PSYC 1001 Foundations of Psychological Science (4 Credits)

The goal of this course is to provide a general introduction to psychology examining the biological basis of behavior, perception, learning, memory, developmental transitions, personality, psychopathology, treatment, and social contexts for behavior. After completing this course, students will be able to (1) demonstrate an understanding of the defining principles and perspectives central to the inquiry of psychological science, (2) understand appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate human functioning and conduct, and (3) develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for social issues considering cultural and social contexts. This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.

PSYC 1700 Topics in Psychology (4 Credits)

PSYC 2031 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (4 Credits)

The goal of this course is to examine the relations between brain and behavior to better understand how complex behavior is mediated by the brain. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2070 Child and Lifespan Development (4 Credits)

This course explores biological, cognitive, social and emotional development across the lifespan, from the prenatal period through old age. After completing this course, students will be able to understand developmental methods and data that scientists use to investigate human development, apply developmental concepts to real-life situations and contexts, and understand explanatory systems and theories. Special attention is given to the influence of cultural and socioeconomic variations on human development. Prerequisite: PSYC1001.

PSYC 2090 Human Sexuality (4 Credits)

Physiological, behavioral and social aspects of human behavior. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2112 Psychology Research (1-5 Credits)

Through this course, students receive course credit while working on research projects in faculty-directed research groups. Roles and responsibilities vary by type of research conducted, phase of research projects that are active, and experience of the student participating in research. Students should reach out to those running research groups to ask about availability for any given quarter. Permission of instructor required.

PSYC 2300 Introduction to Statistics (4 Credits)

Elementary statistical methods in psychology and education. Required for all students, but especially important for students planning graduate work in psychology. Recommended: knowledge of basic algebra. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2500 Adult Psychopathology (4 Credits)

Nature, causes, treatment and prevention of patterns of psychopathology (clinical disorders), primarily in adults. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2540 The Psychology of Couples Relationships: From Dating to Mating and Beyond (4 Credits)

The primary complaints of couples in therapy include: "We can't communication." "We fight too much." "We have grown apart and have no sex." "He/she cheats on me and /or is aggressive." We cover research on these issues, as well as how to help couples select great mates and have a lifetime loving healthy relationship. Throughout the course we cover overarching themes including the influence of popular culture (listening to music, watching movie clips) diversity in relationships (e.g., Same-sex Marriage). Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2610 Forensic Psychology (4 Credits)

Scientific study of the the intersection of human behavior and the legal process. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2620 Psychology of Diversity (4 Credits)

This course provides a deep investigation into issues of diversity from a psychological perspective, including how we can understand both the value of and the threats to diversity in regards to gender, race, age, weight, and more. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2630 Organizational Psychology (4 Credits)

This course will provide an introduction to the field of Organizational Psychology. Organizational psychologists aim to understand behavior in organizational settings. Additionally, they apply psychological research to understanding behavior at work. The course will be broken into three units that focus on different levels of the organization. In the first unit, we will discuss the individual-level, including topics such as personality and diversity. The second unit will focus on groups, including topics such as group dynamics and negotiation. In the third unit, we will apply what we’ve already learned to understand the system-level, including discussions of organizational culture and organizational change. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2700 Topics in Psychology (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2701 Topics in Psychology (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2740 Social Psychology (4 Credits)

Concepts, data and principles regarding social influences on human behavior. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001.

PSYC 2751 Junior Honors Research Seminar (1-4 Credits)

First course in a two-year sequence. Research, design and methodology to facilitate a senior research thesis. Prerequisites: PSYC 1001. PSYC 3050. Requires acceptance to psychology distinction program and permission of instructor.

PSYC 2752 Junior Honors Research Seminar (1-4 Credits)

Second course in a two-year sequence. Research, design and methodology to facilitate a senior research thesis. Prerequisites: PSYC 1001. Requires acceptance to psychology distinction program and permission of instructor.

PSYC 2760 Field Experiences in Learning & Applied Behavior Analysis (4 Credits)

Introduction to the application of learning principles and applied behavior analysis. Students obtain first-hand experiences working in a community setting. Prerequisites: PSYC 1001. Permission of instructor required.

