3.00 Credits
This course is designed to explore a specific topic in psychology in some depth. The topic chosen will vary according to the instructors area of research and specialization. Students will be required to read, present, and discuss related articles each week.
Close Relationships: This course will use a combination of lectures and student-led discussions to explore the study of close relationships from a social psychological perspective. Class discussion will focus on theory and empirical research regarding close relationships, with topics including: interpersonal attraction, love, power and dependence, commitment, trust, communication, conflict, and dissolution of relationships. Senior standing is required.
The Psychology of Sexual Orientation: In this course, we will be examining the cultural framework and intra-personal characteristics of people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. We will also examine subcultures of these groups including men who have sex with men (MSM), women who have sex with women (WSW), and transsexual persons. Finally we will examine societal reactions to these groups including homophobia, heterosexism, and cultural and religious perspectives on the GLBT community. Rather than a textbook, primary readings will be utilized to examine the topics. Senior standing is required.
The New UnconsciousMind(s): The course will review the history, current research, and the future of the concept of an unconscious mind and its research and applied (everyday) uses. Beginning with Sigmund Freud, long standing controversies will be addressed, ending with the current concept of a cognitive unconscious. Issues will include, pop psychology influences, research and uses in areas like psychotherapy, hypnosis, dreaming, under general anaesthesia, slips-of-the-tongue , a.k.a, speech errors, along with methodological, epistemological issues involved in implict memory dichotic and dual processing, effects of priming, masking techniques, and automatic activation of cognitive schemata, for example gender and race schemata. Future and applications of the concept will be reviewed.
Group Dynamics: This course will use a combination of lectures and student-led discussions to explore the study of intra-group and inter-group dynamics from a social psychological perspective. Class discussion will focus on theory and empirical research regarding group dynamics, with topics including: social identity, group formation, interdependence and power, majority and minority influence, communication in groups, conflict in groups, group performance, group decision making, leadership, and cooperation and competition between groups.