a. Rationale for
creation, revision, or deletion:
The curriculum revision
better meets the varied needs of our majors, brings the curriculum into
conformity with those of most science-based departments, and increases the
flexibility of course offerings in relation to faculty resources, interests,
and competencies. The new curriculum
includes a new methodology pre-requisite common in most University
departments. The curriculum is organized
around core competencies that represent both older and emergent areas of
psychology. The curriculum includes
specialty courses that build on the core competencies and prepare students for
graduate school or industry. We also
have changed the nature of our laboratory offerings in recognition of the
pedagogical trend in teaching Psychology toward “virtual” experiments and
experiences set in the classroom or at home.
A critical feature is that these changes enable us to offer a more
robust and dedicated Honors curriculum, featuring yearly offerings of Honors
senior seminars and of “stand alone” courses in place of add-ons.
We propose to re-number many courses. The numbering sequence will more efficiently
cue prerequisites, difficulty, and advancement in the curriculum, beginning
with 101 for the first introductory course (rather than 201 in the old
curriculum). We also propose to
eliminate course overlap and duplication in the old curriculum, which created
an administrative nightmare.
b. Summary of program:
The major requires 30
credits, which is unchanged. There are
several structural changes.
The numbering sequence starts
at 101 for the introductory course, level 200 is reserved for methods courses,
level 300 is for core competencies and independent study, level 400 is for
specialty courses primarily. Entry into
the 300- and 400-level courses requires satisfactory completion of the 100- and
200-level requirements.
In addition to a required
statistics course at the 200 level, majors must take a new course in research
methodology.
The core competencies at the
300 level are organized around courses in program areas. These areas reflect our graduate programs and
faculty groupings, including BioPsychology, Cognitive
Psychology, Developmental/Clinical Psychology, and
Social/Personality/Industrial Psychology.
Students have to take one course in each area.
We offer a variety of
specialty courses in each program area that build on previous offerings. Our History of Psychology course (415) was
required in the old curriculum, but will be optional in the new curriculum.
We will be proposing many of
the 300-level courses for Groups C and D designation in the General Education requirements.
Current Curriculum
Proposed
Curriculum
Required Required
201-Introductory
Psychology
100-Introductory Psychology
309-Measurement and
Statistics 207-Research
Methodology
415-History and Systems of
Psychology 209-Measurement and Statistics
Take 1 Core
Competences: Take 4 courses
301-Personality Biopsychology:
Take 1
303-Intro to Social
Psychology
325-Child Psychology 312-Learning
and Motivation
334-Abnormal Psychology 314-Brain and
Behavior
316-Biological
Bases of Behavior
320-Behavioral
Neuroscience
Take 2 Cognitive
Psychology: Take 1
310-Sensation and Perception 310-Sensation and
Perception
312-Learning and Motivation 340-Cognitive
Psychology
314-Brain and Behavior
340-Cognition
Take 1
Developmental/Clinical: Take
1
350-Developmental Psychology 350-Developmental
Psychology
370-Research in Personality 380-Psychopathology
380-Psychopathology
390-Social Psychology
Social/Personality/Industrial:
Take 1
370-Research
in Personality
386-Industrial/Organizational
Psychology
390-Social
Psychology
403-Psych of Nonverbal
Behavior 403-Psych of
Nonverbal Behavior
406-Reduction of Intergroup Conflict 406-Reduction
of Intergroup Conflict
407-Emotions and Prev Intervention 407-Emotions
and Prev Intervention
410-Bio Basis of Motiv & Emotion 410-Bio
Basis of Motiv and Emotion
414-Drugs and the Brain 414-Drugs
and the Brain
416-Psych Persps
on the Black Ameican 416-Psych
Persps on the Black American
418-Human Emotions 418-Human
Emotions
420-Mental
Illness: Crit Perspectives
424-Applied Social Psychology 424-Applied Social
Psychology
425-Family Conflict and the
Child 425-Family
Conflict and the Child
441-Computers and Cognition 441-Computers and
Cognition
444-The Psychology of
Aesthetics 444-The
Psychology of Aesthetics
445-Topics in Adolescent
Psychology 445-Topics in
Adolescent Psychology
481-Clinical Psychology 481-Clinical
Psychology
490-Social Interdependence 490-Social
Interdependence
491-Psych of Temporal
Orientation 491-Psych of
Temporal Orientation
Electives: Take 1 Electives: Take 1
365-Field Placement 365-Field
Placement
366-Independent
Study/Research 366-Independent
Study/Research
368-Independent
Study/Research 368-Independent
Study/Research
466-Independent
Study/Research 466-Independent
Study/Research
Other content courses (some
restrictions) Other
content courses (no restrictions)
NOTE: A number of courses (e.g., 301, 303, 325, 334) will continue to be offered as “service”
courses (mainly for non-majors). The new curriculum plan is
designed to offer these courses
without 207 and 209 as prerequisites. Also, 415 will no
longer be required in our “majors” or
“minors”
curriculum and 207 and 209 will no longer be prerequisites for this class.