PSYC 3010 Psychology Micro-credential (2 Credits)

In this class, students brainstorm, develop, and execute an experiential project in the area of either Diversity and Inclusion, Data-informed Decisions, or Mental Health, while engaging in a variety of professional development activities (e.g., mock interviews, in-class workshops on writing CVs, resumes, and personal statements). Each student’s experiential project is unique, related to their chosen micro-credential pathway, and based on their personal area(s) of interest. For example, a student pursuing a Diversity and Inclusion micro-credential might chose to investigate the efficacy of workplace diversity trainings and create an industry-facing resource for effective training approaches. A student on the Data-informed Decisions pathway might propose or conduct a research study or learn a new data analysis software (e.g., R, JASP, SPSS). Finally, a student pursuing a micro-credential in Mental Health might engage in an internship or interview clinicians and write a report on their findings. Overall, this class allows students the opportunity to delve deeper into an area of psychology they are personally passionate about and helps them to be better prepared for whatever comes next after graduating from the University of Denver. By passing this class and (separately) passing two required classes and one elective class (based on the student’s chosen micro-credential pathway; course options can be found here: https://liberalarts.du.edu/psychology/academics/psychology-micro-credentials), students can earn a micro-credential and digital badge. (More information about micro-credentials and digital badges can be found here: https://www.du.edu/registrar/academic-programs/micro-credentials-badges). Instructor approval is required to join this course and is only granted after interviewing and applying (contact Dr. Daniel Storage at Daniel.Storage@du.edu for more information).

PSYC 3015 Nonverbal Behavior (4 Credits)

PSYC 3020 Adolescence (4 Credits)

This course examines development during the adolescent years exploring biological, cognitive, and social transitions central to this developmental stage. It considers key contexts in which adolescents develop: families, peer groups, schools, work, leisure, and the mass media. Special attention is given to the importance of diverse social and cultural experiences and its impact on adolescent behavior and cognition. Prerequisites: PSYC2070 and PSYC3050, must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior or senior standing.

PSYC 3028 Social Cognition (4 Credits)

Social cognition describes how people make sense of themselves and others. The emphasis on “how” is important—social cognition research focuses on perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes that help people think about themselves and others. You will learn about the theories, findings, and methods in a specific area of study. If you have not taken one of those courses, you should talk the instructor before signing up for this class. Prerequisites: PSYC 2740 and PSYC 3050. Course is restricted to psychology majors or minors with at least junior standing.

PSYC 3029 Imaging the Mind (4 Credits)

Imaging the Mind is an introductory course to the basic theory and data analysis techniques used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It will cover basic brain anatomy, the basic physics of MRI, experimental design, data processing and the issues associated with data processing, and interpretation of fMRI data. Students in this course will receive hands-on experience in processing a data set from start to finish. They will apply different image preprocessing techniques, statistical design parameters, and statistical models to determine how these factors influence the outcome of the data and how these factors influence the interpretation of that data. In this manner, each student will be exposed individually to the decision issues and interpretation pitfalls involved in fMRI data analysis. Cross listed with PSYC 4255. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050, must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing. Permission of the instructor required.

PSYC 3032 Introduction to Neural Networks (4 Credits)

Introduction to basic principles and computational methods in artificial neural network modeling; neural models of cognitive and psychological processes examined and evaluated. Cross listed with PSYC 4254. Prerequisite: PSYC 1001 and PSYC 3050. Must be major or minor in psychology. Must have junior standing. Permission of instructor required.

PSYC 3035 Seminar: Cognitive Neuroscience (2 Credits)

This seminar is for students in the cognitive neuroscience specialization, a joint program with Biological Sciences. The goal of the seminar is to provide an opportunity for senior-level cognitive neuroscience majors to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in other courses to current cutting-edge topics in the field. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050, must have cognitive neuroscience concentration, must have senior standing.

PSYC 3045 The Developing Brain (4 Credits)

This course presents an overview of current research and methods in the field of developmental cognitive/affective/social neuroscience. The course examines what the brain tells us about development and what development tells us about the brain. Topics include sensitive periods for neuroplasticity, pediatric neuroimaging methods, attention, language, affective and social development. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050. Must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3050 Research Methods (4 Credits)

Survey of research methods and research designs in psychology used to study behavior. Required for all psychology majors, especially foundational for those planning graduate work focusing on research in psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 2300 or INFO 1020 or BIOL 2090 or STAT 1300. Must be major or minor in psychology.

