|
89800
0CR - Research Supervision (Advisor)
80200 3CR - Independent Research
90000 1CR - Dissertation Supervision 80400 1, 2, or -3CRS
- Independent Readings
Psychology
and the Law
CRJ8060 (66346) Special Topics in Policing and Police Systems:
Psychology of Policing Thurs 6:30-8:30 Prof. Gerber
3 Credits John Jay Campus
Psych 83700 (66466) Psychology and Criminal Behavior Prof.
Schlesinger 3 Credits Wed. 12:00-2:00 John Jay Campus
See
Also:
SOC 77800 (66249) - 3CR Interdisciplinary Research in Urban
Health Battle/Freudenberg Tuesday 6:30-8:30 Room TBA
IDS 81610 (66622) - 3CR Fashioning the Self in Social and
Cultural Spaces Glick/Paulicelli Thursday, 4:15-6:15
Room TBA
Course Descriptions
Required Courses
70500 Statistical Methods in
Psychology I
This course introduces students to data analysis techniques
that are suitable for field research projects. Heavy emphasis
is given to various regression models, univariate and multivariate
analysis of variance techniques and time series intervention
models. Students are given experience using computer programs
from SAS, SPSS-X, and BMDP. New students who have completed
a graduate statistics course may be able to use that in lieu
of this requirement. 705 Statistics I and 706 Statistics II
are required by the Ph.D. Program in Psychology.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
70600 Statistical Methods in
Psychology II
Psychology 706 is a continuation of Psychology 705. The topics
covered include confidence intervals for regression parameters
and their use in prediction problems, simultaneous, stepwise,
and hierarchic regression models, power analysis, simple and
factorial analysis of variance (balanced and unbalanced cases),
post-hoc comparisons, simple and factorial multivariate analyses
of variance.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
70500 Statistical Methods in
Psychology I
The purpose of this course is to introduce the student
to the basic principles underlying statistical inference,
to provide an understanding of basic statistical analyses
(t-tests, simple analysis of variance and regression models,
non-parametric methods) and to provide an introduction to
the use of statistical computer packages.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
70600 Statistical Methods in
Psychology II
The following topics are considered: (a) the description of
multi variate data sets, (b ) multiple regression analysis,
(c) analysis of variance for factorial designs, (d) randomized
block designs, and (e) analysis of covariance.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
72902 Research Methods In Human
Developmental Psychology II
The course is designed to introduce the student to methods
for conducting research on psychological problems within a
developmental framework. General topics included are: what
is special about the developmental approach to psychology,
the relationship between theory and method, selecting participants
(subjects), obtaining human subjects approval, kinds
of design (especially cross-sectional, longitudinal, cross-lagged),
measurement, data analysis, and interpretation. Special topics
include changing behavior and cross-sectional research. In
each case, the topic is approached didactically and practically.
The student is expected to complete a pilot study of a research
project and a (re)design of same.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
79200 Research
Methods and Ethics in Environmental Psychology I
The class will cover issues, problems and ethics of various
field research issues including problem definition, research
design, review of literature, and data analysis. Specific
techniques covered include observation, interviews, questionnaires,
participatory methods, graphics, community studies and social
impact assessment.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
79300 Research Methods and
Ethics in Environmental Psychology II
This course is a continuation of Research Methods and Ethics
in Environmental Psychology I, covering the major research
techniques used in Environmental Psychology, the rationale
for their use, their strengths and limitations and ethical
concerns. The research problems selected by students in the
first semester are pursued, with the design and application
of appropriate data collection techniques. The laboratory
meeting enables discussion of research questions specific
to the ongoing studies. The class terminates with a presentation
of the research and a final paper.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
74800 Qualitative Research Methods
PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR REQUIRED
This course focuses on rationale and method in human development
and action research. We review, discuss, and practice qualitative
research methods including ethnography, free spaces, interviewing,
and discourse analysis. We take a critical perspective on
research design, considering theory, purpose, and issues such
as multiple methods, ethical issues in studying others, and
issues of diversity. Students apply the course work to their
own research, in particular second year research projects
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Introduction to Environmental
Social Science (ESS I)
This course is designed to provide a survey of the range of
disciplines that comprise the field of Environmental Social
Science. Readings are designed to broaden the students' familiarity
with literature concerning peoples engagements with the physical
environment from the fields of anthropology, sociology, geography,
urban planning, architecture, environmental design and management,
and psychology.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
79102 Environmental Social Science II:
Ecological Concepts in Psychology
This course examines the strands of ecological thought in
psychology ranging from self- proclaimed ecological theorist
such as J.J. Gibson, Egon Brunswick, and Roger Barker through
other theorists for whom context was crucial, such as Kurt
Lewin and L.S. Vygotsky. More recent work is drawn from artificial
intelligence, environmental and developmental psychology,
and discourse analysis. The goal of the course is to help
students develop a theoretical basis for understanding psychological
processes as embedded in the physical, social, and cultural
world.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Environmental Social Science III:
Social and Cultural Theory
This seminar is part of a three course sequence that introduces
first and second year graduate students to the multidisciplinary
theoretical bases of the environmental social science field.
The readings are divided into four parts: 1) From culture
to interpretation includes cognitive, ecological and interpretive
theories of culture and environment drawn from anthropology.
2) From structure to practice covers the transformation of
structural theories of social behavior to theories that include
human agency and link actors to the social and physical environment
through practice. 3) From history to political economy traces
Marxism in its many forms, and focuses on Marxist geographical
theory as it redefines space and spatial practices in such
a way as to understand the production of space and the social
reproduction of the class structure that supports uneven development.
The final part reviews 4) critical theories: race, class,
and gender including recent work in feminism, critical race
theory, post colonial theory, and critical literary theory.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Seminar
on Cognitive Processes in Clinical Neuropsychological Populations
The seminar describes the major classes of cognitive deficit
and disorder together with the neuroanatomy of the brain damage
and dysfunction associated with each. It compares and evaluates
models of neurocognitive disorders and their supporting empirical
evidence. Special consideration is given to methodogical issues
encountered while comparing treatment effects across populations
with different initial cognitive performance levels.SyllabusText:
Farah, M. J. & Feinberg, T. E. (2000). Patient-based approaches
to cognitive neuroscience. The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Cognitive disorders and deficits caused by disease, accidents
or genetic factors provide a rich source of information about
neurocognitive processes. The seminar provides an introduction
to the methods and findings of this fascinating field. The
process of understanding neurocognitive processes operates
in two directions. Cognitive deficits help us to understand
the neurophysiological processes upon which normal cognitive
functions depend, and as these processes are understood, we
can better understand and therefore diagnose, the basis of
deficit cognitive functions. Because cognitive neuroscience
and neuropsychology are in a period of explosive growth, this
interdependency between the diagnosis of individual persons
and the understanding of basic processes will continue for
a long time. I hope you will enjoy becoming part of this effort.
