Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree Program

ENG110

College Writing - 3 Credits

This course is designed to develop and refine the analytical/critical reading skills and the substantive writing skills of freshmen.  This intensive writing class will focus on writing essays of varying length and expose students to the various rhetorical modes of writing that will contribute to their success in university courses and their chosen careers.

ENG120

College Writing II - 3 Credits

College Writing II looks to expand upon the writing skills attained in ENG110. As a student-centered course, students explore their own writing in peer, group, and self-review skill sessions. Students enhance self-editing skills and increase awareness of the revision skills needed in both college coursework and in careers. The course will further develop students' understanding of the writing process from pre-writing to final draft. This course encourages students to have their writing evaluated across the curriculum. The course culminates in a research essay and portfolio of original work.

Pre-requisite: ENG110.

COM107

Intro to Communications - 3 credits

This introductory course will focus on the knowledge and skills that students need to become competent communicators.  This information and these skills will include speaking, listening, media literacy, computer-mediated communication, cultural sensitivity, workplace communication, group dynamics, and critical thinking.  Students will prepare and present speeches and group projects that utilize media and technology.  Emphasis will be place on personal, social and workplace interaction both individually and in group settings.

CIS112

Introduction to Computing - 3 Credits

This course strives to meet the high level of computer literacy required of all students earning a degree from the university. Special emphasis is placed on the ethical use of computer technology for information analysis and communications. Computer units introduce the Internet, Windows, word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software. Students who feel they have attained computer literacy and earn 70 percent on an exemption exam may substitute any other 3-credit course for this core requirement. 

Students may prove competency by passing a waiver examination.  No credit is granted if the requirement is waived.

MAT120

College Algebra - 3 Credits

This course provides a deeper understanding of the concepts of algebra including function applications, inequalities in two variables, matrix operations, linear programming, quadratic and polynomial applications, and solving rational and radical equations. This course is integrated with an online program designed to assist students in achieving their goals of high level performance in and out of the classroom. Course requires subscription to a supplementary online program.

Prerequisite: C or better in MAT102 or Department Permission.

MAT220

Statistics - 3 Credits

This course offers students an opportunity to experience statistics as it would occur in various settings. This course is integrated with a state of the art online program designed to assist students in achieving their goals of high level performance in and out of the classroom. Topics are presented through real life case studies and include an overview of the fundamentals of statistics, collective and descriptive statistic techniques, data collection and sampling, the normal distribution and probability, hypothesis testing, population inferences, simple linear regression, and correlation. An understanding of basic algebra is required. Course requires subscription to a supplementary online program. Scientific or graphing calculator and access to a spreadsheet program is recommended.

LCS105

Elements of Organization - 3 Credits

Students need a basic understanding of how organizations work in order to manage their personal and professional lives. This course provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the foundations underlying all organizations (businesses, non-profit and governmental organizations) specifically as they relate to the nature of: management and leadership, economics both domestically and internationally, ethics, social responsibility, entrepreneurship, human resource management, marketing/advertising, e-commerce, information technology, accounting, investments, money and personal finances.

PSY341

Research Methodology for the Social Sciences - 3 Credits

This course emphasizes the methods and techniques for research in psychology and sociology, including both laboratory and survey techniques. Emphasis is placed on the development of empirical questions from theory, research design and control, construction of survey instruments, statistical analysis and interpretation of results. Exercises include development of an original research project appropriate to the students' major field.

Prerequisites: MAT220, and either PSY102 or SOC340

PSY101

Fundamentals of Psychology I - 3 Credits

This course examines the nature of psychology as a social and behavioral science. It surveys fundamental areas in behavior including research in psychology, the brain and behavior, learning, human development and socialization, intelligence, personality, health psychology, and social psychology.

PSY102

Fundamentals of Psychology II - 3 Credits

This course is a continuation of the concepts introduced in PSY101. It surveys such areas as sensation and perception, states of consciousness, memory, motivation and emotion, thinking and language, psychological disorders, and treatment of psychological disorders.

Prerequisite: PSY101.

PSY305

Theories of Personality - 3 Credits

This course surveys the major theories of personality in terms of their origins, underlying assumptions, and implications for psychology in general. Theorists considered include, but may not be limited to, Freud, Horney, Erikson, Kelly, Skinner, Rogers, Bandura. Factor analytic theory and biological typology are also covered.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY306

Abnormal Psychology - 3 Credits

This course examines the major theories of psychopathology. For each theory treated, consideration is given to the definition of abnormality, supportive research data, classification systems, and suggested intervention strategies.

Prerequisite: PSY101 and Junior class standing

PSY310

Learning Theory - 3 Credits

This course surveys the historical antecedents of modern learning theory. Emphasis is placed on the influence of major theorists such as Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, Thorndike, and Hull. The course concludes with a survey of recent trends and developments in the field, including the applications of respondent and operant conditioning principles in therapy and behavior management programs.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY315

Psychological Tests and Measurements - 3 Credits

This course examines the various tests used in the assessment of individuals. Considerable emphasis is given to such topics as the assumptions underlying the construction of tests, determination of validity, and the estimation of reliability.

Prerequisites: PSY101 and permission of the instructor

PSY340

Neuropsychology - 3 Credits

This course examines the neuropsychological bases of behavior.  Attention is given to such topics as neuronal transmission, anatomy of the nervous system, evolution of the brain, emotion, learning and memory, lateralization and language, brain damage, psychopathology, and clinical neuropsychological evaluation.

Prerequisites: PSY102; BIO120

PSY403

Sensation and Perception - 3 Credits

This course studies the processes by which sensory information is extracted from the environment, organized, and integrated with past experience as well as the states of the organism to yield a person's perceptual experience of the world. Specific processes to be considered include visual acuity, color vision, perceptual organization and constancies, perception of depth, movement, and form. Attention is also given to distortions and illusions of perception and to the role of perceptual principles in drawings, painting, and photography.

Prerequisites: PSY102; BIO120

PSY421 Proseminar - 3 Credits

This course provides the opportunity for students to design and conduct individual research projects under the supervision of a faculty member. Students are expected to present the design and results of their studies in the framework of a seminar.

Prerequisite: Senior Psychology major

CSS101

College Success Seminar: Learning Across the Lifespan - 3 credits

This course provides theoretical bases and practical strategies for lifelong learning. Students will become aware of university resources, as well as the policies and procedures critical to success at Post. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, study skills, analytical reading, effective writing, reasoning, problem-solving, time management and strategies for college success necessary to support learning in a university environment. Students will analyze their own learning abilities and styles and develop effective practices for learning throughout their lifetime. Students will explore their motivations and the external determinants that affect their educational, personal, and career success. Students will learn the role of active learning in a successful life.

PSS301

Professional Success Seminar: Work, Life and Career Development – 3 credits

This course provides practical approaches to managing one’s career, working with others in teams, understanding other’s perceptions of one’s performance, managing upwards and sideways for success, maneuvering through a changing work environment and global marketplace, and networking inside and outside of one’s organization. Students will explore the changing global environment of business and the skills and knowledge that tomorrow’s workforce will demand.

PSY201

Child Development - 3 Credits

This course emphasizes the psychological development of the child from birth to adolescence. Consideration is given to data, theories, and methods of studying child behavior. Emphasis is placed upon the general characteristics of various stages of development and upon general determinants of the developmental process.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY203

Adolescent Psychology - 3 Credits

This course is an intensive study of the development of adolescents in terms of theory and research with special attention to the contemporary problems that confront them.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY260

Educational Psychology - 3 Credits

This survey course introduces students to the ways in which psychological aspects of the learning process are investigated and applied. Among the topics addressed are: research in educational psychology; student characteristics; applications of psychological theories to the development of instructional techniques; evaluating student performance; and special education.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY307

Drugs and Behavior - 3 Credits

This course surveys drugs and their effects on human behavior, physiology, and society in general. The “non-drugs” (alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine); the psychotherapeutic drugs (antipsychotic, anti-anxiety agents, stimulants, and depressants); and the narcotics and hallucinogens, including marijuana and LSD, are thoroughly examined.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY220

Multicultural Psychology - 3 Credits

This course will explore how cultural differences in world view, communication, racial identity, gender identity, sexuality, immigration, and other cultural issues influence psychological research and other related phenomena.

PSY301

Social Psychology - 3 Credits

This course seeks to explore the behavior of the individual as it is determined by social situations. Among the topics covered are socialization, attitude formation and change, social perception and attribution, affiliation, achievement, and aggression.

Prerequisite: PSY101

PSY307

Drugs and Behavior - 3 Credits

This course surveys drugs and their effects on human behavior, physiology, and society in general. The “non-drugs” (alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine); the psychotherapeutic drugs (antipsychotic, anti-anxiety agents, stimulants, and depressants); and the narcotics and hallucinogens, including marijuana and LSD, are thoroughly examined.

Prerequisite: PSY101

MGT405

Organizational Behavior - 3 Credits

This course includes the study of individual and small group behavior in organizations and the interpretation of this behavior in the context of the managerial environment. Students will explore the nature of such concepts as influence, power and control, attitudes, communication, conflict, and interpersonal relations as a means of understanding of the dynamics of group behavior.

Prerequisite: MGT105.

MKT404

Consumer Behavior - 3 Credits

This course examines marketing from the point of view of key behavioral science concepts, relevant consumer research, best practices and practical marketing applications with a customer focus. The course also analyzes motivation, personality, perception, learning, attitude formation, and the importance of group dynamics, social class, and culture on behavior in the marketplace.

Prerequisite: MKT101.

PSY102

Fundamentals of Psychology II - 3 Credits

This course is a continuation of the concepts introduced in PSY101. It surveys such areas as sensation and perception, states of consciousness, memory, motivation and emotion, thinking and language, psychological disorders, and treatment of psychological disorders.

Prerequisite: PSY101.

PSY240

Forensic Psychology - 3 Credits

This course surveys the production and application of psychological knowledge to the legal process and the relationship between Psychology and the Law. Various roles of Psychology, psychologists, and various aspects of human behavior that are related to legal processes and issues will be explored.  Some topics to be explored are: eyewitness memory and testimony, the roles and responsibilities of forensic psychologists (e.g., as researcher, as trial consultant, as consultant to law enforcement, as expert witness, and activities of a psychologist in a police dept.), insanity & competency, sexual offending, domestic violence, battered woman syndrome, the role of the psychologist in child custody cases, sexual harassment, and psychological research on the death penalty.

PSY341

Research Methodology for the Social Sciences - 3 Credits

This course emphasizes the methods and techniques for research in psychology and sociology, including both laboratory and survey techniques. Emphasis is placed on the development of empirical questions from theory, research design and control, construction of survey instruments, statistical analysis and interpretation of results. Exercises include development of an original research project appropriate to the students' major field.

Prerequisites: MAT220, and either PSY102 or SOC340

PSY395

Special Topics in Forensics Psychology - 3 Credits

This course addresses the practical application of special topics in forensic psychology. It provides a survey into the interface between psychology and the law. Students will gain an understanding of how mental health disorders may cause, aggravate or mitigate criminal or civil cases. Students will identify a special topic in forensic psychology and apply theoretical knowledge for research and connect their research to the impact on society.

Prerequisites: PSY101 and PSY240