General psychology introduces students to the scientific study and assessment of mental processes and behavior. The course is a survey of the diverse field of psychology, which includes an overview of the major sub-fields of the discipline. Topics include: a brief history of psychology, the physiological foundations of behavior, sensation and perception, psychological development throughout the lifespan, learning theory, motivation and emotion, personality theory, social psychology, abnormal psychology, and treatment of psychological disorders. Readings and class discussions will consider the interplay between psychology and faith. Additionally, the science of psychology and its ways of knowing will be explored throughout the quarter with writing assignments and a research requirement.

With an intentional focus on the behavioral and social sciences competencies expected within the health sciences, this course introduces students to the scientific study and assessment of mental processes and behavior. The course is a survey of the diverse field of psychology, which includes an overview of the major sub-fields of the discipline. Topics include: a brief history of psychology, the physiological and biological foundations of behavior, sensation and perception, psychological development throughout the lifespan, learning theory, motivation and emotion, personality theory, social psychology, abnormal psychology, and the biological underpinnings of psychological disorders as well as treatment. Readings and class discussions will consider the interplay between psychology, biology, and faith. Additionally, the science of psychology and its ways of knowing will be explored throughout the quarter with interactive activities/assignments and a research requirement.

Provides an overview of the various career paths in psychology within the context of the concept of vocation, for the purpose of helping students discern their calling in psychology and psychology-related fields. Major topics are specialization within the sub-disciplines of psychology and preparation for those sub-disciplines, including volunteer or research experience, testing requirements, the application process, and necessary education or coursework. In addition to describing the practical aspects of the different sub-disciplines of psychology, the course will address the meaning of calling and vocation and the implications of being called to serve one's community as a psychologist. This course is required of all psychology majors, but is open to any student interested in psychology.

Community Psychology seeks to identify, assess, and remedy social, behavioral, and mental health issues that arise within a social context. This course will provide an introduction to how social systems cause or contribute to social problems and mental health issues. Special attention will be paid to the influence of social systems on counseling, clinical, and social services outcomes. The course will also include an overview of how social action programs, community mental health, and changes in public policy can improve social services and behavioral and mental health outcomes. The course will cover topics such as: social oppression, health inequalities, ecological perspective, cross-cultural competence, empowerment, social action, and community service.

This course will provide an introduction to the field of Health Psychology. The course will include an overview of how medical issues can impact psychological function as well as how psychological functioning can impact medical health outcomes. The course will cover topics such as: theories or models of health behavior change, emotional health and illness, cancer, and chronic pain. In addition, a review of current health care systems and health policy as they influence mental and physical health outcomes will be discussed.

This course will provide an introduction to the field of Sports Psychology. The course will include an overview of how psychological factors can impact the performance and well-being of athletes and teams. The course will cover topics such as: motivation and feedback, self-confidence, competition, anxiety and arousal, effective communication, team dynamics, leadership, and goal setting. In addition, a review of issues related to sports and mental health, aggressive behavior, and character development will be discussed.

Presents an introduction to data analysis and research in social and behavioral science. Explores, at an introductory level, descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g., correlation, regression, hypothesis testing, chi-square, experimental / ANOVA analyses) and research applications of those techniques. An emphasis is placed on analysis and handling of real data, processes of discovery in social and behavioral science, understanding published research, and developing professional skills with statistical software.

Provides introductory experiences in the conduct of actual empirical research in social and behavioral science. Credit variable up to a maximum of three per term. Typically offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter.

Provides an introduction to principles of human growth and holistic character development, building upon positive psychological research into happiness, well-being, and virtues. Emphasis is on practical application toward personal development that involves civic engagement with significant social issues.

Surveys human development from conception to death, focusing on the interacting processes of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral development within social and cultural contexts, including developmental tasks and transitions associated with developmental stages.

Presents a review of data analysis and applications of those techniques in social and behavioral science (e.g., correlation, regression, hypothesis testing, chi-square, ANOVA). A primary focus of the course will be using statistical software to manage data, analyze data, and create graphs as well as how to interpret and report results. Typically offered: Autumn, Summer.

An integrative course designed to help Psychology majors better understand their character and fulfill their calling by strategically using their time in school to successfully research, find, plan for, and launch a professional life after college. Students will identify and learn to articulate their calling, strengths, and skills. Students will then explore career and graduate school options, find candidate careers, and make a step-by-step plan for success. Students will also learn to market themselves successfully, network, write a powerful résumé and cover letter, search for a job or internship, and prepare for interviews for either future positions or graduate schools.