Before you can understand specific disorders you must learn
the location and gross functions of cortical and sub-cortical
brain regions, and the primary methods used to study them.
In order enhance your incentive for learning this material,
I will give 3 tests (15 points each), during the first 7 weeks,
on functional neuroanatomy, the methods and principles of
cognitive neuroscience - corresponding roughly to Part I of
the text. The remainder of our time will be devoted to the
study of individual disorders. I am asking you to write one
short (5 pages single spaced, including references) paper
(11 points each) on a specific issue associated with one disorder
in each of the 5 parts of the text: II. Perception & Attention,
III. Language, IV. Memory, V. Other Higher Functions, and
VI. Dementia. Each paper should take the relevant chapters
as a starting point and, address a specific issue on the basis
of both recent research and class discussion of neurocognitive
models and methodological issues. Where possible, the paper
should be strongly critical of the published literature and
suggest methods or experiments to improve upon it. You may
elect, and are encouraged, to make an oral presentation, with
slides or handouts, to the class in lieu of one of your written
papers. Also, in lieu of one or two of the five papers, you
may substitute, with permission based on a detailed outline,
a paper on a neurocognitive disorder not covered by the text,
such as sleep disorders. Or you may elect to carry out a neural-network
computer simulation of a particular cognitive deficit. Computer
software is available on the web.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 New Models
in Developmental Theories
This seminar is designed to examine some of the models that
are the basis for the claim by Andy Clark that "The sciences
of the mind are on the cusp of a fundamental revolution,"
and to determine what these models promise for the study of
developmental psychology, and in particulars for cognitive
development. Influences from real-world robotics, systems-level
neuroscience, evolutionary theory, Artificial Intelligence,
philosophical analysis, and cultural analysis will be considered.
The following are among the works to be critically discussed
"Being There" (A. Clark), "Rethinking Innateness"
(Elman, et al.) "Catching oneself in the Act" (Hendriks-Jansen),
"A dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition
and Action" (Thelen & Smith), "The Symbolic Species"
(Deacon), "Culture in Mind" (Shore).
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 The Influence
of Language on Thought
In this course we will explore how the acquisition of language
appears to influence thought. We will begin with a brief exploration
of how different developmental theories view the role language
plays in early cognitive achievements. Research using nonverbal
dependent measures with infants as well as with adults will
be examined and compared to findings using verbal measures.
We will also cover cross-linguistic research (including studies
in Sign Language) as well as some studies with non-human primates.
The issues for debate include the following: Is language a
seamless extension of conceptual thought across all ages in
development; Does language influence thought more strongly
at some ages than others; and/or Does language qualitatively
change how we conceptualize the world? One set of readings
will be assigned to the class for discussion. Brief reaction
papers (no more than 1 page) will be due each Thursday. Additional
readings will be selected by students for individual presentations.
Presentations will begin the second week of class. Grading
will be based on participation in discussions, individual
presentations and a take-home final exam that will require
about 10 pages of pithy (!) writing.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Ethnicity
and Mental Health
The objective of this course is to provide students with awareness,
knowledge, and skills in the interface between mental health
and ethnocultural factors related to psychological well-being
and disorders. This course offers a survey of the multicultural
literature and general psychological literature representing
theory, research, and application in areas and issues relevant
to understanding health and mental health concerns of ethnic
minority populations. The course is structured around identified
mental health concerns of ethnic minority populations. This
includes topics based on public policy debate, such as cultural
competence, diagnostic testing and classification, distribution
of mental disorders, as well as issues evolving from theoretical
and empirical efforts to distinguish intrapsychic and behavioral
patterns unique to specific ethnic populations. A primary
goal of the course is to expand the possibilities and appropriateness
of clinical interpretations and understanding of the mental
health of various ethnic and cultural groups. Students do
research and develop their own family ethno-cultural genograms
to present in class tracing the intergenerational transmission
of family valves, world views, traditions and practices.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
72000 Developmental
Psychology I
Various theoretical approaches and methods to studying cognitive,
social, perceptual, and affective development will be considered.
Philosophical positions regarding scientific explanations
and experimental paradigms, along with value presuppositions
regarding the nature of development and developmental theories
also will be considered.This course is required for all first
year Developmental students, providing for an opportunity
to meet with the faculty to learn of their current research
and projects.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
72100 Developmental Psychology II
This course examines theories, methods, and research in social
development with a focus on socio-cognitive and socio-emotional
development. Topics include self as a social construct, relationships
between self and society, social interaction and cognitive
change, affect and intelligence. We also consider implications
of social development theories for practice and policy that
benefit children and adolescents.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Proseminar in Developmental
Psychology II
This course is required for all first year Developmental students,
providing for an opportunity to meet with the faculty to learn
of their current research and projects.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
74600 Social-Personality Psychology
II
This is a required course for all first year Social-Personality
students. We will read and discuss materials that well exemplify
the (a) link between the intellectual concerns of personality
psychologists and social psychologists and (b) the need to
approach human behavior through a variety of levels of analysis,
moving from the individual through the cultural level. Students
will be introduced to some classic texts in behavioral and
social science as well as contemporary examples of broad-based
psychological research.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80101 Lab in Social Personality
Psychology I - II
This is a required course for first year Social/Personality
students. It provides a context for students' development
of their second-year project ideas. Emphasis is placed on
both faculty and students' provision of useful feedback on
both conceptual and methodological elaborations. The major
product of the semester will be each student's completion
of a full length and critical literature review. This will
serve as the foundation for each student's second year project.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80101 Proseminar
in Health Psychology
This proseminar provides an ongoing forum for intellectual
exchange among faculty and students in multiple subprograms
of psychology, scholars across the social sciences, and researchers
in the metropolitan area who share a common interest in the
interplay of biological, sociocultural, and psychological
aspects of health and illness. Sessions will alternate among
invited talks by leading researchers in the metropolitan area,
presentations by health researchers within the CUNY community,
and discussions about professional development and "tools
of the trade" (e.g., ethical issues, interdisciplinary collaboration,
post-doctoral training).
