PSYC BC 1001x and y Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to the chief facts, principles, and problems of human and animal behavior, through systematic study of a text, lectures, exercises, reading in special fields, and brief participation in a current investigation. (An alternative to participation can be arranged at the student's request.)
Prerequisites: This course is prerequisite for all other psychology courses. Enrollment is limited to 45 students per section.
3 points

PSYC BC 1099x and y Science and Scientists

Weekly meetings with researchers to discuss the nature of scientific inquiry in psychology; and intellectual, professional, and personal issues in the work of scientists.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Recommended for first- and second-year students.
1 point

PSYC BC 1101x and y Statistics

Introduction to statistics and its applications to psychological research. Basic theory, conceptual underpinnings, and common statistics. Recitation devoted to discussion of weekly problem assignments.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 36 students per section. Economics minors and double-majors can satisfy the requirement with ECON BC 2411. Students that declared their major in psychology prior to the 2008-2009 academic year may satisfy the statistics requirement with STAT W1111 or W1211 in lieu of PSYC BC1101. Those who take an outside course cannot also receive credit for PSYC BC 1101. They will also need an extra psychology elective to achieve the eight psychology courses required for the major (or the five courses required for the minor). Students should consult with the Department Representative before enrolling in any other statistics course, as it may not be accepted towards the major or minor. Corequisites: Recitation: Section001: TR 11:00 - 1:00, Section002: M 5:00 - 7:00 or 7:00 - 9:00 Recitation Section Required. General Education Requirement: Quantitative and Deductive Reasoning (QUA).
4 points

PSYC BC 1105x Psychology of Learning

Basic methods, results, and theory in the study of how experience affects behavior. The roles of early exposure, habitation, sensitization, conditioning, imitation, and memory in the acquisition and performance of behavior are studied. Laboratory consists of experiments analyzing learning and memory in rats and humans.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 72 students. Laboratory fee: $30. Corequisites: Lab Section: RF 1:00 - 4:00, F 9:00 - 12:00 Lab Required.
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1107x Psychology of Learning

Same as BC1105, but without the laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 30 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 1108x Perception

Introduction to problems, methods, and research in perception. Discussion of psychological studies of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. In the laboratory, students conduct experiments and learn to report their findings.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 48 students. Laboratory fee: $30. Lab Required.
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1110x Perception

Same as BC1108, but without the laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 1113y Cognitive Psychology

Selected topics illustrating the methods, findings, and theories of contemporary cognitive psychology. Topics include attention, memory, categorization, perception, and decision making. Special topics include neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. The laboratory consists of experiments related to these topics.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 48 students. Laboratory fee: $30.
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1115y Cognitive Psychology

Same as BC1113, but without laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 1117y Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience

Introduction to the physiological bases of behavior: development, organization and function of the nervous system; neurochemistry, neurophysiology and synaptic transmission. Topics include: the neural bases of sensory systems; homeostasis; sexual behavior; biological rhythms; emotionality and stress; learning and memory; and psychopathology. The laboratory portion of this course uses rats as experimental subjects and involves brain dissections.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 60 students. Laboratory fee: $30. Lab Required.
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1119y Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience

Same as BC1117, but without laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 1123x Psychology of Personality

Surveys the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. In laboratory, students will participate in all stages of personality research: conceptualizing a personality construct, designing and administering tests, identifying individual differences, and carrying out a study.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 50 students. Lab Required.
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1125x Psychology of Personality

Same as PSYC BC1123, but without laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 25 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 1127x and y Developmental Psychology

Cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. Laboratory offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 44 students. Laboratory fee: $30. Lab Required.
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1129x and y Developmental Psychology

Same as BC1127, but without laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 1136y Social Psychology

Survey of contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and departmental permission. Enrollment limited to 50 students. Laboratory fee: $30. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC).
4.5 points

PSYC BC 1138y Social Psychology

Same as BC1136, but without laboratory.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 25 students. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC).
3 points

