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 the link below.
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 mechanisms of associative learning in motivated behavior, especially Pavlovian and operant conditioning in the behaviors of various species.
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: NEUR 100 or 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 and society.
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. Includes a practicum in a psychiatric facility.
Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor.
211. Health Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)
An introduction to theory and research in health psychology.
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, NEUR 100, 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. This is the service learning course in the Bucknell in Northern Ireland program.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Cross listed as EDUC 331 and/or SOCI 331.
232. Psychology of Women (I or II; 3, 0)
Considers experiences of girls and women, gender differences, attitudes toward women, and issues of particular concern to women such as domestic violence, body image, and sexual assault.
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: one of the following: NEUR 100, PSYC 100, BIOL 206, 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: NEUR 100, 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.
289. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Health Psychology (I or II; 0, 3)
Introduction to research methods commonly used in health psychology.
Prerequisite: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite: PSYC 211.
290. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Physiological Psychology (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory research to accompany PSYC 250 Physiological Psychology.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 250.
291. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Abnormal Psychology (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 210 Abnormal Psychology.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 210.
292. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Sensation and Perception (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 252 Sensation and Perception.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 252.
293. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Learning (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 203 Learning.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 203.
294. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Human Cognition (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory to accompany PSYC 204 Human Cognition.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 204.
295. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Emotion (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory-based research on the psychosocial causes, characteristics, and consequences of human emotion.
Prerequisite: PSYC 215 or MATH 216. Prerequisite or corequisite: PSYC 212.
296. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Animal Behavior (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 266 Animal Behavior.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 266. Crosslisted as ANBE 296.
297. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Developmental Psychology (I or II; 0, 3)
Students conduct observational research of children's behavior at Sunflower Child Care Center near campus.
Prerequisite: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and rerequisite or corequisite: PSYC 207.
298. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Personality (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory, field, or applied research to accompany PSYC 228 Personality Psychology.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 228.
299. Applied Research Methods Seminar in Social Psychology (I or II; 0, 3)
Laboratory and/or field research to accompany PSYC 209 Social Psychology.
Prerequisites: PSYC 215 or MATH 216 and prerequisite or corequisite PSYC 209.
301. History of Psychology (II; 3, 0)
A history of scholarly ideas about thought, feelings, and behavior.
Prerequisite: PSYC 100.
304. Advanced Developmental Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)
Analysis of selected topics in human development, such as gender issues, cognitive development, parenting and sibling relations, or religious and spiritual development.
Prerequisite: PSYC 207 or permission of the instructor.
305. Developmental Psychopathology (I or II; 3, 0)
Readings and discussion address the behavioral phenotypes (cognitive, social, linguistic) of a variety of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood in the context of theories and process of typical development. Basic genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders also are discussed.
Prerequisites: NEUR 248 or PSYC 210 and PSYC 207. Cross listed as NEUR 305.
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.
307. Culture and Child Development (I or II; 3, 0)
Study of culture-specific and universal processes of child development in diverse societies. Cultural issues in family, education, government, religion, labor, war, hunger.
Prerequisite: PSYC 207 or permission of the instructor.
309. Appetite and Eating Behavior (I or II; 3, 0)
Advanced seminar considering psychological factors involved in appetite, food preferences, and food intake.
Prerequisite: PSYC 203.
311. Advanced Health Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)
Advanced seminar considering current topics in health psychology, potentially including health behavior change, adolescent risk behavior, and/or social determinants of health.
Prerequisite: one of the following: PSYC 211, PSYC 209, PSYC 207 or permission of the instructor.
311. Advanced Health Psychology (I or II; 3, 0)
Advanced seminar considering current topics in health psychology, potentially including health behavior change, adolescent risk behavior, and/or social determinants of health.
Prerequisite: one of the following: PSYC 211, PSYC 209, PSYC 207 or permission of the instructor.
315. Language Development (I or II; 3, 0)
Advanced seminar examining how children learn the sounds, words, and grammar of their language. Special topics might include the social use of language, bilingualism, literacy, second language learning, or language disorders.
Prerequisite: one of the following: PSYC 207, PSYC 204, LING 230 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 PSYC 228 or permission of the instructor.
317. Comparative Animal Cognition (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: PSYC/ANBE 266 and PSYC 203. Cross listed as ANBE 317.
318. Cognitive Aging (I or II; 3, 0)
Seminar discussing the development and changes in cognition in senior citizens. Topics include memory, language, attention, and decision-making.
Prerequisite: PSYC 252 or PSYC 204 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. Advanced Psychological Statistics (I or II; 3, 0)
A survey of advanced statistical techniques with emphasis on analysis and interpretation of experimental and correlational data. Prerequisite: 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.
326. Language and Cognition (II; 3, 0)
Advanced study of language perception, production, acquisition, evolution, computational models and neural mechanisms. Focus on recent developments in the field. Cross listed as LING 326.
Prerequisite: a 200-level linguistics course or a 200-level psychology course from cluster A.
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)
Psychological and social aspects of the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. This is the seminar course in the Bucknell in Northern Ireland program.
Prerequisites: PSYC 207 or PSYC 209 or PSYC 210 or PSYC 228 and permission of the instructor. Cross listed as SOCI 330.
339. Psychology of Music (I or II; 3, 0)
Seminar examining how musicians and non-musicians comprehend, remember, perform, and respond to music, including developmental aspects. Some background in music is required.
Prerequisites: PSYC 204 or PSYC 252 and permission of the instructor.
343. Neural Plasticity (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. Crossl isted 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.
369. Psychology of Beauty and Attraction ( I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of research on beauty and attraction from an evolutionary perspective.
Prerequisites: PSYC 209 and permission of the instructor.
370. Primate Behavior and Ecology (I; 3, 3*)
Introduction to research on prosimians, monkeys, and apes with emphasis on the evolutionary origin of diversity, habitat use, social structure, social behavior, and cognitive abilities.
Prerequisites: BIOL 122 or 208, or ANBE/BIOL/PSYC 266, and permission of the instructor. Cross listed 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.