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Research Design in
Social & Personality Psychology I
This course is the second semester of introductory research
methods for social-personality psychology students. The course
will focus on specific methods and strategies for conducting
research. Included will be discussion of techniques such as
questionnaire construction, interviewing, participant observation,
and meta-analysis. The course will be organized in modular
form and will involve presentations from multiple faculty.
80103 Research
Methods and Design in Social/Personality Psychology
Research methods are critical for answering scientific questions,
specifically exploring and testing hypotheses. This course
will focus on methods that determine our ability to understand
scientific phenomena. The course will concentrate on causation
(e.g., what it means, how it is determined), with issues of
internal validity figuring prominently. The strengths and
limitations of various research designs will be highlighted,
as will the limitations of numerous means of data collection.
In addition, external validity and statistical validity, and
their importance for the scientific enterprise, will be conveyed.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80009 Seminar
in Current Psychological Research (as known
as: Current Topics in Developmental, Environmental and Social/Personality
Psychology)
This seminar covers current research in developmental, environmental
and social personality psychology through presentations by
guest speakers, discussions around topics in formation, and
issues related to students' research. We have organized a
mix of presentations for this semester that reflect the many
interests across the three subprograms. Also, we have scheduled
the first Wednesday of every month for 'Community Meetings'
in which each subprogram will meet separately and will have
the opportunity for general discussion of issues based in
your own subprogram as well as other program-wide concerns.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Current Topics in Developmental
Psychology
This seminar covers current research in developmental psychology
through presentations by guest speakers, discussions around
topics in formation, and issues related to students
research. Research activities of scholars both within and
outside the Program are presented and discussed.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Current Topics in Environmental
Psychology
Each semester, while completing course requirements, students
are required to register for the Program Seminar. This seminar
is designed to allow faculty, students and invited guests
to describe completed, ongoing and contemplated research.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Current Topics in Social
Personality Psychology
There is a main setting in which we bring together all members
of our Social/Personality scholarly community. This is the
time and place for hearing about the research of visiting
scholars, talking together about the studies based in our
own program, and discussing other program-wide concerns. With
the help of the various research groups on the floor, we have
organized a mix of presentations for this semester that reflect
the many interests of our program. Also, we have scheduled
a set of what we are calling Community Meetings
in which we will have the opportunity for general discussion
of issues that affect our work.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Second Year Research Seminar
I - II(Developmental)
An informal group of students preparing second year research
projects which discusses problems of research problem formation
and research design.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Second Year Research
Seminar I (Environmental)
This is the Second Year Research Paper Seminar. The goal of
this seminar is to develop individual research projects including
problem formulation, literature review, research design, definition
of methods, implementation and analysis. The first semester
focus is on problem formulation, literature review and design
of research including methods. Ethical concerns are addressed
throughout the year.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Second Year Research
Seminar II (Environmental)
This is the second half of the Second Year Paper Seminar.
The goal of this seminar is to continue work on individual
research projects. The second semester focus is on the conduct
of the research including data collection and analysis and
writing up the final paper, preferably one that is publishable.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Second Year Research Seminar
I - II(Social Personality)
This course serves as the didactic component of the second-year
independent research project requirement. During the first
semester students develop and prepare a research proposal.
Course content is organized according to the issues essential
to development of a research proposal; theory and problem
formulation, critical literature review, hypothesis development
and methods (sample, procedures, design, data analysis plan).
By the end of the first semester, students are expected to
have a study ready for pilot testing and are required to submit
a research proposal. Students are expected to carry out the
project during the second semester and course content will
again follow from the issues faced by researchers implementing
a study. These issues include subject recruitment, data collection,
analysis and reporting results. The final product is a journal-length
article reporting the study.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
77100 Ethical Issues for Research
Psychologists
This course is designed to provide a forum for discussion
about the ethical issues of doing research with "human
subjects", and the ethical issues raised daily in the
academy. The course will cover the federal regulations for
the protection of human subjects (and the underlying philosophy
for and history of them), the different ethical issues that
arise with different research methods, the dialectic between
ethics and science, and the issues concerning special populations.
The course will also cover a number of areas of professional
ethics, including teaching, mentoring and publication. Ethical
issues arising in psychological research will be considered
through the use of case studies, debates, role-playing and
discussion of diverse experiences.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
Electives
80100 Discourse Theory and Analysis
This course is about theory and practice of discourse analysis.
The course reviews different theories of discourse and specific
data analytic approaches derived in these theoretical contexts.
We explore discourse analysis as the ongoing interaction of
theory and practice from critical comparisons of diverse approaches
and focus on complexities within several approaches as they
apply to students' research. Readings are drawn from disciplines
including psychology (social, personality, developmental),
anthropology, literary theory, and sociology. We apply theory
to oral, written, spontaneous, planned, and published texts
as sites of creation, reflection and integration of culture,
knowledge, and identity. Course work includes participating
in discourse analysis labs, as well as reading and writing.
Students are invited to bring their own projects and data
in to the course.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Epistemology
Epistemology refers to "how do we know?: There are classic
formulations that treat the problem of knowing as one of "how
does this inside (the mind the brain, cognition,
the soul) "get to know about that outside." (The
world, Others in the world). This essentially dualistic formulation
is rooted in a particular Cartesian version of the knowing
relationship, New models of knowing have sprung up in Psychology
and in other fields in the social sciences and humanities.
This critique has even been extended to the workings of scientific
laboratories.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Experimental Psychology
and the Law
This course is a seminar that will examine the relationship
between social science and the law. The course will adopt
an interdisciplinary approach both in content and style. We
will study social science and law from 3 converging points
of view: 1) using social science research and theory in dispute
resolution, 2) using social scientific analysis of legal doctrine
to formulate public policy, and 3) studying the research results
of social science (especially psychology) as it attempts to
understand the legal system. We will begin by studying the
origins of the relationship between social science and the
law and the functions of the law from a social scientific
perspective. Next, we will briefly discuss some of the methodological
problems of answering legal questions with scientific analysis.
