Psychology

This course will introduce students to the scientific discipline of psychology. Students will examine the emergence of the major schools of thought and the historical figures who contributed to the development of psychology as a science. Topics of study will include the history of psychology, research methods, the basis of behavior, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning and cognition, intelligence, motivation, social psychology and life span development. Within each subfield explored, focus will be on underlying issues such as the nature-nurture debate, the mind-body problem, stability versus change, and diversity versus universality, among others. The course will assume an interactive and real-life application approach.

Days and Times: 11.30 am to 12.20 pm – Mon, Wed, Fri

Pre-requisite(s): PSYC 201

This course is an introduction to the major theories of personality, along with the examination of the impact of history, social origins, culture, and significant individuals upon the area of personality development. This course examines psychoanalysis, Neo-Freudian, transactional analysis, and Gestalt Therapy. Cognitive and contemporary will also be highlighted.

The course examines the etiology, epidemiology, description/classification, and treatment of disordered behavior. Major mental disorders are systematically examined from several different theoretical viewpoints, including psychodynamic, learning, cognitive, and physiological. A survey of psychological disorders is provided and students are introduced to the DSM-5 classification system. Treatment approaches based upon the major theoretical perspectives are covered.

Days and Times: M,W 4.30-5.45

Pre-requisite(s):   PSYC201, PSYC206            

This course covers the cognitive processes of attention, pattern recognition, language, comprehension, and thinking, in terms of information acquisition, information retrieval, and forgetting. These processes will be reviewed, in terms of their application to cognitive activities, such as decision making, reasoning, problem solving, and creativity. Emphasis will be placed on the different theories and experimental research designs that can be used to study cognitive processes.

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the human nervous system and demonstrate how this is related to human behaviour and mental processes.

In this course you will investigate the major factors underlying human actions. This course focuses on “why.” Why is it that people behave the way they do? We will cover the major areas that motivate our behavior including genetic and environmental influences, pleasure and need seeking, the role of personality in motivation and how goals, incentives and emotions influence our behavior. Being an upper level course, my expectation is that you will read the chapters, pay attention and participate in class, and put concerted effort into the writing assignments. In other words, I’m expecting you to be motivated!

In this course students will examine various viewpoints associated with the psychological influences of culture, survey approaches typically utilized by psychologists and develop deep critical thinking.

This course provides an introduction to the exciting field of health psychology. We will look at the contributions of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health and prevention and treatment of illness. Special emphasis will be placed on health habits, stress and coping, and issues surrounding pain, illness, and loss. This course will encourage students to apply knowledge from health psychology to improve their life and the lives of others.

In this course students will examine basic principles, techniques and procedures of counseling, focusing both on individual and group counselling processes.

Pre-requisite(s):  Senior Standing 

This course reviews the major psychiatric disorders as defined in the DSM-5.  The salient diagnostic features of the mental disorders are highlighted.  Major theories of the etiology of mental illness are reviewed, and neurobiological correlates of abnormal behaviour are emphasized when possible.  Both psychotherapeutic and biological treatment options and outcome measures for mental illness are covered.  Clinical cases and clinical videos illustrating psychopathology are utilized to enhance learning.

This course integrates health psychology and public health psychology emphasizing both mind/body interfaces that cause and resolve illness and behavioural interventions on multiple ecologies promote health and well-being.

This course provides a systemic review of empirical research approaches frequently used in psychological research.  Via review of peer reviewed articles, participants gain knowledge and skills to make them more discriminating consumers of psychological research.

This course introduces principle techniques of psychological assessment, including supervised practice in conducting psychological evaluations.  

This course familiarizes students with community assessment and evaluation methods, incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods to measure and improve effectiveness in community psychology.

This course covers the theoretical bases of, as well as the practical aspects in, working with families and groups.  It covers assessment, diagnosis, and intervention strategies for families and groups.  it examines groups and the family relationship system, and focuses on communication, structural, emotional and behavioral patterns, the assessment of normal and dysfunctional patterns, and the development and facilitation of various types of groups.  It is a comparative and contextual study of marriage and family institutions, including couples, gender roles, marriage, divorce, sexuality, parenting, working, multicultural orientations and other contemporary issues.

The Practicum Placement is designed to support both the skills and abilities the practicum student possesses and to challenge the student’s awareness of self and how it impacts the therapeutic process. The practicum experience is a time for clinical skills to be integrated with conceptual/theoretical knowledge. This involves developing a sense of one’s personal style, and blending that style with the counseling process and with the skills of assessment and conceptualization.