• Spring 2008 Course Schedule

Psychology (PSYC) courses satisfy Area 2 of the Breadth of Study Requirements, except PSYC
158, which satisfies Area 5.

51. Psychological Approaches to the Study of People. Staff. A scientific approach to the
understanding of human development, personality, motivation and cognition. Laboratory
exercises designed to acquaint students with research techniques and basic principles of
description and quantification. Each semester

78. Research in Environmental Psychology. Ms. Thompson. Theory and scientific research
are used to examine the interaction of individual human behavior and the natural environment, including attitudes toward the environment, environmentally relevant
behavior and the impact of nature on individual well-being. The course involves seminarstyle
discussion, the design and implementation of empirical research and field trips.
Spring 2009.

84 CH. Psychology of the Chicano/a. Mr. Buriel. Selected topics in psychology dealing
with various affective and intellectual aspects of Chicano behavior. The psychological
development of Chicanos evaluated against traditional psychological theories and
variations in Chicanos’ sociocultural environment. Fall 2007.

108. Child Psychology. Ms. Smiley. Explores the course of social and cognitive development
from infancy through adolescence. Focuses on theories of development, as well as age and
gender differences. Naturalistic and experimental observations of children’s behavior and
environments. Lecture, discussion, projects and internship. Prerequisite: 51. Fall 2007.

123. Language Development. Ms. Smiley. Surveys the course of normal and atypical language
development, as well as theoretical accounts of how development occurs. Focuses
particularly on prelinguistic, phonological, semantic and syntactic aspects of development in
young children, touching on bilingual acquisition. Social uses of language, including
conversation and narrative in older children, are also a focus. Prerequisite: 51 or LGCS 10
or 11. May not take both 123 and LGCS123 for credit. Spring 2008.

125. Culture and Human Development. Mr. Hurley. Situating the study of development in
the context of culture has gained tremendous momentum recently. This course explores
this movement. We will examine cross-cultural research, but the focus is not on crosscultural
appreciation. Methodological issues pertaining to research across cultures, and
theories important in culture and development will be explored. Prerequisite: 51. Spring
2008.

131. Abnormal Psychology. Mr. Miller. The psychodynamic, humanistic, physiological,
cognitive-behavioral, feminist, sociocultural and biopsychosocial approaches to abnormal
behavior. Major mental disorders described and interpreted from alternative viewpoints,
using case studies as a supplement. Treatment methods and current mental-health issues.
Prerequisite: 51. Fall 2007.

143. The Human Brain: From Neurons to Behavior, with laboratory. Mr. Lewis, Ms.
Weekes. Introduction to fundamentals of nervous system structure and function and their
relationship to behavior. Exploration of neural aspects of sensation, perception,
motivation, emotion, cognition and pathological behavior. Each semester

150 BK. Psychology of the Black Experience. Mr. Hurley. Designed to facilitate students’
understanding of Afro-American psychological experience the course begins with a critical
review of historical and traditional approaches to the psychological study of Black people.
We will next examine the careers and contributions of the first three generations of Black
psychologists who set the foundations for the current (4th) generation. We conclude with a
look at Black psychology today and its influence on the mainstream of the field.
Prerequisite: 51. Fall 2007.

151 CH. The Psychology of Multicultural Education. Mr. Buriel. Examines educational
theory, research and practice as it relates to the experience of Chicanos and other ethnic and
linguistic minorities. Consideration of selected psychological processes that potentially
explain the scholastic performance of these groups. Discussion of multicultural education as
a movement of school transformation. Spring 2008.

153 AA. Asian American Psychology. Ms. Goto. Introduces students to salient
psychological issues of Asian Americans. Taking into account the social, cultural and
historical context of the Asian American experience, addresses values and cultural conflict in
values, stereotypes and self-perception, family and intergenerational issues, identity
development, acculturation, marriage and gender roles, vocational development,
psychopathology and delivery of mental health services. Fall 2007.

154. Social Psychology. Ms. Thompson. Introduction to the psychology of social behavior:
how people think about, influence and relate to one another. Aggression, altruism, conformity, prejudice, attraction, social perception, errors in social judgment and attitudes.
Prerequisite: 51. Fall 2007.

156. Industrial/Organizational Psychology: The Psychology of Work. Ms. Goto.
Introduction to the psychology of work. Topics include leadership, motivation, job
satisfaction, performance evaluation, group processes, decision making and the crosscultural
work force. Spring 2009.

158. Introductory Statistics for Psychology. Ms. Smiley. Introduction to probability,
hypothesis testing, correlation and regression, analysis of variance and non-parametric
techniques. Emphasis on the logic of statistical methodology as it applies to studies of
behavior. Prerequisite: 51. Spring 2008. Satisfies Area 5 of the Breadth of Study
Requirements.

159. Research Design and Methodology. Staff. Issues in research design and analysis.
Experimental and non-experimental designs, internal and external validity. Scale construction
and matters relating to test reliability and validity. Computer applica¬tions emphasized.
Laboratory required. Prerequisite:158. Fall 2007.

160. Perception and Cognition. Mr. Banks. Investigates the question of how we use
patterns of physical energy to perceive the world. Covers topics from sensation to
cognition, including music, language communication, disorders of perception, attention,
unconscious perception and brain mechanisms in cognition. Laboratory arranged.
Prerequisite: 51 or LGCS11. Fall 2007.

