Belmont University - Undergraduate Bulletin 2003-2004

Arts & Sciences | School of Education | School of Humanities | School of Sciences | School of Social Sciences

Department of Biology | Department of Chemistry and Physics | Department of Mathematics and Computer Science | Department of Psychology

Department of Psychology

Lonnie Yandell (chair), William Bailey, Norma Baker Gabhart (professor emerita)*, Pete Giordano, Linda Jones, Michael Sullivan, Valjean Whitlow.
*Part-time.

Vision:

To be an empirically-oriented psychology department where undergraduates have opportunities to excel academically and professionally both inside and outside the classroom.

Purpose:

The psychology program seeks to provide majors with a strong psychological knowledge base for understanding behavior and mental processes. Majors are equipped with skills to develop a critical understanding of the field of psychology. Majors will learn to appreciate the role of scientific psychology in shaping society through the study of the history of psychology, ethics, values and multicultural perspectives. Majors are given opportunities for professional development in preparation for graduate training, employment in psychology, or employment in non-psychology areas.

Goals:

To provide students a strong psychological knowledge base by exposing students to major theoretical perspectives, scientific methodology, and applied areas of study in psychology.
To develop an analytical and objective approach to the study of human behavior by emphasizing laboratory skills, research methods, and statistical methods to collect and analyze data.
To develop critical reasoning skills, problem-solving skills, and critical listening and reading skills by requiring quantitative reasoning and critical understanding of professional literature.
To develop adequate language skills to be able to read professional literature, understand research articles, write scientifically and in appropriate APA style.
To develop information-gathering by requiring students to use library resources to conduct literature searches, including the use of computer data bases, library reference materials, and the internet.
To encourage students to use computers in all courses for gathering information, writing papers, analyzing data and other computer activities.
To present psychological knowledge and skills in historical, ethical and cultural contexts.
To develop student’s interpersonal skills, interpersonal awareness, group cooperation, expanded self-efficacy and other professional skills that will serve the needs of each major’s career or psychology-related profession.

Major in Psychology (B.A. or B.S.)	Hours
General Education Core Requirements		56-58
Prerequisites for Psychology Majors (included in core or core electives)
MTH 111, College Algebra	3
MTH 115, Elementary Statistics	3
MTH 116P, Psychology Statistics Lab	1
PSY 110, General Psychology	3
Major requirements		30
PSY 240, Research Methods I	3
PSY 260, Research Methods II	3
PSY 421, History and Systems of Psychology	3
Six hours chosen from the following	6
PSY 321, Abnormal Psychology PSY 324, Psychology of Personality PSY 330, Social Psychology PSY 332, Psychometrics
Six hours chosen from the following	6
PSY 424, Psychology of Learning PSY 435, Physiological Psychology PSY 440, Psychology of Perception PSY 450, Cognitive Psychology
Three hours chosen from the following	3
PSY 280, Life Span Development PSY 310, Child Development PSY 347, Psychology of Adolescence PSY 355, Psychology of Adulthood & Aging
Psychology Electives	6
PSY 211, Educational Psychology PSY 304, Death and Dying PSY 325, Cross Cultural Psychology PSY 335, Industrial and Organizational Psychology PSY 341, Clinical Theories and Therapeutic Techniques PSY 362, Group Dynamics PSY 370, Human Sexuality PSY 470, Advanced Study in Psychology PSY 480, Senior Seminar PSY (390-490), Practicum in Psychology To be chosen from the courses listed above or from any other 200 or above psychology class not being used to meet specific category requirements.
Minor Requirements		18
Electives		24-26
Total		128

Minor in Psychology	Hours
PSY 240, Research Methods I	3
Select one course from the following	3
PSY 424, Psychology of Learning PSY 435, Physiological Psychology PSY 440, Psychology of Perception PSY 450, Cognitive Psychology
Select one course from the following	3
PSY 321, Abnormal Psychology PSY 324, Psychology of Personality PSY 330, Social Psychology PSY 332, Psychometrics
Select one course from the following	3
PSY 280, Life Span Development PSY 310, Child Development PSY 347, Psychology of Adolescence PSY 355, Psychology of Adulthood and Aging PSY Electives	6
Total		18
Note: Social Work and Sociology majors only may substitute SWK 205 or SOC 225 for PSY 240. However, 18 hours in psychology course work is still required for the minor.

Psychology Courses (PSY)

PSY 195-495. Studies Abroad (3-18). Study in a foreign country. Individual course titles and locations are assigned for each course taken. See Studies Abroad program for details.

PSY 199-499. Special Studies (1-3).

PSY 110. General Psychology (3). Does not count toward 30 hours required for major or 18 hours for minor. An introductory course dealing with scientific methods in psychology, sensation, perception, biological foundations of behavioral principles of development, motivation, learning, abnormal behavior, inter-personal processes and other topics. Prerequisite to all other psychology courses.

PSY 211. Educational Psychology (3). Pre- or corequisite: PSY 110. (Same as EDU 211. See EDU 211 for course description.)

PSY 240. Research Methods I (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, MTH 115. An introduction to the fundamental skills necessary to understand behavioral science research. The topics will include the philosophy of the scientific approach, library research methods, basic research design, descriptive data analysis, writing research reports, and ethical issues in research.

