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Course Offerings

Psychology Department

General course information regarding those sessions offered in psychology at Bucknell can be found here. For semester-specific individual course information, please use our

Current Course Offerings 

100. General Psychology (I and II; 3, 2) 

A survey of concepts, principles, and theories of an empirical science of behavior.

203. Learning (I and II; 3, 0)

The study of basic learning and motivational principles with emphasis on animals. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or ANBE 266 or permission of the instructor.

204. Human Cognition (I and II; 3, 0)

A survey of the theories and methods employed in studying human mental abilities. Issues include attention, memory, language, problem solving, and decision making. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.

207. Developmental Psychology (I and II; 3, 0)

Study of stages, sequences, and processes in normal child development, prenatal through childhood. Emphasis on cognitive, social, emotional development. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.

209. Social Psychology (I and II; 3, 0)

Theories of social influence and social interaction, their empirical foundations and implications for the individual. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.

210. Abnormal Psychology (I and II; 3, 1)

An introduction to psychological disorders and the major theories proposed to account for them. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.

212. Emotion (I; 3, 0)

An introduction to theory and research in the psychology of emotion. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.

215. Psychological Statistics (I and II; 3, 1)

An introduction to basic statistical analyses in psychology. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or ANBE 266 or permission of the instructor.

228. Personality Psychology (I and II; 3, 0)

Evaluation of theory and research on personality, including consideration of classic theories and their applications in current research. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.

231. Community Organizations in Northern Ireland (S; 3, 0)

Case studies of local organizations, community situations, or social movements in Northern Ireland. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as SOCI 331.

232. Psychology of Women (I or II; 3, 0)

Sex differences, attitudes toward women, and self-concepts of women. Addresses the origins of these factors as well as offering descriptions of them.

233. Black Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Black self-concept, the black family and self-awareness, ‘‘black English,’’ skin color and physical attractiveness standards, black self-esteem, black views on prejudice and discrimination.

234. Introduction to Sport Psychology (S; 3, 0)

Considers the individual difference factors influencing athletic performance (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, and emotion). Also considers psychological processes operating in group (e.g., cohesion, leadership, aggression, and audience effects).

250. Physiological Psychology (I and II; 3, 0)

Biological bases of behavior and their relationship to motivation, learning, and perception. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or BIOL 206 or ANBE 266 or permission of the instructor.

252. Sensation and Perception (I and II; 3, 0)

Anatomy and functions of the sensory systems: vision, audition, kinesthesis, vestibular sensation, taste and smell, with emphasis on theory and abnormalities of the human sensory systems. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of instructor.

266. Animal Behavior (I; 3, 0)

A survey of important theories, issues, and empirical techniques in the interdisciplinary field of animal behavior, emphasizing both proximate and ultimate explanations for behavior. Crosslisted as ANBE 266/BIOL 266.

290. Physiological Laboratory (I or II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory research to accompany PSYC 250 Physiological Psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 250.

291. Abnormal Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 210 Abnormal Psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 210.

292. Sensation and Perception Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 252 Sensation and Perception. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 252.

293. Learning Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 203 Learning. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 203.

294. Cognitive Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory to accompany PSYC 204 Human Cognition. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 204.

296. Laboratory in Animal Behavior (I or II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 266 Animal Behavior. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 266. Crosslisted as ANBE 296.

297. Child Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Field research to accompany PSYC 207 Developmental Psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 207.

298. Personality Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory, field, or applied research to accompany PSYC 228 Personality Psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 228.

299. Social Laboratory (I and II; 0, 3) Half course.

Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 209 Social Psychology. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 209.

301. Intellectual History of Psychology (II; 3, 0)

A history of ideas regarding the mind and its working from the pre-Socratics to modern times. Prerequisite: PSYC 100.

304. Advanced Developmental Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Analysis of selected topics in developmental psychology, with a different topic offered each year. Recent topics have included culture and child development, and religious and spiritual development. Prerequisite: PSYC 207 or permission of the instructor.

305. Advanced Seminar: Developmental Psychopathology (I or II; 3, 0)

Discusses the origin, nature and processes underlying atypical development and psychological disorders from a developmental perspective. Emphasis is placed on the interplay between normative and pathological development. Prerequisite: PSYC 207 or permission of the instructor.