After discussing the foundations of the relationship, we will
examine specific legal problems from a social scientific point
of view. Adopting Monahan and Walker's typology, we will examine
the use of social science to determine factual issues specific
to a particular case, establish legal rules that set precedent
for future disputes, provide context or background for determining
facts important only to a specific case, shape the court system
and set public policy, and assist attorneys in preparing for
litigation. While examining these topics we will focus on
a number of specific legal issues including trademark law,
obscenity, school desegregation, jury size, death qualification,
the death penalty, rules of evidence, tort liability of special
defendants, setting bail, parole, searches and seizures, criminal
defenses (including eyewitness identification), note- taking
by jurors, rules of evidence, custody mediation, alternative
forms of dispute resolution, changing venue, juror selection,
and jury instructions.
In the process of studying the relationship between law and
social science, we will look at the results of research that
speak directly and indirectly to the issues raised in the
law. Although our efforts will focus on psychological research,
we will examine contributions of sociologists, anthropologists,
and economists where it is appropriate. While selections from
the supplemental readings will provide the basic reference
for our discussion of research findings, individual students
will be encouraged and at times required to extend their search
for social scientific findings to professional journals which
report recent and pertinent findings about legal issues. Course
Objectives: This is a survey course with the overall objective
of introducing the interdisciplinary approach of sociolegal
and psychological jurisprudence to students of social science
and students of law. The students are expected to (1) become
comfortable in translating legal problems into social scientific
questions and social scientific findings into legal arguments,
(2) learn about the resources available for the study of sociolegal
and psychological jurisprudence, (3) gain a fundamental understanding
of the general content area, and (4) master a specific problem
area.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Interviewing Children
This is an advanced research methods seminar exploring the
strengths and weaknesses of different methods for allowing
children to express their knowledge, interests, concerns or
feelings. Techniques used by developmental psychologists,
clinical psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, journalists,
educators, social workers and market researchers will be compared.
Film, video and transcripts will be used as resources. Consideration
will also be given to the full range of props available in
working with children. Techniques will include drawing, the
use of toys, dolls, collage, and a variety of verbal methods,
including children in groups and the production of collective
texts. Considerable emphasis will be given to the politics
of the relationship between the interviewer and child, and
to ethical issues. Students will be required to complete a
very thorough interview with a child supplemented with an
extensive commentary and self-critique involving all of the
issues covered in the seminar, including the consideration
of alternative approaches.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Learning
and Development
Much of mainstream psychology today is besieged by fatalistic
views that human mind is shaped by biological inheritance
and governed by pre-wired physiological mechanisms - views
that help sustain racial and other forms of discrimination.
In addition, the role of teaching-and-learning in human development
is essentially ignored in most of the prominent approaches
in psychology (e.g., Piaget, behaviorism, cognitivsm). These
gaps are particularly deplorable in that they render psychology
incapable of providing the educationalists with the knowledge
of how to make educational practices developmentally beneficial.
This course will explore how a self-perpetuating circle from
inadequate theories of development to poor educational practices,
to poor developmental outcomes, and back to inadequate theories
of development can be broken. Particular emphasis will be
placed on the cultural-historical activity theory inspired
by the works of Lev Vygotsky -- an investigative project rooted
in ideals of social equality and justice. The major aim of
this course is to consider and debate how this project, with
its unique emancipatory view of human development, provides
a solid rationale for new approaches to teaching, learning,
and development.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Infant
Concept Development and Language
What do infants think? How might the acquisition of language
influence their thoughts? Are adults influenced in their thinking
by the language they speak? Several controversies in the field
abound. We will explore these controversies by reading varied
(and sometimes diametrically opposed) research articles on
what preverbal infants understand about objects, actions,
numbers, space and time. We will then explore the different
ways in which languages carve up some of these areas and how
the language the child learns may or may not influence thought.
If this sounds like a rehash of ideas once posited by Sapir
and Whorf (heavens!), well it is indeed. Will this class be
filled with wild speculation? You bet. Students will be asked
to make two or three in-class presentations during the semester.
The presentations will be based on students' selections of
topics from a list provided in the first class meeting. A
final paper will be assigned in which students will be asked
to support or reject the hypothesis that language influences
thought.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Locating
Culture: The Anthropology of Space and Place
This seminar begins with a discussion of spatializing culture,
that is the way that culture is produced and expressed spatially,
and the way that space reflects and changes culture. The concepts
of culture and space are then materially and theoretically
linked through an exploration of specific cultural spaces.
The readings are organized around six areas of focus: Embodied
Spaces (proxemics, phenomenology of space, language and space,
and spatial orientation), Gendered Spaces (female and male
spaces, and evolution of the house and home), Contested Spaces
(spaces of resistance and conflict, and hierarchies expressed
in space and place), Transnational and Translocal Spaces (markets,
nations, and ethnoscapes), Inscribed Spaces (places of memory
and longing), and Spatial Tactics (heterotopias, gated communities,
and historically preserved spaces). Over the course of two
week units, classic and current articles will be read, discussed,
then critiqued for their contribution to this emerging area
of study. Students will be asked to present their own reflections
on the readings, and offer they own ideas about how cultural
spaces are to be understood as well as how they are produced,
contested and in some cases transformed. This seminar will
be an unique opportunity to put together a critical body of
literature and to participate in the formation of a new way
of looking at space/place. Each student will be expected to
bring their interests and work into the body of the class
and to prepare a presentation and short paper on an ethnography
on their area of interest as it relates to the material in
the course. All level students are invited to participate.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Spatial Conflicts: Local
to International
This seminar is an examination of the grounds for socio-spatial
conflicts that range from conflicts over single spaces, neighborhood
conflicts (intra- and between neighborhoods) to intra-country
and across country conflicts. We will cover topics such as
personal space, territoriality, the creation of strangers,
space identity and nationalism. Readings will be supplemented
by presentations by guest-speakers with the goal of creating
discussion by class members.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Language and Thought in Development
The course explores the interdependence of language and cognitive
development. Topics will include the emergence of symbolic
thought, the status of prelinguistic categories, representational
formats for declarative memory, cognitive and linguistic determinants
of categorization, and bilingualism. Mechanisms and factors
effecting cognitive change will be discussed.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Urban Health: Environmental,
Individual, and Social Aspects
Urban health refers to health problems associated with urban
living, as well as health problems that are most likely to
affect populations that are highly concentrated in urban areas,
such as minorities and recent immigrants. This course surveys
the range of urban health problems and attempts to identify
underlying causes and potential solutions to urban health
crises. We begin with a survey of the prevalence and geography
of health problems within and across urban centers, and how
they have changed in recent decades. These problems include
the concentration of certain diseases (e.g., AIDS, asthma,
infant mortality, victimization) and health disparities among
different urban populations (e.g., excess lung cancer in African
Americans, excess asthma in Latinos). We will explore risk
and protective factors that vary with race, ethnicity, social
class, and gender in order to understand both disease concentration
and health disparities. We also consider the contribution
of the physical and social environment of cities to health.