Examines the history, causes, and symptoms of abnormal behavior with reference to modern methods of assessment and treatment. Emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding psychological disorders.

This course introduces the neuroanatomy and functional organization of the brain. It is primarily a hands-on course with students recording from live neurons and dissecting the mammalian brain. These experiences are contextualized with case studies, articles from the scientific literature, and other real-life examples of how the brain is connected to behaviors ranging from muscle movements to emotion.

Surveys research and theories on culture and psychology. Focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of Western and non-Western worldviews and their relation to various psychological topics, such as mental health, personality, spirituality, and emotion. Highlights both empirical and experiential approaches to studying cultural issues in psychology.

Examines human thought, emotion, and behavior in social contexts. Major topics include impression formation, social cognition, attribution, self, attitudes, persuasion, prejudice, conformity, group behavior, aggression, helping, attraction, and interpersonal relationships. SOC 4440 may be substituted for PSY 3438 in the psychology major, although PSY 3438 is the recommended course. Students may not receive credit for both PSY 3438 and SOC 4440.

Presents the theories and principles of motivation and leadership with practical applications in business, church, community and educational settings.

Personality psychology is the study of the individual characteristics that make each person unique. This class will focus on current major theories and research in personality science, which will then be used as a way to understand other topical areas in psychology, such as well-being, emotionality, religiosity, preferences, cognition, and more. Students will have the opportunity to explore personality through application exercises and projects.

This course explores different psychological theoretical perspectives on gender, sex, and sexualities, emphasizing intersections of gender, race, class, age, and other aspects of social identity. Christian perspectives on gender and sexuality are included to provide an expansive view of ways belief systems and backgrounds affect gender expectations and behavior. Students will gain knowledge of relevant concepts, develop intersectional perspectives, adopt skills to critically interrogate and respond to gendered images and practices, discuss different psychological perspectives on gender, and identify gendered aspects of everyday life. Typically offered: Spring.

Explores the nature and use of measurement and evaluation, psychometric theory and standardized testing. Develops concepts and skills in the development, selection, administration and interpretation of psychological and educational tests and nontesting means of evaluation.

Surveys child development from conception through late childhood, focusing on physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral development. Child development within various social and cultural contexts will be explored. Students will have the opportunity to examine the main theories and concepts in relation to applied challenges and controversies in child development. Finally, students will gain an understanding of various methodologies used to assess child development.

This course will provide an introduction to ethical and legal issues pertaining to the social sciences with specific focus on counseling, clinical, and social services contexts. The course will include an overview of different models of moral responsibility and decision making as well as various codes of conduct or standards of care. The course will cover topics such as: privacy and confidentiality, professional boundaries, multiple relationships, sensitivity to diversity, professional competence, and record keeping.

Provides an overview of adolescent development focusing on the interaction of the physical, cognitive, emotional, moral, social, familial, educational and vocational dimensions within social and cultural contexts. Includes an introduction to the observation, measurement and evaluation of adolescents.

Surveys adult development from emerging adulthood to dying and death. Focuses on the interacting processes of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development within social and cultural contexts, including developmental tasks and transitions associated with adult developmental periods.

The course examines the role of culture in human development through current research and examples from around the world. Learn about similarities and cultural differences in human development, and the regularities that explain these variations. Topics include the concept of culture in developmental psychology, diversity in child rearing practices, cultural learning and schooling, development in multicultural contexts, and the influence of technology and social change on development. Students learn to think culturally about their own development and how to apply this knowledge to inform their faith and their future careers in a globalized, multicultural society. Typically offered: Winter.

Explores the nature of scientific inquiry, the variety of psychological research methods, the design of internally and externally valid studies, and the application to designs of statistical techniques. Develops skills in locating, interpreting and evaluating published research. Students may not receive credit for both SOC 4751 and PSY 3588.

This course explores the contribution of biological influences on the development of behaviors and the effects of learning on adaptations in behaviors. Topics includes habituation and sensitization, classical conditioning, instrumental or operant conditioning, social learning, stimulus control, foraging and choice, motivation and verbal learning. Course content will be presented using both human and animal research models. Discussion includes biological and neurological explanations of learning and behavior. In addition, special attention will be paid to the relevance of learning principles to applied settings such as education and therapy.

This course examines mental processes and their relationship to behavior from a cognitive psychology perspective. Topics include sensation and perception, memory, encoding and retrieval, concept formation, choice, decision making, problem solving, language, and metacognition. Course content will be presented using both human and animal research models. Discussion includes biological and neurological explanations of cognitive processes. In addition, special attention will be paid to the application of cognitive processes to therapy.