PSY 260. Research Methods II (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110 and 240. This course teaches the students to plan, organize, execute, and report research. The topics will include strategies and problems of design, inferential data analysis, drawing conclusions from results, and reporting research findings. Students are expected to design a study, collect a set of data, and report the findings in the appropriate format. ($60.00 course fee)

PSY 280. Life Span Development (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A survey of the basic principles of physical, psychological, and social development at each stage of life from conception to death.

PSY 304. Death and Dying (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110 or consent of instructor. An examination of attitudes toward death, the needs of the dying person, and the process of grief, with an emphasis on strategies for helping the bereaved. (Same as PHI 304.)

PSY 310. Child Development (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A study of the biological, cognitive, social, and personality changes of the individual from conception to adolescence.

PSY 321. Abnormal Psychology (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A study of major patterns of abnormal behavior and their description and diagnosis, interpretation, treatment, and prevention.

PSY 324. Psychology of Personality (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. An examination of the organization, dynamics, development, and assessment of personality, with particular reference to major theoretical systems.

PSY 325. Cross Cultural Psychology (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240, SOC 101. This course will critically evaluate religious customs, child-rearing practices, socioeconomic characteristics, educational values, communication styles, language patterns, and mental health issues of diverse cultures from psychological and sociological perspectives. Students will also be exposed to the religious principles of several religious minorities. Several mental health and service delivery issues faced by the aforementioned ethnic minority groups will be examined.

PSY 330. Social Psychology (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240. A research-oriented study of interpersonal influence; topics include communication, attitude change, affiliation and attraction, aggression, prosocial behavior, leadership, and group behavior. (Same as SOC 330)

PSY 332. Psychometrics (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, MTH 115, PSY 240. An examination of the construction, validation, administration, and interpretation of tests designed to measure a variety of attributes including intelligence, aptitude, achievement, personality, and interests.

PSY 335. Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A study of human relations processes in organizational settings.

PSY 341. Clinical Theories and Therapeutic Techniques (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110 and either PSY 321 or PSY 324. An introduction to the theories of clinical psychology and to basic principles of intervention techniques.

PSY 347. Psychology of Adolescence (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A study of human development during the adolescent years, with emphasis on the intellectual, emotional, physical, social and moral aspects of development.

PSY 355. Psychology of Adulthood and Aging (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A research-based study of the interaction of physical, psychological, and social aspects of the development of persons from early adulthood through old age.

PSY 362. Group Dynamics (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A study of the dynamics of small group interaction, with emphasis on participation in small group experiences.

PSY 370. Human Sexuality (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110 or SOC 101. An introduction to the study of human sexuality, with an emphasis on empirical research in the psychological, biological, and social domains. (Same as SOC 370.)

PSY 421. History and Systems of Psychology (3). Prerequisite: PSY 110. A historical study of the philosophical and scientific concepts which form the basis of contemporary psychology. The focus is on the persons who developed these concepts.

PSY 424. Psychology of Learning (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240. A study of the major theories and principles of learning and outstanding issues in the field. ($20.00 course fee)

PSY 435. Physiological Psychology (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240 and at least one course in biological science. A study of the structure and function of the human nervous and endocrine systems, with an emphasis on the relationships between physiological processes and behavior. ($20.00 course fee)

PSY 440. Psychology of Perception (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240. An introduction to the study of how sensory information is gathered and interpreted. Topics include vision, hearing, skin senses, smell, taste, attention, motivation, and the development of perception. ($20.00 course fee)

PSY 450. Cognitive Psychology (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240. An introduction to the study of mental processes, including how knowledge is acquired, stored, retrieved, and applied. Topics covered will include perception, memory, imagery, language, concept formation, problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. ($20.00 course fee)

PSY 470. Advanced Study in Psychology (3). Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and junior or senior status. A specialized study based on student needs. Occasional offering will extend into areas of study already introduced in other courses. Offerings may include subjects such as behavior modification, understanding and treating depression, or counseling older adults.

PSY 480. Senior Seminar. Prerequisites: PSY 110, PSY 240, PSY 260, and at least 12 additional hours in psychology and senior standing. An advanced senior-level course in which the student is required to synthesize and integrate information from previous psychology courses. Attention will be given to the critical evaluation of various theories and controversial issues. Both a written paper and an oral presentation may be required.

PSY 390-490. Practicum in Psychology (3). Prerequisites: PSY 240, and either PSY 321, PSY 324 or PSY 341. Students considered for the course must have their own car or access to one, be psychology majors or minors, and have completed at least 64 semester hours (with at least 15 hours completed in residence at Belmont). In addition, prospective students must fill out a course application at least one month prior to the early registration period, must complete an interview, be approved by department faculty, and must obtain two letters of recommendation from doctoral-level psychology professors. This specifically arranged course is designed to give the student practical experience in work settings related to psychology. Students are assigned to an area of interest to them. Their work is supervised by a field supervisor and the course supervisor. A minimum of 100 literal clock hours in the agency is required. Any training necessary to begin placement at an agency is not included in these hours. Grading is on a Pass/Fail basis. Only three (3) hours of practicum may be applicable to the major or minor. ($50.00 course fee)