162. Memory and Language with Laboratory. Ms. Burke. Investigates the nature of
human memory and how it interacts with language. Emphasis on architecture of memory
systems from working memory to semantic memory and on memory processes in
language comprehension and production. Evaluates research on how we remember, why
we forget, memory without awareness and language and memory disorders. Prerequisite:
51 or LGCS11. Spring 2008.

176. The Psychology of Health and Medicine. Ms. Thompson. Psychological factors
involved in health, illness and medical care. Scientific research on mind-body issues, healthpromoting
behaviors, coping with illness and physician/patient relationship. Topics include
HIV disease, stress management, pain, grief and medical training. Students observe in health
care setting to apply concepts covered in course. Prerequisite: 51. Spring 2008.

180A. Seminar in Social and Emotional Development. Ms. Smiley. Focus on social and
emotional development from infancy through adolescence. Specific issues include
attachment, temperament, emotion regulation, parenting, aggression, altruism,
achievement, gender socialization and peer relations. Readings include classic and current
journal articles, as well as contemporary books on childhood. Prerequisite: 108. Fall 2007.

180B. Seminar in Clinical Psychology. Mr. Miller. Introduction to major theories and
methods of psychotherapy, critical review of research psychotherapy effectiveness. Class
incorporates didactic and experiential methods, so that students learn “hands on” the
basics of effective psychotherapy while also learning about underlying theoretical models.
Prerequisite: 51 or 131. Fall 2007.

180E. Seminar in Social Cognition. Ms. Thompson. The psychology of humans as social
beings with a focus on how we perceive, judge and think about ourselves and others. Indepth
discussion of beliefs about justice, how we perceive the causes of behavior, the
origins and effects of stereotypes and how to change them, social comparison, social
errors, judgment heuristics and self-serving biases. Prerequisite: 154. Spring 2008.

180H. Seminar in Consciousness and Cognition. Mr. Banks. What is the role of
consciousness in perceiving, willing, thinking? How can the activity of a bunch of neurons
result in conscious experience? Is free will consistent with deterministic neurophysiological
processes in the brain? Seminar will cover recent approaches to these and related
questions, with an emphasis on relevant scientific findings. Prerequisite: 160. Fall 2007.

180J. Seminar on Language, Memory and the Brain. Ms. Burke. Current research on
the interaction between brain and behavior in cognition. Course will change from year to year to allow focus on current topics in cognitive science. This year’s focus is on emotion, its
effect on cognition and its neural substrate. Review of both neuroimaging and cognitive
behavior research that investigates the nature of emotion and how it affects attention, memory
and language. Analysis of how aging and brain damage change emotional responses and the
interaction of cognition and emotion. Course may be repeated with permission of instructor.
Prerequisite: 162 or LGCS 11. Next offered 2008–09.

180L AA. Seminar on Individualism and Collectivism. Ms. Goto. Emphasis on critical
evaluation of recent literature in cross-cultural, ethnic minority and Asian American
psychology. Laboratory includes training in the use of multi-method, cross-cultural techniques
to study Asian American populations; original data collected, analyzed and presented. Next
offered 2008–09.

180M CH. Seminar in Cultural Psychology. Mr. Buriel. The theories and methods of
psychology and ethnic studies are used to examine the behavior of U.S. ethnic minorities,
the unique psychocultural experiences of individual ethnic groups and the similarities in
these experiences. Topics include identity formation, socialization, prejudice, acculturation
and mental health. Common developmental challenges and adaptation strategies of U.S.
ethnic groups stressed. Intended for students with previous courses in both psychology and
ethnic studies. Spring 2008.

180S. Seminar in Community Psychology. Mr. Miller. Integrates psychological theory and
research to examine issues of empowerment, the prevention of social and psychological
problems, the promotion of wellness and the relationship between individual and
community well-being. Drawing on theories and research findings from clinical, social and
organizational psychology, as well as anthropology, public health, public policy and
sociology, emphasizes an understanding of individual and social problems grounded in the
multiple contexts in which they occur. A few hours each week spent in community
placement. Additional topics include needs assessment, program evaluation, domestic
violence, peace psychology and psychology and public policy. Next offered 2008 -09.

180W. Biological Basis of Psychopathology. Ms. Weekes. This seminar will investigate
biological models for disorders traditionally defined as having a psychological origin.
Biological models for depression, anxiety disorders, personality disorders and schizophrenia,
among others, will be emphasized. Biological explanations will include theories of
neurochemical and neuroanatomical deficits. Prerequisite: 131 or 143. Fall 2007.

180Z. The Social Brain. Mr. Lewis. Explores the neural basis of human social interaction.
Emphasis will be placed on analysis of the primary literature investigating social,
environmental and cultural influences on human brain processes. Topics include: attachment
and love, attitudes, emotions, empathy, health and stress, imitation, moral reasoning,
concepts of the self and stereotyping. Prerequisites: 143 or 154. Spring 2008.

185. Psychology: History, Science and Applications. Mr. Buriel. An overview and
integration of psychology that examines its history, the nature of basic and applied research
and theory in the field. Lecture, discussion and in-class presentations. Senior majors or
permission of instructor. Fall 2007.

191. Senior Thesis. Staff. An original empirical investigation completed under the guidance of
a department faculty member and written in a journal-article format. Spring 2008.
99/199. Reading and Research. Staff. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. 99, lower-level;
199, advanced work. Course or half-course. May be repeated. Each semester. (Summer
Reading and Research taken as 98/198.)

Students are advised to consult the listings of the psychology departments of the other
Claremont Colleges, including Claremont Graduate University, for additional courses that
complement the offerings at Pomona College.