PSYC 3055 The Neuroscience and Psychology of Parenthood and Parent-Child Relationships (4 Credits)

This course explores the theory, research and issues relevant to parenthood and parent-child relationships. The course overviews the evolutionary, neurobiological, and psychological perspective of parent-child relationships with a focus on the understanding of recent advances in neuroscience research. Topics include neuroplasticity of parental brain, maternal vs. paternal biology for parenting, and social and biological determinants of parent-child relationships. Emphasis is placed on discussion of current research, evaluation of the findings, and proposals and ideas of new research in the field. The goal is not to memorize facts but rather to learn to think like a developmental cognitive/social neuroscientist. Cross-listed with course PSYC 4055. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050; must be major or minor in psychology; must have junior standing.

PSYC 3060 Eating Disorders (4 Credits)

Overview of etiology, clinical presentation, prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3080 Drugs and Behavior (4 Credits)

Nature of licit and illicit drugs; their short- and long-term biological and psychological effects. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3085 Autism (4 Credits)

This course offers an in-depth examination of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) including a discussion of the characteristics of ASD, variables that contribute to one's likelihood of developing ASD, and treatments and strategies that are effective in supporting individuals with ASD. Prerequisites: PSYC 2070 and PSYC 3050; must be majoring or minoring in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3090 Infancy and Early Childhood (4 Credits)

The objective of this course is to introduce the study of early development focusing on the prenatal and infant periods. This course considers the exciting changes that take place during pregnancy for both mom and fetus. This course considers biological, cognitive, social, and physical development. This course is part of the field of Developmental Science. The prominent theories and research in the field are considered. Questions developmental psychologists currently and historically study and the research they conduct to help answer these questions are explored. Prerequisite: PSYC 2070 or PSYC 2050 or PSYC 2055, and PSYC 3050. Must be either a major or minor in psychology. Must have junior standing.

PSYC 3095 Middle Childhood (4 Credits)

Introduction to the physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development of children ages 6 to 12. The influence of families, culture, race/ethnicity, and teacher/school characteristics on children’s development will be emphasized. Prerequisites: PSYC 3050; Must be either a major or minor in Psychology; Junior standing.

PSYC 3109 Depression (4 Credits)

This course extends knowledge acquired in PSYC 1001 and in PSYC 2500 to the in-depth study of mood disorders (unipolar and bipolar depression) across the lifespan. It covers in depth various topics, including description and classification of mood disorders, the various causes of these emotional disturbances (e.g., psychosocial, biological, genetic), and treatments of these disorders across the lifespan. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3112 Advanced Psychology Research (1-5 Credits)

This course provides an opportunity for students who have already completed 10 hours of PSYC 2112 Psychology Research to gain advanced experience in a current research group run by a faculty member in psychology. Prerequisites: 10 hours of PSYC 2112, 40 credit hours in psychology, and permission of instructor.

PSYC 3120 The Science of Love (4 Credits)

This course explores the theory, research and issues relevant to love in parent-child and romantic relationships. Prerequisites: PSYC 1001, and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3130 Couples Therapy and Relationship Education: Current Status and Future Directions (4 Credits)

There are two major approaches to helping couples achieve happy and healthy relationships over time: Couples Therapy and Couples Relationship Education. Whereas therapy helps distressed couples improve an unhappy relationship, relationship education serves as a preventative intervention designed to help happy couples protect and preserve their happiness. This course covers the major research-based approaches to couples therapy, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Integrative-Behavioral Couples Therapy and Emotional-Focused Couples Therapy. In addition, the class covers the major research-based approaches to couples relationship education, including PREP, CouplesCare, and Relationship Education. The class also focuses on both common and distinctive challenges that couples face, including: long-distance relationships, having a child, overseas deployments for military couples, psychological issues, substance abuse, medical issues, infidelity, aggression, dealing with social media and aging. Finally, the class covers issues related to diversity, including same-sex couples, interracial couples and couples from other countries and cultures. Prerequisites: PSYC 3050, PSYC 2740 and PSYC 2300 or equivalent. Must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3150 Senior Honors Research Seminar (1-5 Credits)

In conjunction with senior research thesis. Prerequisites: PSYC 2751 and PSYC 2752.

