention, memory, comprehension, and decision-making.
4. Identify, compare, and integrate the processes involved in various multiple memory systems.
5. Apply the principles of cognitive psychology to real-world problems.
6. Understand the ethical aspects of interpreting the research in cognitive psychology.
 

The course examines culture’s influence on human behavior with particular emphasis on multiculturalism in a global context. Of key significance is integrating primary readings in cross-cultural psychology. Particular attention is devoted to acquiring the skills necessary to live and adapt successfully in diverse communities.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Understand the challenge of cultural diversity in the context of a plural society.
2. Understand the body of knowledge contained in cultural psychology and ways of applying that knowledge to daily life.
3. Identify core values that underscore people’s interpretation of religion, family, work, school, health, and friendship.
4. Describe and highlight historical and normative uses of rules and norms that help explain intra and inter-individual differences in a global context.
5. Develop critical thinking skills that enable students to understand current research findings in cross-cultural psychology.
6. Understand the ethical implications in the conducting and interpretation of the research in multicultural psychology.
7. Use reasoning orally and in writing to recognize, develop, defend, and criticize arguments and other persuasive appeals.
8. Increase awareness of prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors.

This course includes historical ways of understanding human persons. Classical personality theories including psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, trait, and humanistic/ existential are studied and evaluated. Contemporary research in personality areas, such as attachment, temperament, the big five traits, and psychological well-being, is studied and integrated with historical and classical approaches.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Analyze, evaluate, and integrate the five major approaches to personality.
2. Evaluate, apply and integrate the major approaches by constructing an individual approach to personality which dialogues with, critiques, and/or extends the approaches we have studied.
3. Understand the complexity of psychological processes and the human person and what psychological well-being includes.
4. Communicate effectively in writing and orally, using APA format appropriately.
5. Discuss the ethical aspects involved in designing and implementing research in personality psychology.

This course offers an introduction to basic and advanced interviewing skills in individual and group counseling. Ethical and professional issues are examined. Students consider research and theory, and apply them to diverse populations. Some hands-on experience with basic skills in individual and group formats is included.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Describe the roles of counseling psychologists in a variety of settings and discuss ethical considerations in diagnosis and treatment selection.
2. Use entry level clinical interviewing and clinical writing skills.
3. Discuss evidence-based approaches to helping individuals in varied contexts.
4. Demonstrate differing skills for intervention with individuals versus groups.
5. Discuss the social context of disorders and treatments & become aware of barriers to change.
6. Discuss the laws and ethical codes relating to counseling.
7. Apply ethical principles to individual and group counseling.

This course focuses on the historical bases of contemporary psychology including philosophical, scientific, and cultural developments, with emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Significant systems, schools, and movements within the field of psychology are covered and related to contemporary issues in psychology.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Understand the important philosophies and cultural changes which have been part of the historical bases of contemporary psychology.
2. Identify and evaluate scientific discoveries which have been important in the development of the field of psychology.
3. Determine the ethical implications of some of these philosophical, scientific and cultural developments.
4. Understand the history of psychology including the evolution of methods of psychology, the theoretical conflicts and the sociological contexts.
5. Discuss the significant systems, schools, and movements within the field of psychology and analyze their relationship to contemporary issues in the field.
6. Synthesize an understanding of the history and systems of psychology with relevant aspects of learning from previous coursework in psychology.
7. Describe and explain the history of the treatment, attitudes, explanations, and diagnosing of those with mental disorders.
8. Demonstrate critical thinking through effective writing.
9. Understand the evolution of ethics in the field of psychology over the years.