Throughout the course, we will emphasize the interactions
of biological, psychological, social, and environmental processes
in health. Social processes will include family and small
group, cultural, economic and social structural levels. The
course will conclude with an examination of successful urban
health interventions and of the hurdles involved in mounting
such interventions. This section of the course will focus
on characteristics and processes in urban areas that can support
health. For example, urban enclaves and the cultural diversity
of cities can support the health of vulnerable populations
as well as provide unique settings for successful prevention
and treatment programs.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Health, Society and
Cities
This course will examine the health of urban populations in
the United States in the post-World War II period. The course
will assess the impact of social, economic, demographic, political
and environmental changes on the health of urban residents
and the implications of these changes for public health interventions.
Students will read relevant literature from a variety of disciplines
including public health, anthropology, sociology, political
science, psychology, and economics.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Psychological
Aspects of Immigration
Psychological aspects of the immigration process have
been understudied, in comparison to work done in some of the
other social sciences (e.g. demography, anthropology, political
science). In this course, we will explore the ways in which
social psychological perspectives can add a valuable dimension
to our understanding of this important social issue. Among
the topics covered will be social representations of immigration
(e.g., the melting pot, salad bowl); attitudes toward immigration
in general and stereotypes of specific immigrant groups; ethnic
and national identity; and the processes of identity negotiation.
Members of the class will develop further topics dependent
on their particular interests.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Public
Space and Public Life: The Impacts of Privatization, Gentrification
and Terrorism
A number of recent events have presented challenges to
public life. Moves towards privatization of public spaces,
increasing amounts of gentrification of neighborhoods, and
recent acts of terrorism have threatened the freedom to have
a comfortable life in public. This seminar offers an opportunity
to reflect on these environmental issues and to closely examine
their impacts on the use and management of public spaces.
Through readings, (including theories of publicness and privacy,
and the historical and cultural foundations of public spaces),
visits to public spaces, discussions with public space advocates
and managers, and a close examination of specific sites, it
will be possible to identify the recent challenges and ideas
for addressing them. We will have an opportunity to develop
some fresh perspectives on the roles of public life in contemporary
times and the spaces that are needed to support this life.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Children,
Youth and Politics
This course focuses on young peoples understanding of, involvement
in and manipulation by politics through the critical review
of theory in history, sociology, anthropology, psychology,
education and political science. It adopts a broad view of
political culture and of everyday politics. The research on
the political socialization of children in psychology will
be subjected to a critique from the broader perspective of
children's experiences of patterns of authority and power
in their daily lives. It includes a historical analysis of
political socialization through schooling, recreation and
child and youth organizations. Contemporary theory on the
formation of social capital and the reproduction of civil
society will also be discussed in relation to young people.
The course concludes with a critical analysis of the growth
of new movements in many countries for the recognition of
young people as rights-bearing citizens and as political agents.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 Fundamentals
of Program Evaluation and Consultation: A Practical Approach
And now for something completelyY practical. So, you've taken
your conceptual and theoretical basis courses and know all
there is (or all you want) to know about probability theory.
Wondering what course to take now? If you are seeking an opportunity
to apply your methodological training to some practical situations
this may be the course for you. If you want to become an effective
program evaluator you'll have to learn how to apply what you
know and be poised, confident and influential. You'll also
have to use common sense, maximization skills and practicality.
This course will integrate most aspects of program evaluation
methods into a practicum-based experience. The course will
review basic fundamental evaluation theory and methods and
use case material based on evaluations conducted by the instructor
during the most recent years of her twenty years of experience
in program evaluation. Students will be supported in developing
a practical skill-based approach to evaluation through course
readings and activities. The development of an evaluation
design for an existing program or one based on case material
will be a central course activity allowing students to develop
skills needed for conducting a small evaluation or assisting
with a major evaluation project. Students will learn the basic
steps involved in designing, implementing and reporting on
an evaluation. The course will also focus on the evaluator's
role and successful evaluation consultation. Some students
may elect to enhance this training by identifying a community-based
program to work with to carry out some of the course objectives.
This course is appropriate for students at all graduate levels
who have had some coursework in statistics and research methods.
Evaluation training is useful for work in community-based
agencies in state or local government agencies and in corporate
settings. This course will also enhance a student's portfolio
in applying for faculty positions because it will be seen
as additional, and often desired, "methods" training.
Many positions involve data management efforts that require
a mastery of research and evaluation design. This course will
enhance methods and statistics training by helping students
to develop applied methodological skills.One final note: Evaluation
positions and consultations can pay pretty well, but you have
to know what you are doing!
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80130 The American
1950's: Dissidence and Desire
Marilyn Monroe appeared in the first issue of the magazine
Playboy and Simone de Beauvoir's revolutionary analysis The
Second Sex was published in the United States. In 1953 the
Rosenbergs were found guilty and Esther Greenwood, the heroine
of Sylvia Plath's 1963 novel The Bell Jar, began her odyssey
under the sign of their execution in New York's hot summer.
Between 1953 and the assassination of JFK in November, 1963
a decade of social transformation unfolded. Despite the well-known
repressive effects of containment culture of the Cold War,
the suburbanization of American life, the celebration on television
of Father Knows Best, the 1950s were also a time of visible
dissidence: the landmark decision of Brown v Board of Education
and the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement, the emergence
of Beat writing and culture, rock and roll. In the course,
we will look at the complexities and contradictions of this
period, in which the problems that were to explode in the
1960s found their earliest expression. Readings will be drawn
from the following: Hannah Arendt, Simone de Beauvoir, Ralph
Ellison, Franz Fanon, Betty Friedan, Anne Frank, Allen Ginsberg,
Irving Goffman, Jane Jacobs, Audre Lorde, Grace Metalious,
C. Wright Mills, Vance Packard, Sylvia Plath, David Riesman,
J.D. Salinger, William H. Whyte. Films: All About Eve, On
the Waterfront, Rebel Without A Cause, Imitation of Life,
The Manchurian Candidate, Breathless, Hiroshima mon amour.