PSYC BC 2134x Educational Psychology

Through a participative classroom model, the major theories of child and adolescent development and learning fundamental to the educative process are examined. Analysis of applications and implications of psychological knowledge for classroom teaching through observations and research in elementary and secondary school classes. Examines models of instruction and assessment; motivation, teaching, and learning strategies; and gender, economic, and racial issues.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor.
3 points

PSYC BC 2141x and y Abnormal Psychology

Introduction to the study of deviant and maladaptive behaviors such as childhood disorders, depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and mental retardation, focusing on scientific, philosophical, and sociocultural issues in the study of abnormal behavior and the relationship between diagnosis and treatment strategy.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 60 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 2151y Organizational Psychology

Introduction to behavior of individuals and small groups in work organizations. Recent theory and research emphasizing both content and research methodology. Motivation and performance, attitudes and job satisfaction, power, influence, authority, leadership, cooperation and conflict, decision making, and communications.
Prerequisites: BC1001. Enrollment limited to 45 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 2154y Hormones and Reproductive Behavior

Biological basis of parental and sexual behavior from a comparative perspective. Complex relations among genetic, hormonal, environmental, and experiential factors in mediating sexual, parental, emotional, and feeding behavior. Aspects of biology and physiology necessary to understand those behavioral processes are covered in class and are not prerequisites.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or BIOL BC1101, BC1102. Enrollment limited to 45 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 2156y Introduction to Clinical Psychology

Survey of the historical roots and conceptual models in clinical psychology, aimed at becoming familiar with professional issues in the field, and comparing assessment techniques and therapeutic approaches for their utility, efficacy, and soundness.
Prerequisites: Both BC1001 and BC2141, as well as one of the following: Personality, Human Motivation, or Developmental Psychology. Enrollment limited to 35 students
3 points

PSYC BC 2158y Human Motivation

Outlines major theoretical questions and research approaches in human motivation. In particular, it focuses on empirical investigations of motivation in social contexts, emphasizing goal formation, goal conflict, the self, and the influence of nonconscious processes. Motivation for competence, control autonomy, achievement, altruism, and intimacy will also be covered.
Prerequisites: BC1001. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 2163x Human Learning and Memory

Survey of contemporary theories and empirical research on human memory. Topics will include sensory, short term and long term memory, levels of processing, organization, forgetting, and encoding specificity. Special topics include eyewitness testimony, amnesia, implicit memory, and false memory.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and at least one psychology lab course. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 3152y Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality

Survey and critical evaluation of research investigating psychological, biological, and social factors in human sexual behavior. Topics will include sexuality throughout the life span, sexual dysfunction, and cultural constructions of sexuality.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and two other psychology courses and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 30 students. Preference given to seniors.
3 points

PSYC BC 3153x Psychology and Women

Examines how female experience is and has been understood by psychologists. Through an understanding of gender as a social construction and issues raised by the intersections of gender, sexuality, class, and race, the course will analyze assumptions about what causes us to be gendered and about how being gendered affects behavior.
Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing and at least two psychology courses. Permission of the instructor required for majors other than Psychology or Women's Studies. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3155y Psychology and Law

Survey of the research in social psychology as it relates to the legal process. Among the topics covered are eyewitness identifications, jury decision making, lie detection, child witnesses, confessions and interrogations, media effects, and capital punishment. Each of these problems will be considered from both a theoretical and an applied perspective.
Prerequisites: BC1001, one other psychology course, and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC). Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3162x Introduction to Cultural Psychology

Critically investigates the universalizing perspectives of psychology. Drawing on recent theory and research in cultural psychology, examines cultural approaches to psychological topics such as the self, human development, mental health, and racial identity. Also explores potential interdisciplinary collaborations.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and either BC1123, BC1125, BC2141, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students. General Education Requirement: Cultures in Comparison (CUL).
4 points