PSYC 3151 Senior Honors Research Seminar (1-5 Credits)

In conjunction with senior research thesis. Prerequisites: PSYC 2750, PSYC 2751 and PSYC 2752.

PSYC 3152 Senior Honors Research Seminar (1-5 Credits)

In conjunction with senior research thesis. Prerequisites: PSYC 2751 and PSYC 2752.

PSYC 3155 Motivation and Emotion (4 Credits)

Social and biological approaches to study of motivation and emotion in humans and lower animals. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050. Must be major or minor in psychology. Must have junior standing.

PSYC 3160 Emotion Regulation (4 Credits)

This course covers the current state of psychological and neuroscience research on how we're able to control our emotions (emotion regulation). This topic includes studies of different types of emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, stress and coping, as well as self-regulation more broadly. This is a service learning course; students are required to give presentations to the class and to community members. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050; must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3262 Affective Neuroscience (4 Credits)

Affective neuroscience is the study of emotions in the brain. In this course, we explore how new frontiers in emotion research, from brain scans to psychoactive drugs to monkey colonies, have changed the way we think about emotions and moods. We aim to learn how scientists ask these new questions: How and what can we learn about emotion from animal models, patient studies, genetic studies, brain scans, and drugs? We learn and debate different theories about what emotions are: When are emotions helpful and harmful? Why do we have them? How many are there? Can we control how we feel? Finally, we learn how to think about emotions scientifically: What kind of evidence matters? How do emotion scholars talk about their work? What kind of questions can we ask, and what kind can we hope to answer? Cross listed with PSYC 4262. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050; must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing. Permission of the instructor required.

PSYC 3300 Psychology of Inequality (4 Credits)

Living in contexts of high economic inequality has psychological implications for everyone, not just those at the upper or lower ends of the economic spectrum. In this course, we will explore current trends in economic inequality and discuss how people think about inequality. We will also examine the consequences of inequality for individuals and for social groups. We will pay particular attention to how the cultural and social environment may lead to thought processes that justify and reinforce inequalities. Finally, we will discuss potential strategies that can help reduce inequality or buffer against its consequences. Prerequisites: PSYC 2740 and PSYC 3050.

PSYC 3350 Cultural Psychology (4 Credits)

This seminar examines how people's sociocultural context shapes their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. To approach this question, we read and discuss classic as well as recent theoretical and empirical articles from the field of cultural psychology. Topics include defining culture; dimensions of cultural variation; culture-biology interactions; methodological considerations; cultural influences on cognition, emotion, the self, moral judgment, and health; cultural neuroscience; cultural approaches to race and ethnicity; and mechanisms of cultural influence. Throughout, this course emphasizes sociocultural diversity in psychological processes. Students are encouraged to develop empirically tractable ways of asking and answering questions relating to cultural psychology and to apply concepts of cultural psychology to their own research. Prerequisite: PSYC 2740 and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3520 Introduction to Clinical Psychology (4 Credits)

Overview of clinical roles theory and research; function and dilemmas of clinical psychologists. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 and PSYC 3050; must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3530 Child Psychopathology (4 Credits)

Child Psychopathology surveys the latest theory and research in the field of developmental psychopathology, which is the study of abnormal behavior from a developmental perspective. Students learn about what the emotional and behavioral disorders of childhood and adolescence are, what causes them, and how they are treated. Additionally, the course covers how we judge what is considered to be abnormal or atypical, how we classify abnormal or atypical behavior, and how we acquire knowledge about developmental psychopathology. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3550 Personality (4 Credits)

This course will provide an introduction to the study of personality. Personality psychologists aim to understand how people make sense of who they are, why people behave the way that they do, and how individuals are similar to and different from one another. Course restricted to psychology major or minor students with at least junior standing. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 and PSYC 3050.

PSYC 3610 Advanced Topics in Philosophy, Psychology, and Cognitive Science (4 Credits)

This course provides an advanced survey of conceptual and methodological issues that lie at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science. More specifically, our main goal is to engage in a critical discussion of how the study of the mind requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates empirical findings with conceptual and philosophical theorizing. Cross listed with PHIL 3610. Prerequisites: PSYC 1001 and PSYC 3050; must have junior standing.