This course focuses on the major theoretical viewpoints and research approaches in the field of developmental psychology specifically from the prenatal period through adolescence.  Students consider social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of children and teens.  Theories of development for behavior in infancy, childhood, and adolescence, including sensory and motor development and processes such as learning, motivation, and socialization are studied.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the various theories in developmental psychology
2. List and evaluate the differences between the various methods of investigation used in developmental studies
3. Describe the processes of heredity, human reproduction, and prenatal development
4. Identify and evaluate factors affecting the physical, social, emotional, psychological, and intellectual development of children and adolescents
5. Apply theories and scientific terms to real life situations or case studies involving children and adolescents

This course provides an introduction to evolutionary psychology: the scientific study of human nature focusing on the psychological adaptations that evolved to solve ancestral challenges to survival and reproduction.  Topics covered include principles of natural selection, sexual selection, human universals, key concepts from evolutionary biology, kin relationships, altruism and cooperation, cultural transmission, fear, aggression, conflict, and social dominance.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be to do the following:
1. Apply the concept of natural selection as a mechanism of influence on relevant human behaviors.
2. Articulate the relationship between physical structures (the brain) and psychological functions.
3. Evaluate current research methodology and current research stemming from an evolutionary perspective.
4. Analyze how modern human behaviors have been influenced by evolved mechanisms.
5. Analyze how modern human health have been influenced by evolved mechanisms
6. Present an integrated view of psychology by applying an evolutionary orientation across psychological concepts and theories.

This course examines biological and cultural factors that influence the development of gender roles and identities. Students explore current research and theory regarding the validity and utility of commonly accepted gender differences and how those affect our lives at the personal, social, and institutional levels. Emphasis is placed on the social construction of gender identity.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Demonstrate understanding of the major psychological theories of gender development and identity.
2. Analyze the similarities as well as differences between male and female gender roles.
3. Analyze how men and women are treated and portrayed in society.
4. Describe historical and psychological perspectives about women and men.
5. Evaluate contemporary viewpoints regarding the psychology of women and men.
6. Understand controversial issues that have profound implications for the way men and women perceive themselves and each other and how these perceptions affect relationships with each other.
    

This course examines the fundamentals of the development and practice of sexuality in the human being and the historical, psychological, and psychosocial aspects of human sexuality from childhood to old age.  Sexual behaviors and values in contemporary society from both a psychological and sociological perspective are explored.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Understand and apply the different psychological theories to the study of human sexual behavior.
2. Identify and explain effective research methodology and evaluate current research on human sexuality.
3. Integrate the interaction of the biological bases of human sexuality with the psychological and historical influences in our society.
4. Analyze the effect of psychological factors such as gender, experience, sense of self, love, communication, and respect on sexual behavior.
5. Describe the developmental process of human sexuality over the entire lifespan.
6. Evaluate the effect of culture, moral values, ethics, and religion on human sexuality.
7. Compare the variations in sexuality found across social classes, ethnic groups, and other species.
8. Discuss variations in human sexual response, expression, and patterns of behavior.
 

This course explores the psychological influences of religion on thinking, emotions, morality and social behavior.  Topics include the science-versus-religion issue, a comparison of selected Eastern and Western approaches to human identify and social relationships, and an examination of the impact of religion on experience, attitudes, behavior, and mental health.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Explain the scope of religion and the linkages between psychology and religion.
2. Identify and analyze research methodology and theoretical issues in the psychology of religion.
3. Apply several religious approaches to human identity and social relationships.
4. Explain religious development throughout the lifespan.
5. Analyze the phenomenon of religious conversion.
6. Analyze the relationship between religion and experience.
7. Explain and analyze religious orientation, attitudes, and behavior.
8. Describe and analyze the relationship between religion, health, and well-being.

This course explores the interplay of psychology and the legal system including exploration of the sources and causes of criminal behavior and the legal and psychological responses.  The class also examines the psychological theories and research that address legal issues and the role psychologists play in the criminal justice system.  Topics include criminal investigations, competency to stand trail, confessions, criminal profiling, and other criminal issues.  Also covered are the ethical issues confronted by psychologists in the criminal justice system.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Describe current issues, problems, and trends in the field of forensic psychology.
2. Apply psychological theory and research to personal, social, and organizational issues in the realm of forensic psychology.
3. Demonstrate understanding of the role of ethical behavior in the criminal justice system.
4. Apply diversity of multicultural theories and apply them to the field of forensic psychology populations.
5. Evaluate the complementary functions and distinctions between psychology and the legal justice system.
6. Analyze the role of forensic and investigative psychologists in the criminal justice process.

