Catalog Information
Professors:
Lisa Dierker; Jill
G. Morawski, Scott Plous, John G. Seamon, Robert S. Steele,
Ruth Striegel-Moore
Associate
Professor: Andrea L. Patalano
Assistant
Professors: Hilary Barth,
Barbara Juhasz,
Matthew Kurtz, Patricia Rodriguez Mosquera,
Charles
Sanislow,
Anna Shusterman, Steven Stemler
Adjunct
Professor: Philippa Coughlan,
Director, Office of
Behavioral Health for Students
Undergraduate
Program
Departmental Advising Experts 2009-2010: Andrea
Patalano, Patricia Rodriguez Mosquera
Department/Program
Home Page
The Psychology Department
offers introductory courses to provide a general overview of the entire field.
Statistics and research methods courses familiarize students with research tools
and techniques. The breadth requirement courses assure that students take an
array of medium-level courses that provide an intensive exposure to the
theories, practices, and results associated with important investigative areas.
Starting with the
class of 2013, three new components have been added to the psychology major: (1)
a cultural immersion experience in a culture other than one’s own, (2) a foreign
language requirement, and (3) satisfaction of general education stage 2
requirements. Additionally, the number of transfer courses that can be counted
toward the major has been increased so that students are able to fulfill major
course requirements while abroad. All of these are explained below in more
detail.
Admission.
Prospective majors
are required to earn a B or better in two psychology courses taken at Wesleyan
and declare psychology as their major not later than by the first week of
classes in their junior year. (Transfer students are exempted from the
requirement that the psychology courses have to have been taken at Wesleyan.)
Starting with the class of 2013, satisfaction of the General Education Stage 1
is required for admission to the major.
Please refer to the department's
Web site for for more detail.
Major requirements. Ten
psychology credits are required to fulfill the major. Nine of the 10 credits needed for the
major must be graded. (Introductory and statistic courses must be taken graded.) Starting with the
class of 2013, an additional 2 foreign language credits and completion of
general education stage 2 are also required.
Introductory psychology.
These
courses provide a broad overview of psychology. Either
PSYC101 Psychological Science or PSYC105 Foundations of Contemporary Psychology is
required. An AP course plus a Breadth
Requirement course will also fulfill the introductory requirement.
Psychological statistics.
These courses provide an introduction to data
analysis in psychology. Either Statistics: An Activity-Based Approach
(PSYC200) or Psychological Statistics (PSYC201), or Applied Data
Analysis (PSYC280) is required.
Alternatively,
this requirement can be fulfilled with one of the following approved courses
from outside the department: MATH132, MATH232, ECON300, SOC256/GOVT366,
or BIOL320/E&ES320.
Research methods. These
courses provide specific skills with which to evaluate and perform research. One
course in methods of research is required. These courses are numbered
PSYC202-219. Alternatively, this requirement can be fulfilled by taking
one of the Advanced Research courses (PSYC380-399)but seats
are more limited in these advanced courses.
Breadth requirement. Students
must choose a minimum of one course from each of the three columns:
|
COLUMN 1 |
COLUMN 2 |
COLUMN 3 |
|
PSYC220
Cognitive Psychology |
PSYC230
Developmental Psychology |
PSYC260
Social Psychology |
|
PSYC221
Human Memory |
PSYC245
Psychological Measurement |
PSYC261
Cultural Psychology |
|
PSYC222
Sensation and Perception |
PSYC251
Understanding Psychopathology |
PSYC263
Exploring Social Psychology |
|
PSYC 223
Psycholinguistics |
PSYC259
Discovering
the Person |
PSYC265
Culture in
Psychology: An Intro to Theory and Research |
|
PSYC225
Cognitive Neuroscience |
PSYC270
The Psychology of Women |
PSYC277
Psychology and the Law |
|
PSYC228
Clinical Neuropsychology |
PSYC271
Life-span Development |
|
|
PSYC240
Behavioral Neurobiology |
|
|
Specialized. These courses (PSYC300-398) aim to ensure that students study at least one subfield of psychology indepth. A student must take one specialized course that deepens the knowledge she or he gained in a
breadth requirement course.