Guest speakers will join the colloquium discussion. Work for
the course includes a term-paper due at the end of the semester
and in-class participation.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Proseminar in Psychology
I
The Proseminar in Psychology targets the first-year doctoral
students of all ten subprograms. It addresses issues that
have been the focus of theoretical and empirical research
across the disciplines of psychology. The Proseminar presents
and integrates the disciplinary perspectives bearing on each
issue. In so doing, it reminds one that each discipline makes
critical contributions to our understanding of the individual.It
also indicates that psychology is bigger than the sum of its
disciplines.The Proseminar will address two seminal issues
-- implicit memory and the self -- from three vantage points:
(1) From the biological level through the "mind-body" individual.
The individual is an intact entity comprised of various biological
systems in interaction and transaction with each other. These
systems also interact with the mind.(2) From the individual
through the environment. The individual is nested within environmental
strata (e.g., family, society, culture) and both the individual
and the strata are constantly interacting and affecting one
another.(3) From a historical perspective. Each issue has
a long history of theoretical and empirical research within
psychology. We focus on how that knowledge has changed over
time and where it may lead in the future.To accomplish the
goals of the Proseminar, we are drawing upon the expertise
of faculty from the ten subprograms. Each issue also has a
coordinator to ensure a cohesive presentation and discussion
of the issue with the students. My job, as the leader of the
Proseminar, is to ensure that all runs smoothly and according
to plan.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Race, Ethnicity & Urban
Ethnography
This course combines reading and discussion of exemplary ethnographies
with direct field experiences in urban ethnography. By paying
specific attention to literature that addresses race/ethnicity
as well as gender, class, and sexual orientation inequality,
this course provides a critical Consideration of the contributions
of the ethnographic tradition. To emphasize changes and continuities
in the study of racial and ethnic communities, the material
for this course will employ classic Chicago School-style ethnographies,
post-World War II urban ethnographies, and contemporary works.
Students who have no experience in field methods and participant
observations are welcome, as are students with on-going field
research projects. All participants will be expected to write
and share field notes and to complete a semester project.
Because students will be able to choose from a wide variety
of ethnographies as well as field locations, this course is
appropriate for students in the traditional social sciences
(e.g. sociology, anthropology, psychology, history) as well
as more contemporary ones (e.g. gender studies, race studies,
American studies, cultural studies, lesbian and gay studies).
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 History and Paradigms in
Psychology
Psychology today is clearly a discipline in search of its
own identity and status among other sciences as well as the
ways to strengthen its role in society at large. Can psychology
continue to exist as a landscape of competing theories without
undermining its own legitimacy as well as its ability to address
issues of a broad societal significance? Or can a unifying
paradigm that would render a nondualistic and nonreductional
explanation to diverse findings across psychology's sub-disciplines
be found and explicated? This course offers a critical reflection
on diverse psychological paradigms as they emerged in the
history of this discipline in attempts to answer the very
fundamental questions pertinent to any psychological inquiry:
What is the nature of human mind and human development? How
to study them in a meaningful and objective way? The roots,
the meaning and the implications of several prominent paradigms
in psychology -- behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism,
phenomenology, and evolutionary perspective -- will be revealed
and discussed. Advances in dynamic systems theory as well
as in cultural-historical activity theory will be explored
in view of their benefits in curing psychology's most serious
ailments such as its theoretical fragmentation, its methodological
anarchy, and the gap between research and practice.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Telling
Lives
This research seminar will serve as a design studio for students
involved in or contemplating life study research. The main
goal of the course will be to support participants’ conception,
planning, and actual carrying out of a life study project.
For those interested in work identified as life stories, psychological
or cultural biographies, life histories, portraits, or case
studies (or another label from a growing list), this course
will provide an opportunity for the critical review and application
of conceptual and methodological skills. Particular attention
will be paid to ethical concerns, and the challenge of avoiding
reductionism while seeking an understanding of the particulars
in others’ lives. The course will be open to students at all
levels beyond the first year of Ph.D. study. Some students
may report on pilot work for their M.A. level projects, others
may be working on their dissertations, and yet others will
be somewhere in between on the graduate training spectrum.
Regardless of its scope, each project will seek to reveal
how the close observation of women’s and men’s lives enables
effective telling about individuals, and about the societies
and cultures in which those individuals participate. The course
is open to students from all disciplines concerned with life
study. Given that biographical work is best done across disciplinary
lines, the course will seek to take advantage of what each
participant brings in from her or his disciplinary “home”
and engage life study work at the intersections of literature,
social science, and the arts. Class meetings will take a variety
of forms. Some will involve discussion of published life studies
and formal statements on why and how one does life study work.
Other sessions will involve actual practice of selected techniques
for the observation and analysis of evidence, and the writing
of life studies. Finally, in keeping with the design studio
format, classes will be devoted to students’ own life study
projects. In these sessions, students will present their ongoing
research and work together on their projects.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80110 Research
Seminar: The Study of Lives
This seminar is a working space for researchers involved in
life study inquiries. Participants will through ongoing presentations
and discussions develop the conception, planning, carrying
out, and writing of their own life study projects. For those
interested in work identified as life stories, psychological
or cultural biographies, life histories, portraits, or case
studies (or another label from a growing multidisciplinary
list), there will be sharing of both tried and emerging conceptual
and methodological strategies in life study work. Particular
attention will be paid to ethical concerns, and the challenge
of avoiding reductionism while seeking an understanding of
the particulars in others' lives. The course will be open
to students at all levels. There are no prerequisites other
than a commitment to some form of life study research and
writing. Although listed as a psychology course, it is open
to students in all disciplines that address life studies.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80110 Methods
Module: Exploratory Factor Analysis
(Offered 4 weeks only)
In the course of field research, investigators often have
multiple indicators of the constructs they are using as part
of their research program. These indicators can take the form
of questionnaire/interview items or they may be behaviors
that are observed in the course of the study. Because of small
sample sizes and the unreliability of single indicators of
a phenomenon, the investigator might wish to develop summary
measures of particular constructs of interest. One technique
that can be used for this purpose is exploratory factor analysis
which is designed to find groups in data. The purpose of this
module is to introduce students to methods of factor extraction
and interpretation. Both SAS and SPSS will be used with real
data sets to demonstrate how exploratory factor analysis is
conducted and described in written reports.