306. Advanced Abnormal Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Analysis of specific topics in the fields of psychopathology and/or clinical psychology. Prerequisite: PSYC 210 or permission of the instructor.

308. Learning and Behavioral Disorders (I or II; 3, 0)

Consideration of learning-based behavioral disorders including learned helplessness, phobias, psychosomatic illness, neuroses. Behavior modification, biofeedback, cognitive therapy treatments also are considered. Prerequisite: PSYC 203 or PSYC 210 or permission of the instructor.

309. Appetite and Eating Behavior (I or II; 3, 0)

Advanced seminar on research and theories regarding neural and psychological controls of appetite and causes and treatment of eating disorders. Prerequisite: PSYC 203 or PSYC 250. Crosslisted as ANBE 309.

310. Health Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Health psychology involves the application of psychological principles to physical health. Topics include health-compromising behaviors, chronic illness, and death and dying. Prerequisite: PSYC 209 or PSYC 228 or permission of the instructor.

316. Advanced Social Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Consideration of experimental and theoretical issues in social psychology. Prerequisite: PSYC 209 or 228 or permission of the instructor.

317. Learning and Adaptive Behavior (I or II; 3, 0)

Advanced seminar in issues of nature/nurture, learning, development, and adaptation, in behaviors such as foraging, mating, and communication in several species. Prerequisite: ANBE 266 or PSYC 203. Crosslisted as ANBE 317.

318. Seminar in Cognitive Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Discussion of current debates about topics in human memory, language, and thinking. Prerequisite: PSYC 204 or 252 or permission of the instructor.

319. Topics in Psychology (I or II; R; 3, 0)

Occasional seminars on selected topics of current interest in psychology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

324. Analysis of Psychological Data (I or II; 3, 0)

Statistical analysis of experimental and correlational data. Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or equivalent and permission of the instructor.

325. Advanced Personality Theory (I or II; 3, 0)

Consideration of current issues in personality psychology. Possible topics include: persons and situations, personality and health, and personality and relationships. Prerequisite: PSYC 228 or permission of the instructor.

329. Undergraduate Research (I or II; S; R; 0, 3) Half to full course.

Research or other independent study on any aspect of psychology. Research topics may be posed by students or faculty. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

330. Sectarian Conflict in Northern Ireland (S; 3, 0)

Consideration of selected conceptual and empirical scholarship pertaining to the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. Prerequisites: PSYC 207 or PSYC 209 or PSYC 210 or PSYC 228 and permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as SOCI 330.

338. Psychology and the Arts (AI or II; 3, 0)

How experimental psychology can help explain comprehension, memory, and preference in music and art. Some background in music or art is helpful. Prerequisite: PSYC 204 or PSYC 252 or permission of the instructor.

343. Neuroscience (I; 3, 0)

Brain structure and function, emphasizing cellular and molecular approaches to neural development, plasticity and degeneration. Prerequisites: PSYC 250 or BIOL 205 and permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as BIOL 343.

349. Human Neuropsychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Brain mechanisms of language, memory, and other processes as revealed by studies of human brain activity or pathology. Prerequisite: PSYC 204 or 250 or 252 or permission of the instructor.

352. Advanced Perception (I or II; 3, 0)

Theories of and research on sensory and perceptual processes. Prerequisite: PSYC 204 or 250 or 252 or permission of the instructor.

360. Honors Thesis (I and II; R)

Prerequisite: permission of the department.

366. Ethology and Comparative Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)

Detailed analysis of contemporary theory and research in animal behavior emphasizing the evolution of behavior. Prerequisite: PSYC 266 or permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as ANBE 366.

370. Primate Behavior and Ecology (I; 3, 3*)

Introduction to research on prosimians, monkeys, and apes. Diversity, habitat, diet, growth, reproduction, social behavior, cognitive abilities. Prerequisites: BIOL 122 or 208, or ANBE/BIOL/PSYC 266, and permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as ANBE/BIOL 370.

373. Psychology of Race and Gender (I or II; 3, 0)

Critical analysis of major theories. Emphasis on experimental research findings in the areas of racism, discrimination, gender difference, sexual violence, etc. Prerequisites: PSYC 209 and permission of the instructor.