COURSES
Although courses vary from semester-to-semester, these are typically the courses that are offered each Fall and Spring semesters.
Social-Personality Psychology I (3 credits)
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, (b) the need to approach human behavior through a variety of levels of analysis, moving from the individual through the cultural level, and (c) the critical importance of an historical approach in research. Students will be introduced to some classic texts in behavioral and social science as well as contemporary examples of broad-based psychological research.
Lab in Social Personality Psychology I (1 credit)
This is a required course for first year Social-Personality students. The aim of this course is to enable up close views of specific periods in the history of psychology. Students observe both what was actually happening within the discipline and around the discipline – in other scholarly endeavors and in the broader social context. The basic work of the lab is each student’s preparation of an historical log, After choosing a particular 10 year period, students record (a) the key studies, events, and persons from psychology for that period, (b) the important happenings from some other discipline, and (c) events and trends reflective of some form of the social, political, or cultural dimensions of that period.
Research Methods I - Developmental, Environmental and Social Personality (3 credits)
This is a new required course that will be taken by first year students in the SP, Developmental, and Environmental programs.
Research Methods I - Tutorial (SP) (1 credit)
This is a required tutorial that will accompany the Research Design and Methods course. This course will be tailored for Social/Personality students.
Second Year Research Seminar I (SP) (3 credits)
This course serves as a component of the second-year independent research project requirement and is required for Second-Year students. During the first semester students develop and prepare a research proposal. Course content is organized according to the issues and written genres essential for developing a research proposal, including a research rationale, critical literature review, research questions, hypotheses, and methods (sample, procedures, design, data analysis plan). We also work on the IRB approval process. 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 typically 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 products for the year include a journal-length article reporting the study and an oral presentation.
Current Issues in Psychology -Social/Personality (0 credits)
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.
Ethical Issues for Research Psychologists (3 credit)
This course is a required course for completion before moving on to Level III. It is designed to provide a forum for discussion about the ethical issues that arise in psychological research with "human subjects" and within the academy. The course will examine the underlying philosophy and history of the federal regulations for the protection of human subjects, the different ethical issues that arise with different research methods and populations, and the dialectic between ethics and science. The course will also cover a number of areas of professional ethics, including mentoring and publication. Ethical issues will be discussed through the use of case studies, debates, role-playing and discussion of diverse experiences. Students will also become familiar with the federal guidelines themselves through review of IRB applications as we convene mock IRB meetings.
Proseminar (1credit)
This is also required for first year students. It will be an opportunity for students and faculty to learn about each others research.
Examples of Fall Electives
Social Injustice (3 credits)
Racism and Prejudice: Social and Developmental Inquiry (3 credits)
Sex/gender and Sexual Orientation Identities (3 credits)
Parent-Child and Peer Relations Across Cultures (3 credits)
Social Conflict and Injustice (3 credits)
Ecological Psychology: Visual Culture (3 credits)
Interactive Environments: Participatory Study and Design (3 credits)
Biostatistical Analysis (3 credits)
New Approaches to Longitudinal Data Analysis (3 credits)
Methods Module: Qualitative Methods (3 credits)
Statistical Methods in Psychology I (3 credits)
This course introduces students to data analysis techniques that are suitable for field research projects. Heavy emphasis is given to regression models as well as univariate and multivariate analysis of variance techniques. Students are given experience using computer programs from SAS and SPSS. New students who have completed a graduate statistics course may be able to use that in lieu of this requirement. U705 Statistics I and U706 Statistics II are required by the Ph.D. Program in Psychology.
Social-Personality Psychology II (3 credits)
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) 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.
Lab in Social Personality Psychology II (1 credit)
This is a required course for first year Social-Personality students. Its purpose is to practice the “basics” of research by developing two basic skills: (a) the selection and crafting of research problems and specific research questions, and (b) the collection and writing up of evidence for one small claim you are prepared to make about the phenomenon that you have chosen to study. These skills are intended to support second-year research projects and any research done in the future.
Current Issues In Psychology - Social Personality (0 credits)
This seminar covers current research in social personality psychology through presentations by guest speakers, discussions around topics in formation, and issues related to students’ research. Social Personality students will not formally register for this course but will be required to attend.
Second Year Research Seminar II - Social Personality (3 credits)
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.
Examples of Spring Electives
Observing, Understanding & Explaining (3 credits)
Portrait as Psychological Practice (3 credits)
Introduction to Urban Planning/Geographical Knowledge in Action (3 credits)
Mobile Technologies in Everyday life (3 credits)
Free Spaces (3 credits)
Stress, Coping, Trauma and Resilience (3 credits)
Whorf Revisited: The Influence of Language on Thought (3 credits)
Epistemology and Practice (3 credits)
History of Psychology (3 credits)
Teaching of Psychology (3 credits)
Methods Module: Participant Observation and Field Notes (3 credits)
Ethnography of Space and Place (3 credits)
Childhood Play: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (3 credits)