80110 Methods
Module: Recent Quantitative Approaches to Social/Environmental
Research
This module is designed to review recently published quantitative
articles in the social and environmental literature. Because
of the rapidity with which new quantitative techniques are
being employed in the published literature, it is important
for students to understand how new data analysis techniques
are applied to substantive problems. The intent of this module
is to provide a conceptual background to the various substantive
problems which various research studies address discussing
both their strengths and weaknesses and comparing them to
more traditional approaches to data analysis.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80110 Methods
Module: Qualitative Data Analysis
This module is organized as an ongoing practicum for the intensive
training of graduate students in qualitative data analysis
of unstructured and semi structured interviews and field notes.
Weekly meetings will utilize student fieldwork experience
and data collected as the basis for discussion and critique
of different qualitative data methods and techniques. Topics
will include: contextual and communicative aspects of the
interview situation that influence analysis, coding, content
analysis, grounded theory forms of analysis, conversational
analysis, other forms of data analysis and writing up of qualitative
data for publication.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Introduction to Social
and Environmental Policy
This seminar is an introduction to the issues and methods
of policy approaches and analysis. The first half the course
is devoted to understanding the many facets of policy making
and providing an understanding of the differences in approaches
to policy analysis. We examine a series of issues like education,
economic development, nuclear power, and welfare. For each,
we will ask what the analyst has done, why, and with what
"success."
Most of the second half of the semester is devoted to understanding
certain perspectives on policy analysis using environmental
policy as our prime case. How are environmental concerns understood
by the public and policy makers? How do we overcome the built-in
constraints of status quo media and corporate influence? How
does an understanding of policy lead to action? By the end
of the course, the student is expected to have a basic understanding
of different approaches to policy analysis and the important
questions to use to interrogate policy prescriptions. Students
will be expected to do exercises and a final paper.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Architecture Design Studio:
Environmental Diversity Through Design- Architecture and Food
Architecture students from city college school of architecture
along with graduate students from the cuny graduate center
in environmental psychology will collaborate in a fall elective
exploring the relationship between architecture (design) and
food.
We will explore and investigate food and design from delivery,
to preparation, to display, to serving, to consumption, to
disposal....the forms, spaces and products that are inherent
in its continuum. we will also explore the variations of these
processes through a multi-cultural perspective.
How do different groups and different eating styles call for
different design approaches?
Join us as we explore the diversity of new york's peoples
through the architecture of their foods and the foods of their
architecture - field trips, dialogue sessions, design investigations
and workshops, and eating.
Come join us with an open mind and an empty stomach.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Architecture Theory, Process and Practice
People in the program ought to be familiar with how designers
think and operate, especially if they hope to affect the built
environment. There is a lot of reading of theory in this seminar.
Theory has gotten all the more interesting over the past years
with the ascendancy of feminist work (spiced a bit by queer
theory). [Note that to a large degree designers think of themselves
atheoretically, standing for aesthetics, not politics…] There
is also a lot of emerging work on sustainable design (including
some pretty bogus stuff in the new urbanism camp). We try
to do experiential visits to vivid places. Also, we learn
some about how designers operate moving from architectural
programs to design sketches to working drawings and other
contract documents. Of course, I do emphasize architecture
and its professional culture. The basic assignment is to find
many ways of applying design theory directly to a real place
in everyday life.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80101 Statistical Consulting
Seminar
The purpose of this course is to afford students the opportunity
to apply their statistical and research design skills to real
life research problems. Each week, an invited guest will describe
a statistical, measurement, or research design question that
they have not been able to "solve" on their own. Students
in the class together with the instructors, will serve as
statistical consultants and offer possible solutions to the
problems. Regular class attendance is the only course requirement.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80101 Longitudinal Research
Design Analysis
There has been increasing use of longitudinal research designs
in various domains of the social and behavioral sciences.
This course is designed to address various analytic strategies
that can be employed in the analysis of longitudinal data.
In the past, repeated measures data have been analyzed using
either multivariate analysis of variance or univariate repeated
measures. Which such approaches can be valuable in some contexts,
recent developments in mixed linear models provide a wider
range of options to the analyst and it is these techniques
that will be emphasized in this class. While data sets will
be provided, class participants are encouraged to use their
own data sets for analysis. Both SAS and SPSS will be used
for analytic purposes. The only formal requirement for the
class will be a final project involving the analysis of data
from a longitudinal study.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80101 Lab in Social
Personality Psychology I
(Permission of Instructor Required) This is a required course
for first year Social-Personality students. It provides a
context for students' development of their second-year project
ideas. Emphasis is placed on both faculty and students' provision
of useful feedback on both conceptual and methodological elaborations.
The major project of the semester will be each student's completion
of a full length and critical literature review. This will
serve as the foundation for each student's second year project
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Health Psychology
The connection between the mind and the body is a hot topic
of scientific investigation. In this course, we examine the
ways that behavior and health are related from a variety of
theoretical perspectives. We study findings on the effects
of long-term stress on susceptibility to illness, including
the common cold. We explore healthy people's risk perceptions
and how they affect behavior change. We explore the social
context of health, including how social conditions, social
inequalities, and patient-provider relationships affect health.