Electives. Any other courses, tutorials, or teaching apprenticeships offered by the department, or any courses approved by the chair, may also be counted toward completion of the requirements.
Foreign language
requirement (starting with Class of 2013).
Learning a language other than one’s own enhances an understanding of and
engagement with persons from cultures not one’s own. Psychology majors are
required to work toward achieving language proficiency in a second language.
Specifically, two semesters of intermediate level (or, if the student chooses an
“uncommonly taught language,” two semesters at any of the levels) of language
study in a language of the student’s choice are required for completion of the
major. Students for whom English is a second language or students who can
demonstrate mastery of a foreign language at the intermediate level (by language
placement test) may opt out of the language requirement.
Cultural
immersion experience (starting with Class of 2013).
Direct interaction with other cultures through study abroad facilitates an
understanding of cultures not one’s own and of global issues. Psychology majors
need to spend at least one semester engaged in a cultural immersion experience.
Study abroad automatically fulfills the requirement. Students may petition to
fulfill the requirement with a cultural immersion experience within the U.S.,
with a summer program, or with other equivalent experience.
Honors thesis in psychology.
By the beginning
of their spring semester junior year, Psychology majors who have earned at least
a B+ average in all psychology courses and who have earned at least a B average in
all nonpsychology courses may pursue Honors in psychology by writing a thesis.
Honors will be awarded only if both readers evaluate the thesis worthy of
Honors.
High honors thesis in psychology.
In addition to the above, psychology majors must also have met the University’s
General Education requirements to pursue high honors in psychology by
writing a thesis. High honors will be awarded only if both readers evaluate the
thesis as truly exceptional, i.e., worthy of high honors.
To evaluate eligibility, grades are needed for all courses, including transfer courses. Please refer to the department's
Web site for the formula to calculate GPAs.
Transfer credits.
Students may transfer up to three psychology credits from other departments or
institutions (including AP Psychology) or, if from study abroad, three
psychology credits plus one credit from within the United States. These courses
must be approved by the chair. Even though a transfer credit may have been
approved toward a university credit, it must also be specifically approved
toward the psychology major. Transfer credits cannot be counted toward admission
to the program unless you are a transfer student.
Teaching apprentice credits.
No more than two teaching apprentice credits can be counted toward the major.
Tutorial credits.
No more than four tutorial credits can be counted toward the major, or six including the senior thesis tutorials.
Advanced Placement credit.
Students who receive a score of 5 or 4 and complete a full-credit
breadth requirement course may receive 1.00 credit.
This credit may fulfill the introductory course requirement. AP credits may not be counted toward admission to the major.
Concentration in
cognitive science.
Interested
students have the opportunity to specialize in cognitive science within the
major. To earn recognition for this specialization, the following conditions
must be met. First, three of the following courses must be included among
breadth requirements and electives: Cognitive Psychology (PSYC220), Memory, Sensation and
Perception (PSCY222), Developmental Psychology (PSYC230), Cognitive Neuroscience
(PSYC225), Behavioral
Neurobiology (PSYC240), and Psycholinguistics (PSYC223). Second, "the Specialized course
requirement" should build
on at least one of these three courses. Third, two additional courses are
required from outside the department that are closely related to cognitive
science (see Psychology Department for list of approved courses). Fourth, a
semester-long research tutorial must be completed in an area of cognitive
science (the research tutor must approve the tutorial for this purpose prior to
its commencement). Fifth, students are expected to enroll in a year-long (1
credit per year) Cognitive Science Seminar
(PSYC345). In light of these
requirements, students undertaking this concentration have the option to
petition to be exempted from the major’s new cultural immersion requirement.
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