Psychology
Jane Roberts, Interim Chair
The Department of Psychology offers two undergraduate degrees. Students may elect a program leading to either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in experimental psychology.
Entrance Requirements
Lower Division
In order to be admitted into the Department of Psychology, freshmen and transfer students must meet all University and college admission requirements. Transfer students must meet all such requirements and have a GPA of 2.25 or better. Acceptance into the department with a lower-division classification does not guarantee progression into the upper-division psychology major.
Upper Division
Progression into the upper division is based on the successful completion of all lower-division criteria.
Progression Requirements
Lower Division
All students enter the lower division when the psychology major is declared.
Requirements
- Complete PSYC 101 and PSYC 226 with a grade of C or better.
- Attain a 2.25 cumulative GPA.
- The preceding lower-division requirements must be met by the completion of the first 30 credit hours as a declared psychology major. If at that time the student has not met the requirements, the student must select another major.
Regulations
- Ineligible to enroll in 500-level and higher courses.
- May repeat psychology major courses only once to earn the required grade of C or better.
Upper Division
Students enter the upper division in one of two ways:
- Successfully complete lower-division requirements within the first 30 credit hours as a declared psychology major.
- May be placed in with a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher and have earned grades of C or better in both PSYC 101 and PSYC 226 or equivalents.
Regulations
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or be subject to academic probation. If a 2.00 cumulative GPA has not been attained by the completion of the probationary term, the student must select another major.
- May repeat psychology major courses only once to earn the required grade of C or better.
- Students may attempt PSYC 227 and PSYC 228 two times each. If after the second attempt a student has not earned a grade of C or higher, the student will be removed from the major.
- May enroll in 500-level and higher courses if the prerequisites have been completed.
Courses
An introduction to and survey of the basic concepts and findings within the field of psychology.
Carolina Core: GSS
Introduction to theories and processes underlying and facilitating human adjustment in the community, family, and workplace.
Basic principles and methodology.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Psychological, physiological, and sociological factors of human sexual behavior and attitudes.
The psychological, physiological, and social characteristics of marriage.
Cross-listed course: WGST 301
Women’s experiences: childhood and adolescence, work, family, cultural images, adjustment, and social change.
Cross-listed course: WGST 310
The development of the religious consciousness and its various expressions, the psychological dynamics of growth and conversion, response to crisis, and the relation of spiritual practice to health and wholeness.
Cross-listed course: RELG 361
Psychological theory and research as it applies to African Americans. Explores Africentric and other perspectives and roles of culture, racism, and historical phenomena.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy
Psychological techniques applied to various industrial problem areas, such as management and supervision, morale, efficiency, training, personnel selection and placement, and relations among personnel.
Uses of psychological knowledge and techniques in practical contexts; clinical, school, industrial, consumer, and environmental psychology.
Theories, controversies, and research findings on the nature of various states of consciousness; topics such as sleep/dreams, hypnosis, drug-induced states, and psychic phenomena.
The role of sports in socialization, personality development and competence, including: spectator-performer interactions, motivation, competition effects; and the application of psychological techniques to performance enhancement.
Closely supervised project or research experience in psychology. Approved contract required. May be repeated for up to six credits. Not for psychology major credit.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Research and applications concerning the acquisition of new behavior and knowledge, including accounts based on classical and instrumental conditioning and on information-processing models.
Research and theories on sensory memory, attention, short-term and working memory, human learning and forgetting, imagery, long-term memory, speech perception, reading, language, thinking and problem solving, and decision making.
Covers the classification, diagnosis, etiological theories, and treatments of the major mental and emotional disorders.
Introduction to theory and research in social psychology from a psychological viewpoint. Topics include social perception, social cognition, attitudes, interpersonal relationships, aggression, prosocial behavior, and group processes.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
This course provides an overview of psychological, social, physical, and emotional issues related to men's lives. Major topics include: gender construction, men and work, men and health, men in relationships, male sexualities, men in families, and masculinities in the media and popular culture.
Covers the major theories and research on personality and the dynamics of human motivation.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Processing of information from the environment. Physiological, physical, psychological, and contextual determinants of perception.
Function of the brain including basic neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neurochemistry, neural systems, and psychopharmacology as it relates to behavior.
How the brain mediates simple and complex behavior and how we can apply basic research about the brain to real world problems.
Application of psychological theories and assessment and treatment methodologies for health maintenance and the diagnosis and treatment of illness.
This course provides an introduction to theories and research in the study of psychosocial issues of racial, ethnic and cultural groups.
Application of knowledge from other areas of psychology to the study of the role of the individual in the community.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service, GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Research
Supervised, structured field experience in a community agency, applying psychological principles, theory, and research. May be repeated once for credit.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Internships, GLD: Research
Experiential Learning: Experiential Learning Opportunity
A supervised experiential course in psychology. Contract approved by instructor, advisor, and Office of Academic Programs is required for undergraduate students.
Closely supervised project or research experience in psychology. Approved contract required. May be repeated for up to six credits.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Application of research in experimental psychology to ergonomics, the design of human-environment systems, with emphasis on work settings.
Theories of speech perception, linguistic theories of syntax and semantics, the brain mechanisms underlying language, the development of language in children, and the role of language in thought.
Cross-listed course: LING 567
Examination of development from conception through older childhood. Specific cognitive and social processes will be given in-depth study.
Theories and research examining social, emotional, and intellectual development in adolescence. Explores influence of family, peer, school, and cultural contexts.
Developmental changes in abilities, personality, and behavior which occur between adolescence and old age.
Psychological, social, and biological phenomena associated with maturity and aging.
Nature and causes of mental retardation; behavior and potentialities of persons with mental retardation.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy
Biological, social, and psychological aspects of the midlife woman.
Intensive study of topics selected from the field of social psychology.
Intensive study of topics selected from the field of sensation and perception.
Practice in surgical, histological, and behavioral testing methodology. Two lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week.
Methods of observation and experimentation in cognitive neuroscience. Two lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week.
Practice in the experimental techniques used in the study of cognitive psychology. Two lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week.
Concepts and principles in the study of sensation and perception in the laboratory. Two lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week.
Advanced analysis of the uses and applications of statistics to research in psychology, and interpretation of statistics in the psychological literature.
Systematic approaches to psychology.
Review and integration of general principles of psychology. Primarily for students planning graduate study in psychology.
Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of classes by title.
Planning and execution of supervised research in psychology. Approved contract required.
Planning and execution of supervised research in psychology. Approved contract required.