This course explores Animal Assisted Therapy as a psychological approach to improve the physical, social, emotional , and/or cognitive functioning of an individual using the planned inclusion of an animal in a treatment plan.  This course is a combination of classroom learning and hands on activities with animals to explore trends in assisted therapy for children, adolescents, individuals, families, couples and groups.  Applications of animal assisted therapy to mental health issues such as depression, grief and loss, trauma, addictions, anger management, divorce and anxiety are examined.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Understand the dynamics of Animal Assisted Therapy
2. Understand and apply various therapy modalities used in Animal Assisted Therapy
3. Demonstrate differing treatment team responsibilities and skills
4. Understand and demonstrate the rationale behind the inclusion of animals in treatment plans
5. Understand how to incorporate Animal Assisted Therapy into current therapeutic practices.
6. Understand the use metaphor in practice
7. Apply ethical standards with the code of ethics for Animal Assisted Therapy

This course provides an introduction to addictions and related human services including physiology of chemical dependency, interviewing, group dynamics, and the impact of chemical dependency on family members. Specific treatments and an overview of state and community treatment resources are examined.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
1. Understand the main theories, including the history and influences, of addiction counseling.
2. Apply assessment and diagnosis of addiction and addiction problems, including the use of the DSM-IV in such assessment and diagnosis.
3. Explain the various models of addiction.
4. Describe and apply relapse prevention models.
5. Identify self-help groups that match the needs of the client.
6. Demonstrate counseling techniques that are associated with relapse prevention.

This course explores the theories, concepts, perspectives, and research in the study of gerontology.  Psychological and sociological changes experienced during late adulthood are explored.  Topics covered include methodological and theoretical issues regarding the study of aging, social issues that older adults often face, societal implications of aging population, and death and dying.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Compare and contrast gerontology
2. Analyze the effect on historical events to social issues and aging policy
3. Describe the concepts and/or theories related to aging
4. Compare and contrast approaches different cultures use with their elders
5. Explore and apply theoretical concepts to the topics of death and dying
6. Explain the disciplines involved in aging studies, and discuss issues related to aging
 

This course explores the psychological issues and concepts related to death including emotions, behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes towards the process of dying.  Cultural and historical differences in concepts of death, dying grief, and bereavement are explored, as well as individual differences related to preparations, adjustments, and coping with death.  Developmental perspectives on death (children, adolescents, adults, and elderly) are examined as well as the personal and social implications of loss over the entire lifespan.  Topics include coping with grief and loss, cultural approaches to death and funeral practices, hospice care, suicide and physician-assisted suicide, media coverage of death and dying.

Upon the completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Apply fundamental theories and concepts related to grief, coping with loss and grief, and developmental perspectives on death.
2. Demonstrate understand of various cultural approaches to death and dying.
3. Identify perspectives and differences about death and dying thoughout various stages of life from birth to adulthood.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of how an awareness of mortality contributes meaning in one's life.

Organizational Psychology is the application of psychological methods and principles to industrial and organizational behavior.  The course studies psychological constructs related to personnel selection, organizational behavior.  The course studies psychological constructs related to personnel selection, training, and placement in organizations and industries.  Topics will include organizational theory and development; personnel evaluation and assessment; theory of motivation and leadership, teams in organizations, attitudes and emotions relevant to work, and fairness and diversity within organizations.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Apply psychological research and theory to organizational contexts.
2. Identify theoretical frameworks related to personnel evaluation and assessment.
3. Demonstrate understanding of theories of motivation and leadership and apply them to organizational settings.
4. Apply theories of multiculturalism and diversity to organizational settings.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of organizational change and development theories.