The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and Social Psychology to design, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with nonhuman subjects. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics, Learning and Behavior, and Cognitive Psychology to design, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and Cognitive Psychology to design, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and Cross Cultural Psychology to design, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and Psychology and Faith to design, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

Restricted to Psychology majors who have applied to graduate in the current academic year. The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and Personality and Individual Differences, to design, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

Restricted to Psychology majors who have applied to graduate in the current academic year. The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and the various Developmental Psychology offerings, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Banner must reflect that the student has applied to graduate by summer of the year they register.

The objective of this course is to further students' knowledge of research methods in psychology by requiring students to conduct ethically sound research with human participants. Students will draw from material learned in previous psychology classes, especially Psychological Research Methods, Introduction to Statistics and the various Clinical/Counseling Psychology offerings, implement, and present unique empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member. This course is designed for Seniors who have already applied to graduate. Typically offered: Autumn.

This course will provide an introduction to the neurobiology of drug action. The course will include an overview of how drugs can be used to treatment various mental and physical health issues. In addition, the course will cover side effects of drug use as well as the effects of substance abuse. The course will cover topics such as: a discussion of various psychoactive agents such as stimulants, sedative/hypnotic, hallucinogens, marijuana, alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, cognitive enhancers, antianxiety, etc. pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug therapy for mental health issues such as depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety.

How are Christians to understand secular psychology? This course explores the relationship between Christian faith and the theories and findings of psychological science. We survey the philosophical issues that frame the dialogue between Christianity and psychology, and the different theoretical models to integrate them. We also examine intersecting ideas from psychology and biblical faith, as well as points of tension, to form a comprehensive view of human nature and behavior. Typically offered: Spring.

An advanced course in statistical analyses, particularly relevant for students with interests in conducting social and behavioral research. Topics include multiple regression, factor analysis and advanced applications of analysis of variance.

Learn to apply your research and statistics training by telling data stories. This course equips students with four in-demand data-analysis skills with an emphasis on real-world applications, people and consumer data analytics, and social sciences. Skills include: data ‘wrangling’ (i.e., manipulating datasets), data visualization (i.e., telling visual stories with data), data dashboards (Tableau), and data storytelling (i.e., how to communicate research data to non-trained audiences). An emphasis will be placed on computer skills such as SQL and R.

Provides an overview of the major approaches and techniques of psychological counseling, incorporating research on the process and efficacy of counseling interventions. Incorporates experiential introduction to basic counseling strategies through the use of guided role play with peers.

Addresses how endocrinology, anatomy and physiology influence female behavior, affect and quality of life during several time segments across the life span. Issues such as the physical and psychological development of the female, the bi-directional relationship between hormones and behavior, pregnancy, childbirth and lactation, and menopause will be addressed in both a physical and social context.

The biological bases of behavior are explored through essential concepts in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology within the context of behavioral processes. Introduction to sensation and perception provided. The nervous and endocrine systems are presented as a foundation for behavior.

A capstone experience in psychology integrating psychological theories and research in the context of the liberal arts and the Christian faith.

Students will carry out an extensive exploration of a topic in psychology. Study is under supervision of a psychology faculty member in the Department of Psychology, and builds on previous course preparation in psychology. Objective is to provide greater depth in analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the topic of interest. Substantial reading and writing expected. Credits may not be applied toward the minimum 30 needed to complete the minor.

Seminar style course designed to consider contemporary and controversial issues in psychology. Typically offered: Occasionally.

Practicum

This course provides psychological field experience in the community. Students must seek arrangements with internship sites before the quarter of participation. To be enrolled in PSY 4940, students must also submit a completed PSY internship learning contract by the first day of the quarter. PSY internship contracts are available on SPU's Handshake platform. Once contracts are submitted and approved, the Office of the Registrar enrolls students in the course. Internships must be supervised on-site by individuals with graduate training in psychology-related fields (or comparable expertise, as permitted by the Director of PSY Internships). Twenty-five hours of field work must be completed for each quarter credit, with a minimum of 50 total on-site hours required. Participation in a biweekly seminar with the Director of PSY Internships is also required. More information about securing internships may be obtained by contacting Dr. Webb, Director of PSY Internships, or by viewing the PSY department webpages on SPU's website.

Topics vary. Typically offered: Occasionally.

Student will carry out empirical research under the supervision of a psychology faculty member and synthesize the findings in a written research report. Objective is to apply skills in research methods and data analysis. Credits may not be applied toward the minimum 30 needed to complete the minor. Credit variable up to a maximum of three per term. Typically offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter.