PSY 105 Introduction to Psychology
3 credits
A survey of the content fields in psychology and the methods used to understand human behavior. This course is a prerequisite for all other courses in psychology.
PSY 106 Social Psychology
3 credits
An analysis of how humans think about, influence, and relate to one another. Prerequisite: PSY 105.
PSY 107 Human Development: A Life Span Perspective
3 credits
A developmental course spanning the entire life cycle from birth to death. Emphasis will be placed on the psychological, biological, sociological, philosophical, and historical bases of human development from prenatal and infant development, through child and adolescent development, and culminating in adulthood and aging, to complete the life cycle. Prerequisite: PSY 105.
PSY 201 Developmental Psychology: Birth to Twelve Years
3 credits
This course will examine the cognitive, physical, and social development of the child from conception to twelve years of age. Prerequisite: PSY 105. Fall
PSY 202 Developmental Psychology: The Adolescent
3 credits
This course will examine the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development of the adolescent (13 to 20 years of age). Prerequisite: PSY 105. Spring
PSY 205 Personality
3 credits
The major theories of personality, personality development, and personality assessment. Prerequisite: Six semester hours of psychology. Fall
PSY 206 Human Adjustment
3 credits
This course will examine how one adjusts to day-to-day events and situations in life and the developmental factors that are involved in the adjustment process. Emphasis will be placed on self-developmental, emotional, and social factors that affect one’s adjustment to day-to-day events and situations. The relationship between past developmental experiences and current and future adjustment will be considered. Prerequisite: PSY 105. (Spring of even numbered years)
PSY 208 Psychology as a Profession
3 credits
Specifically designed for psychology majors or minors, this course provides an introduction to the discipline of professional psychology as it is reflected in contemporary theory and practice. Students will develop an ability to evaluate and utilize information from psychological research published in leading journals, as well as to write research that meets the current standards and practice of psychology. This course will guide students in developing a personal plan for achieving their own goals as psychology students and, when appropriate, strategies for graduate school application or career placement and development. Students are required to become student affiliates of the American Psychological Association. Prerequisite: PSY 105. Fall
PSY 209 Introduction to Exceptional Individuals: Society, School, and Family (Cross-listed as SPE 209)
3 credits
This course is designed to introduce pre-service teacher-education students to the philosophical, legal, and historical foundations of the education of exceptional students. The term “exceptional” is used by educators to describe any individual who’s physical, mental, or behavioral performance deviates substantially from the norm, either higher or lower. In this course, exceptional students will include individuals with disabilities and/or giftedness. A study of the models and theories of typical/atypical growth, behaviors, and the current identification criteria used to describe the characteristics of exceptional learners will be emphasized. This course is also required for all Elementary and Secondary Majors. Prerequisite: EDU 205. Spring
PSY 215 Human Violence and Survival
3 credits
An exploration of traditional and contemporary psychological theories of human aggression. Theories related to the motives of perpetrators of violence, the psychological effects on victims, the process of recovery from violence, and psychosocial dynamics related to the prevention of violence will be covered. Spring
PSY 216 Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (Cross-listed as HSV 216, POL 216, and SOC 216)
3 credits
An introduction to statistical and data analysis techniques for students majoring in the social and behavioral sciences. Topics include descriptive statistics for central tendency, fundamentals of probability, sampling distributions, and hypothesis tests for inferential statistics. This course will also include an overview of more advanced techniques, including the analysis of variance and correlation. Prerequisite: MAT 106. Open to majors in HSV, PSY, SOC, and POL only. Spring
PSY 217 Sports Psychology
3 credits
Both mental and physical aspects are involved in sport and exercise activities. This course provides an introduction to the study of human behavior patterns as they relate to sport and exercise. Athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and other sport and exercise-related professionals must understand these aspects to be successful. Topics covered include personality, anxiety and arousal, imagery, goal setting and injury. Prerequisite: PSY 105. Spring
PSY 218 Cognitive Psychology
3 credits
This course will provide a broad overview of human cognition. It will explore why humans think and believe the things that they do, the nature of memory, and the process of thought. It will examine the ways in which attention, perception, learning, memory, problem-solving, thinking and reasoning help us to make decisions and cope with everyday life. Current research in the field of cognitive psychology will be presented and evaluated. Prerequisite: PSY 105. Spring
PSY 306 Forensic Psychology
3 credits
The use of psychology by the law, and the regulation of psychology by the law are both relatively recent. These interactions will be the focus of the course. Topics will range from the effects of drugs on behavior, the sources of criminal behavior, deviancy in society, the standards of evidence, sanity, competency, custody, and profiling. Other topics will be discussed. Prerequisite: PSY 105. (Fall of odd numbered years)
PSY 308 Abnormal Psychology
3 credits
The psychobiological and psychosocial factors in the development of psychopathology. Prerequisites: PSY 105 and 205 or permission of the department chair. Spring
PSY 309 Learning
3 credits
This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and processes of learning and memory, with particular emphasis on animal learning and comparative cognition, as well as the continuing influence of the early researchers in this field. As a result of this course, students should be able to recognize the influence of the environment on behavior, distinguish between major types of learning, identify basic principles of learning, use the technical terminology appropriate to the psychology of learning, and appreciate the significant role that learning plays in the lives of human and nonhuman animals. Prerequisite: PSY 105. Fall
PSY 311 Research Methods
3 credits
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the methods used for the collection and analysis of data in psychology. The steps in the scientific study of behavior, including literature review, method selection, and statistical analysis of data will be covered. Topics to be covered include experimental design, ethics, descriptive and inferential statistics, and the preparation of research reports. Students must take this course immediately prior to taking PSY 312. Prerequisites: PSY 105 and PSY 216. Fall
PSY 312 Experimental Psychology
3 credits
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to engage in many of the steps of psychological research first hand. Students will be conducting scientific literature reviews, generating hypotheses, analyzing data using statistical software, writing research reports, and presenting their research at a mock research conference held on campus. Students must take this course immediately after taking PSY 311. Prerequisite: PSY 311. Spring
PSY 315 Psychological Measurement and Evaluation
3 credits
An introduction to the philosophy and practice of psychological measurement. Emphasis is placed upon the statistical techniques which form the basis for the development and interpretation of psychological tests. The student becomes directly acquainted with testing procedures through simulated administration of a variety of tests and analyzing psychological evaluations that summarize and interpret test results. Prerequisites: Six semester hours of psychology, PSY 216, or permission of the department chair. Spring
PSY 316 Psychobiology
3 credits
This class will familiarize students with the principles of biological psychology as well as with the relationships between behavior and brain /neurological functions. This course provides a survey and discussion of the structure and functions of the nervous system, the sensory and motor systems needed for daily functioning and the biology behind emotions, sleep, learning, sex, reproduction, and mental illnesses. Prerequisite: PSY 105. Fall
PSY 317 Psychology of Religion (Cross-listed as BMS 317)
3 credits
This course is designed to help the student understand the ways in which individual and social psychology and the process of spiritual growth influence one another. The student will understand how people develop spiritually, and how psychology can help to encourage this growth. Both spiritual and psychological authors are included in the reading. This course is intended to encourage individual thought and to aid in the students’ struggle to maintain faith while learning this science. Prerequisite: PSY 105. (Spring of even numbered years)
PSY 318 Human Sexuality
3 credits
This course explores the vast area of human behavior involved in sexuality. It will cover how sexual behavior is formed, abnormal behavior, normal sexual responses, the impact of sexuality on the culture, how self-esteem is affected by cultural and family attitudes towards sexuality, and a variety of other factors in this study. Prerequisite: PSY 105. (Fall of even numbered years)
PSY 319 Child Psychopathology
3 credits
The focus of this course is on psychological disorders specifically within the childhood through adolescence population. Each disorder will be discussed with consideration of environmental, psychosocial, and developmental context. Prerequisites: PSY 107 or PSY 201 and 202. Spring
PSY 321 Advanced Research Methods
3 credits
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the methods used for the collection and analysis of data in psychology. The steps in the scientific study of behavior, including literature review, method selection, and statistical analysis of data will be covered. Topics to be covered include experimental design, ethics, descriptive and inferential statistics, and the preparation of research manuscripts. Students will also prepare IRB proposals for their PSY 321 research projects. Students must take this course immediately prior to taking PSY 322. Prerequisites: PSY 105 and 216. Fall
PSY 322 Advanced Experimental Psychology
3 credits
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to engage in many of the steps of psychological research first hand. Students will be conducting scientific literature reviews, generating novel hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing data using statistical software, writing research manuscripts, and presenting their research at a mock research conference held at another university. Students must take this course immediately after taking PSY 321. Prerequisite: PSY 321. Spring
PSY 325 Positive Psychology: The Science of Flourishing
3 credits
The psychology of "flourishing" is largely an inquiry in personal well-being and optimal functioning expanding authentic happiness. Positive Psychology involves the application of the empirically derived principles of psychology focusing on the science of thriving - how one can develop the self and engage in the world to lead a more fulfilling life. In this seminar course, students will experientially and critically examine and discuss a number of topics that includes subjective well-being, meaning and purpose, flow, love, motivation, and character strengths. Prerequisites: PSY 105 and GE Oral Competency satisfied. Fall
PSY 326 Psychology of Women (Cross-listed as SOC 326)
3 credits
An examination of psychology as it relates to women and psychological issues of concern to women. Issues of concern will include, but not be limited to, media images of women, women and leadership, gender differences, relationships, career success, sexuality, date rape and psychological disorders that are represented disproportionately among women. Prerequisite: PSY 105. (Spring of odd numbered years)
PSY 406 Psychotherapy
3 credits
An introduction to the theory and practice of psychotherapy, with particular emphasis on the principles of clinical intervention, counseling skills, consultative processes and case-study techniques. Prerequisite: PSY 105, 205, or permission from the department chair.
PSY 409 The History of Psychology
3 credits
This course will examine the discipline of psychology in a historical context, focusing on its philosophical and physiological underpinnings. Prerequisite: PHL 207 and fifteen semester hours of psychology. Spring
PSY 415 Capstone Course for Self-Development Minor
3 credits
This course is to be the final course taken in the sequence for the self-development minor. This course will focus on integrating the information that was presented in the other course that the student has taken to complete the minor. The student will use that information to assess his/her own development and determine how his/her personality and life view affects his/her relationships with members of the family and clients, subordinates, co-workers, superiors or students in the workplace. (Fall of even numbered years)
PSY 465 Psychology Internship Program
6 credits
A field-placement wherein qualified students intern as paraprofessionals in the on-going activities of one or more social service agencies in the community. A total of 15 hours per week of agency-related activities is involved as well as one two-hour seminar per week. Limited to psychology majors and minors. Prerequisite: 15 semester hours in psychology including PSY 205 or 308 if the internship is clinical; PSY 216, 311 or 321, and 312 or 322 if the internship is research based; approval of the department. Pass-fail grade.
PSY 466 Child Development Internship
6 credits
A field-placement wherein qualified students intern as paraprofessionals in an on-going activities of a facility that is involved in serving children such as Children and Youth Services of a day care center. A total of 15 hours per week of agency-related activities is involved as well as one two-hour seminar per week. Limited to psychology majors in the child development minor. Prerequisites: 15 hours in psychology, including PSY 201 and 202. Pass-fail grade.
PSY 475 Advanced Faith and Learning Integration
3 credits
In the spirit of the mission of Waynesburg University, this course intends to provide junior and senior level students with an unparalleled opportunity to integrate the Bible materials and its history of interpretation to the academic disciplines. Students who wish to engage in this level of theological reflection on vocation should consult with both their academic advisors and with the Chair of the Biblical and Ministry Studies Major Program. This course will not substitute for senior capstone/research courses required in the majors. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing; three credits in BMS courses; 3.00 minimum grade point average. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
PSY 195, 295, 395, 495 Special Topics
3 credits
Appropriate and related topics pertaining to the student’s specialized interest. Subject matter to be arranged. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit)
PSY 497 Independent Research
2-3 credits
Independent study and research into specific topics and problems in the field of psychology. Open to junior and senior psychology majors with permission of the department chair.