PSY X41K PSY 341K Selected Topics in Psychology 3 Hours
3 Lecture Hours 0 Lab Hours
Topics of contemporary interest that may vary from semester to semester. Three lecture hours a week for one semester.
Pre/Corequisites: For psychology majors, upper-division standing and Psychology 301 and 418 or 420M with a grade of at least C in each; for others, upper-division standing, Psychology 301 with a grade of at least C, and one of the following with a grade of at least C: Advertising 309R, African and African Diaspora Studies 302M, Biomedical Engineering 335, Chemical Engineering 253K, Civil Engineering 311S, Economics 329, Educational Psychology 308, 371, Electrical Engineering 351K, Government 350K, Mathematics 316, 362K, Mechanical Engineering 335, Psychology 317, 317L, Public Relations 309, Sociology 317L, Social Work 318, Statistics 301, 309, Statistics and Data Sciences 301, 302, 302F, 303, 304, 305, 306, 318, 320E, 321, 325H, 328M.
Grading: Student Option
Repeatable for credit: May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.
Academic Level: Upper Division
Topic 1: Freud's Vienna. Only one of the following may be counted: English 323M (Topic 1: Freud's Vienna), Germanic Civilization 360E (Topic: Freud's Vienna), Psychology 341K (Topic 1). Additional prerequisite: For English majors, nine semester hours of lower-division English, including English 316K or the equivalent; for others, upper- division standing or consent of instructor.
Topic 2: Freudians and Feminisms. Only one of the following may be counted: English 323M (Topic 4: Freudians and Feminisms), Philosophy 327 (Topic: Freudians and Feminisms), Psychology 341K (Topic 2). Additional prerequisite: For English majors, nine semester hours of lower-division English, including English 316K or the equivalent; for others, upper- division standing.
Topic 3: Freud and Lacan, with Kristeva. English 323M (Topic: Freud and Lacan, with Kristeva) and Psychology 341K (Topic 3) may not both be counted. Additional prerequisite: For English majors, nine semester hours of lower-division English, including English 316K or the equivalent; for others, upper- division standing.
Topic 4: Health Psychology.
Topic 5: Human Factors.
Topic 6: Juvenile Delinquency.
Topic 7: Epidemiology.
Topic 8: Learning and the Brain.
Topic 9: Research Contributions of Minority Psychologists.
Topic 10: The Self.
Topic 11: Addictive Behaviors.
Topic 12: Personality Assessment. Theoretical and methodological issues involved in trying to understand and measure personality.
Topic 14: Robot Cognition.
Topic 15: History of Modern Psychology. A survey of the diverse roots of modern psychology, the competing schools that influenced psychology's development, and the perspectives that guide scholarship in present-day psychology. Psychology 341K (Topic 15) and 341K (Topic: History and Systems of Psychology) may not both be counted.
Topic 16: Psychology of Fundamentalism. Psychological research and theory on religious fundamentalism. Considers the nature of different forms of religious fundamentalism, and possible psychological mechanisms that motivate fundamentalism. Includes topics such as the development of fundamentalism, the movement from fundamentalism to terrorism, and fundamentalism and the family.
Topic 17: Psychology and Religion. An exploration of the psychological processes involved in religion. Discusses seminal psychological theories of religion, such as the work of James, Freud, Jung, and Maslow. Discussion of empirical work includes topics such as the development of religion across the life span, religious experience, conversion, and the effects of religion on mental and physical health.
Topic 18: Language and Thought.
Topic 19: Psychology of Literature. Delves into the relation between literature and psychological research. Addresses this relation in terms of character development, plot devices, and historical influences. Broadly explore why people are interested in reading literature that might be subjective or wholly fictional in nature. Explore the extent to which authors create characters that 'ring true' to what psychological science has learned about human nature and how this affects the reader's enjoyment of the literature. Psychology 341K (Topic: Psychology of Literature) and 341K (Topic 19) may not both be counted.