We find out how to optimize adaptation to chronic illnesses,
such as breast cancer and AIDS. The aims of this course are
three-fold. First, students will become acquainted with the
current state of knowledge in health psychology. Second, students
will develop an understanding of the models, theories, and
methods used to explore person and environment factors (and
their interaction) in health and disease. Third, substantive
issues will be discussed with an awareness of sociocultural
diversity and the importance of understanding context; specifically,
each topic area will be examined as it relates to issues of
gender, age, sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. This course
fulfills a requirement for the Concentration in Health Psychology.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Identity Development and
Consequences
The seminar focuses on the unfolding of personal identity
and the individual and social forces that influence identity
formation. It addresses the adaptational and health-related
correlates of identity formation and integration. The impact
of time on individual and cohort changes in identity processes
is of interest. The seminar targets the identity development
of gay/lesbian and immigrant individuals as discussion exemplars
because each group experiences a discontinuity between a former
identity (e.g., as a straight person or a member of the majority
group in the native land) and a new identity. In the process,
within group differences are considered, particularly what
they imply about internal power dynamics. Further, attention
is drawn to unspoken and uninvestigated identities, specifically
those which are neither discredited nor discreditable and
which serve as the counterparts to gay/lesbian and immigrant
(ethnic) identities.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Research Seminar in Personality,
Social Structures/Processes, and Culture
This research seminar will provide a space for discussion
of projects that require thinking and looking seriously at
individual persons, local contexts, and broader social and
cultural structures. At issue is how to conceive of, observe,
and interpret experiences and stories of individuals set within
particular social places and times and framed by cultural
representations, including those of a global scope. There
will be a revisiting of earlier social science work (e.g.,
that on Personality and Social Structure and Personality and
Culture) but the emphasis will be on the updating and transformation
of these approaches to suit research possibilities in the
postmodern period. Topics to which this theory and methods
development could be applied include health and illness, religion
and spirituality, fashion, self and identity, and more. Seminar
participants will select the topics and specific research
questions.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80101 Research
Seminar: Identity
This seminar provides a forum for people interested in research
and theory on social identity and related issues. Agenda is
determined by the seminar participants and includes discussion
of proposed, in-process, and completed research projects.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Evaluation Research and
Consultation
This course integrates several aspects of program evaluation
into a practicum-based experience. The course will provide
an overview of basic theory and methods of evaluation research
and include a focus on the practical application of theory
and method to evaluation consultation. Topics will include:
design fundamentals; negotiating the evaluation consultant
role; evaluation goal setting; designing the evaluation; thoughtful
questionnaires and interviews; data analysis applications
in evaluation; reporting and problem solving. Students will
be required to participate in identifying evaluation settings
and in the completion of a "mock" cooperative evaluation design
project. The course is useful for students who plan to work
in community-based or government agencies and/or who may wish
to be involved in intervention research or research consultation.
Students who wish to audit only must register for "0" credits
and participate fully in the class meetings and cooperative
project although a written product is not necessary.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Social Injustice Theory
Students will be expected to read broadly and deeply the psychological,
anthropological and sociological literatures on experiences
and perceptions of social injustice. Students engage in writing
two major pieces for the course: an intellectual autobiography
around an idea that compels them through the readings, and
a short fictional story written from a situated perspective
in the midst of conditions of injustice (perspective of privilege,
intersectionality....) Readings bridge across critical theory,
feminist theory, queer theory and critical race theory. Conversation
with the instructor preferred prior to enrollment.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Research Seminar in Social
Injustice
In this course we will read broadly theoretical and empirical
work on questions of social injustice, including social psychological
writings, class based analyses, feminist theory, critical
race theory and recent work on sexualities. Students will
be asked to pursue a piece of original research (individuals
or in collaboration) for the class on a question of social
injustice, and be expected to produce a comprehensive critical
literature review by class end. The course will be organized
as a research collective, in which we will review questions
of theory, methods, ethics, collaboration and the research-policy
nexus.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Psychological Measurement:
Theory, Critical Issues, and Practical Applications
This is an advanced methods course that will provide an intensive
consideration of the basic psychometric concepts of reliability
and validity as they relate to the construction of psychological
measurement tools. Students will develop the fundamental skills
necessary to construct and evaluate a new measure as well
as the skills to critically evaluate existing measures. The
course is not a statistics course, although students will
be expected to understand and conduct statistical analyses
as part of their assignments. Throughout the course, we will
pay attention to the social and ethical issues surrounding
psychological measurement.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Time and Place in Cyberspace
The study of how people experience time and place through
the internet is an emerging field. This seminar will examine
the use of web-based software through the lens of social construction
theories to explore how the built environments of cyberspace
are designed, developed and changed by people through their
work and life worlds. This is an interdisciplinary seminar
addressing issues of how time and place are designed, created
and experienced. It will also explore issues of identity,
gender, communication, and the political economy of cyberenvironments.
The focus this semester will be on the theories of Latour,
Law, Coburn and others, using Actor-Network theory to examine
new technology as it is being created and while it is being
used.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Qualitative Research Methods:
Theory, Design, and Ethics
This course focuses on rationale and method in human development
and action research. We review, discuss, and practice qualitative
research methods including ethnography, free spaces, interviewing,
and discourse analysis. We take a critical perspective on
research design, considering theory, purpose, and issues such
as multiple methods, ethical issues in studying others, and
issues of diversity. Students apply the course work to their
own research, in particular second year research projects.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80103 Social-Personality
Psychology I
(Permission of Instructor Required) This is a required course
for all first year Social-Personality students. We will read
and discuss materials that well exemplify the (a) link between
the intellectual concerns of personality psychologists and
social psychologists and (b) the need to approach human behavior
through a variety of levels of analysis, moving from the individual
through the cultural level. Students will be introduced to
some classic texts in behavioral and social science as well
as contemporary examples of broad-based psychological research.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Memory and Cognition: A
Lifespan Approach
In this course, we will discuss various theories of memory,
the research that supports or refutes these theories, and
the implications they have on the decisions that are made
concerning children and adults (both young and old) in everyday
life situations. Introductory topics to be covered will include
a discussion of the proposed subdivisions of memory (e.g.,
implicit, explicit, semantic, episodic), the influence of
information processing models that distinguish among iconic,
short-term and long-term memory, and how advances in neuroscience
and technology have influenced and changed our views of memory.
We will then move on to the more practical issues to be determined
by the class members. Students are encouraged to bring their
favorite topics to the table and discuss them in the context
of what we know about the strengths and limitations of human
memory across the lifespan. For examples, we could examine
the implications of memory loss accompanying aging and discuss
the effectiveness of different methods designed to help adults
compensate for memory loss. Or, we could discuss the firey
debates that arise in the context of the eye-witness testimonies
given by distraught children and adults. The goal of the course
is to give students a clearer understanding of the different
views of human memory and how these views (rightly or wrongly)
influence the decisions that are made in everyday life.
BACK TO SCHEDULE
80100 Play, Fantasy and Imagination
This seminar will consider the constructs of play, fantasy
and imagination in terms of their common meanings and differences
as discussed in the psychological literatures in clinical
and developmental psychology. Central to this consideration
will be the emergence of symbolism and self in relation to
play and fantasy Special attention will be given to the meaning
and use of play in the lives of children, the role of fantasy
in human life and thought, and the role of imagination in
planning, problem s |