PSYC 3660 Perception: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach (4 Credits)

An introduction to human perception with a strong emphasis on visual perception. This course evaluates the current understanding of how neural activity in the brain allows people to perceive basic sensory features (e.g., brightness, color, size, position, depth, movement, loudness and pitch) as well as recognize and discriminate complex perceptual patterns (e.g., 2D-shapes, 3D-objects, faces, and scenes). The underlying mechanisms are discussed on the basis of behavioral, neurophysiological, and computational evidence. We attempt to understand how the brain creates what we see and hear. Cross-listed with PSYC 4660. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031 and PSYC 3050; must be a major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3665 Executive Functioning (4 Credits)

This course provides an overview of current research, theories, and methods in the study of executive function and cognitive control. We will explore executive function from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on work from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, clinical neuropsychology, and developmental and educational psychology. Topics include the brain basis of executive function and cognitive control, the unity and diversity of executive functions, the development of executive functions, emotion and motivation as modulating influences on executive control, executive function in psychopathology, the role of individual differences, and links between executive function performance and higher-order behavioral outcomes. Prerequisites: PSYC 2031. Enrollment restricted to PSYC majors or minors with Junior standing.

PSYC 3666 Brain Development & Cognition (4 Credits)

Examines what the brain tells us about development and what development tells us about the brain. Topics include subcortical and cortical developments to the acquisition of language and drawing. Prerequisites: PSYC 2070 and PSYC 3050; must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3688 Clinical Psychopharmacology (4 Credits)

This course offers an in-depth examination of medications used to treat mental disorders, including the neurobiology of these medications. Different options available for each disorder will be discussed, along with issues related to the effective use of psychiatric medications. Prerequisites: (PSYC 3080 or BIOL 3642) and PSYC 3050, must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3701 Topics in Psychology (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisites: PSYC 1001 and PSYC 3050; must be major or minor in psychology, must have junior standing.

PSYC 3759 Foundations for Field Experiences (2 Credits)

Students prepare for internships in the helping field by learning about various placement settings that provide services to client populations, learning basic therapeutic skills, and preparing to seek internships. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 or equivalent, 21 years old by October 1, must be major in psychology, must have junior standing. Permission of the instructor required. Corequisite: PSYC 3760.

PSYC 3760 Field Experiences in Psychology (2 Credits)

Students meet weekly with professor and complete an unpaid internship at a community organization. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 or equivalent, 21 years old by October 1, must be major in psychology, must have junior standing. Permission of the instructor required.

PSYC 3761 Field Experiences in Psychology (4 Credits)

Students meet weekly with professor and complete an internship at a community organization. This class has a service learning component. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 or equivalent, PSYC 3760, must be major in psychology, must have junior standing. Permission of the instructor required.

PSYC 3762 Field Experiences in Psychology (4 Credits)

Students meet weekly with professor and complete an unpaid internship at a community organization. This class has a service learning component. Prerequisites: PSYC 2500 or equivalent, PSYC 3760, PSYC 3761, must be major in psychology, must have at least junior standing. Permission of the instructor required.

PSYC 3800 Internships in Psychology (4 Credits)

Students complete an internship in the mental health or social work field while simultaneously completing assignments via our online classroom environment aimed at enhancing their understanding of 1) the application of psychological knowledge, b) professional development issues, and c) ethical and legal guidelines that impact social service providers. Must be a psychology major. Permission of instructor required and written confirmation from an internship site that indicates they will provide an unpaid internship slot for the student during the course duration. Prerequisites: PSYC 1001 or its equivalent, and PSYC 2500 or its equivalent.

PSYC 3991 Independent Study (1-10 Credits)

Maximum of 5 hours per quarter not to exceed a total of 10 quarter hours.

PSYC 3999 Psychology Senior Assessment (0 Credits)

This course involves a required assessment of graduating psychology majors' knowledge of the discipline based on coursework taken one quarter prior to graduation. Prerequisites: at least any four of the following courses required for the major: PSYC 1001 or equivalent, PSYC 2300, 3050, PSYC 2500, PSYC 2070, PSYC 2031, PSYC 2740, and at least 163 total credit hours or at least 30 credits of psychology hours.