teaching and courses

undergraduate

Physiological Psychology

Prerequisites: PSYC 301. Anatomical, neural and biochemical bases of behavior are studied. Topics include localization of function, neuro-hormonal interaction, sensory and motor functioning, emotions, the relationship of neurophysiological processes and personality. The lectures will focus on the relationship between cognition and the brain and disorders of the brain in human neurology. Tests will be on both the readings and the lectures. This is a demanding upper level class, so please be prepared to keep up with the work.

Evolutionary Psychology*

Evolutionary psychology (EP) is the scientific study of human nature based on understanding the psychological adaptations that we evolved to cope with survival and reproductive challenges faced over the long expanse of our evolutionary history. There will be a brief historical review of key themes in psychology and evolutionary biology. Topics include problems of survival, long-term mating, sexuality, parenting, kinship, cooperation, aggression and warfare, conflict between the sexes, status, prestige, and social dominance. There will be a focus on genetics, comparative primatology, hominid evolution and the brain, all in terms of behavior.

Quantitative Methods

This course will cover the information necessary for a basic comprehension in statistical methods and hypothesis testing. During this class, you will initially learn the basic methods in statistics. A progression of your knowledge will build such that you will be able to design, plan and execute statistical comparisons on independent data. Topics include Basic Concepts, Variation, The Normal Curve & Percentiles, Other Applications of the Normal Curve, Sampling Distribution of The Mean, Introduction to Hypothesis Testing, T test , More than Two Groups Hypothesis Testing- ANOVA, Correlation, Regression, Chi- square, Experimental Design, Repeated One- Way ANOVA, Factorials, This is a 4 credit course.

The Science of Self-Perception

In this course, we will address questions of self-awareness and the origins of consciousness. At the very core of this course, we will want to explore who we are and what the self is. As self-awareness is closely linked to emotional awareness, we will also explore the development of awareness of emotions in self, other, and music. Key to our scientific search for the self is the philosophy of identity and the self. By putting together the science and the philosophy of self, one can gain an appreciation for how far we have come and how much there is still to learn. Finally, we will examine the reciprocal relationship between musical preference and identity formation.