PSYC 222
Orientation to the Psychology Major
PSYC 222.
Orientation to the Psychology Major
Credit Hours (1).
Prerequisites: Psychology Major; Psych 201 as prerequisite or corequisite; recommended for majors with less than 18 hours of Psychology courses
This is a brief description of the course as it will appear in the catalog. This description should be short, use full sentences, indicate lecture, laboratory, etc., and should not include the title of the course. For a General Education Course include the following statement at the end of the catalog entry: "This course has been approved for General Education credit in the following area of the curriculum: Communication, Fine Arts, Health & Wellness, Humanities, International & Intercultural Studies, Mathematical Sciences, Physical & Natural Sciences, Social & Behavioral Sciences Area." Orientation to the psychology major will introduce the student to the academic and professional field of psychology in order to assist students in understanding the possibilities of psychology as a career field, and also to assist students to better understand the requirements of the major at RU.
List topics or major units; include subtopics under major units, if appropriate. NOTE: This section will be reviewed by many people who are not familiar with the subject matter. It is important to avoid jargon. It is also important that care be given to the organization of the content and that it be made much more detailed and complete than the catalog description. If this is a 400-level course that will be specified as being available for graduate credit, indicate the additional work that will be required of students taking the course for graduate credit.
Major topics to be covered in the course may include:
Section 1: Psychology at RU
1. What makes Psychology different from other fields?
2. Requirements for the Psychology major
3. Study skills for Psychology majors
4. Documenting your skills in Psychology
Section 2: Psychology as a Career
5. Career possibilities with an undergraduate degree
6. Career possibilities with a graduate degree
7. Preparing for graduate study
Section 3: Beyond the major
8. Basic vs. applied psychology
9. Ethical obligations of psychologists
Include the appropriate instructional strategies, i.e., lab or field experience, student presentations, student development of materials, role-playing/simulation, cooperative/group learning, demonstrations, computer-assisted instruction, case studies, self-paced instruction, writing-to-learn activities, oral communication activities, use of audio-visual materials, guest speakers, lecture, etc.
Psyc 122 will be taught in a lecture-discussion format, with time explicitly set aside for student discussion of course material and professional practice in psychology. Group projects, films, slides, videos, computer software, and other audiovisual aids will be used to help students develop their knowledge of how Psychology is practiced at RU and the various career possibilities in Psychology
Need to be stated in terms of student outcomes. What are the major learning objectives: What new capabilities, skills, levels of awareness, etc. will students derive from the course? Example: "Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to . . ." For a General Education Course, in addition to a statement of course-specific goals and objectives, include a description of the broad general education program goals and the goals established for the particular knowledge area of the program as these goals will be addressed in this course.
Having successfully completed the course, the student should be able to:
1. Identify the requirements for the psychology major
2. Explain the difference between the psychology major and other majors in the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities
3. Demonstrate knowledge of effective study skills
4. Know how to present a portfolio of documents which demonstrate the student’s achievement and experience in psychology
5. Understand the differences in career possibilities with an undergraduate versus a graduate degree in psychology.
6. Demonstrate a knowledge of what will be required to successfully apply for graduate study in psychology
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between psychology as a science and psychology as an applied field.
8. Demonstrate knowledge of ethical principles which govern psychological research and practice.
Include a list of appropriate assessment strategies. Keep in mind that different instructors use different assessment measures and strategies. For a General Education Course, in addition to a statement of course-specific assessment measures, include a description of the ways student learning will be assessed to determine fulfillment of the broad general education program goals and the goals established for the particular knowledge area of the program. Student progress will be assessed with a variety of measures which may include any/all of the following:
Examples: Bibliography of readings relevant to the course, special teaching aids, and any other information not contained in one of the above sections.
Speakers from the University as well as the medical community who have expertise in topics relevant to the course may be brought in as guest lecturers
DATE ACTION REVIEWED