PSYC BC 3164y Perception and Language

Psychological investigations of spoken communication from a listener's perspective. Topics include perception and sounds of speech and the apprehension of meaning from words and utterances; the perceptual basis for rhyme and rhythm in speech; and the natural history of vocal communication.
Prerequisites: BC1105, BC1108, BC1117, BC1127, BC1130, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3165y The Social Self

Review of the classic and contemporary empirical research pertaining to the self, with an emphasis on the self as a socially-based construct. Focus on the social basis of identity, self-concept, and self-regulation.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and one other Psychology course. Enrollment limited to 20 students. Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3166y Social Conflict

Survey of the literature on development of social conflict, the motivations and cognitions of individuals in conflict, and the procedures available for resolving conflict. Particular emphasis will be placed on the psychology of fairness and its implications for conflict resolution.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and one additional Psychology course. Enrollment limited to 20 students. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC). General Education Requirement: Reason and Value (REA).
4 points

PSYC BC 3170y Introduction to Psychoanalysis

Introduces the major contributors to contemporary psychoanalysis. Surveys changes in theory and technique covering Freud, Ego Psychology and Contemporary Freudian views, Object Relations Schools (e.g. Klein, Winnicott), Self Psychology, and Interpersonal and relational approaches. Additional topics may include relevant psychoanalytic research and applications to art, cultural considerations, and current controversies.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Clinical Psychology, PSYC BC2156. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3177x Psychology of Drug Use and Abuse

Examines the biological, psychological, and social factors that lead to drug use and abuse. A biopsychosocial model will be used to examine the behavioral effects of prescription, "over the counter," and "street" drugs. Treatments, therapies, and theories of addictive behaviors will be explored.
Prerequisites: BC1001. Enrollment limited to 30 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 3180y Neurodevelopmental Processes and Cognitive/Behavioral Disorders

Explores the evolution of disorders affecting children due to some impairment in the brain or nervous system. Constitutional vulnerabilities demonstrate that nervous system injury varies as a function of neurodevelopmental stage. Disorders to be studied include those impacting language, hearing, vision, movement, mood and emotion, and learning.
Prerequisites: BC1117/BC1119, BC3177, BC3380, or BIOL BC3362. Enrollment limited to 30 students.
3 points

PSYC BC 3368y The Psychology of Creativity/The Creative Process

Consideration of classic Psychodynamic (the unconscious/incubation), Psychometric (testing/training), and Personaility (train/motivation) models of creativity. Application of contemporary Process (cognitive/problem-solving) models to art, literature, and independently selected areas of expertise. Process models are involving constraint selection within well-established domains are emphasized.
4 points

PSYC BC 3369x Language Development

Examines the acquisition of a first language by children, from babbling and first words to complex sentence structure and wider communicative competence. Signed and spoken languages, cross-linguistic variation and universalities, language genesis and change, and acquisition by atypical populations will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1001, one Psychology laboratory course, one of the following: PSYC W2240, BC1127, BC1129, or LIN BC V1101, and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15 students. Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3372x Comparative Cognition

Review and critical evaluation of current empirical research investigating cognitive processes in both human and non-human species. Topics include comparisons in episodic memory, metacognition, theory of mind, self-awareness, and language abilities.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and one additional course in psychology. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3373y Health Psychology

Consideration of research on the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors related to health and illness. Issues such as the relationship of stress to illness, methods of coping with illness and improving health, and the relationship between psychological factors and recovery from illness will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and or equivalent, plus two more psychology courses (preferably BC1117-19, BC1136-38, BC1123-25). Permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3376x and y Infant Development

Analysis of human development during the fetal period and early infancy. Review of effects of environmental factors on perinatal perceptual, cognitive, sensory-motor, and neurobehavioral capacities, with emphasis on critical conditions involved in both normal and abnormal brain development. Other topics include acute and long term effects of toxic exposures (stress, smoking, and alcohol) during pregnancy, and interaction of genes and the environment in shaping the developing brain of "high-risk" infants, including premature infants and those at risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and BC1127 or BC1129. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3379x Psychology of Stereotyping and Prejudice

Review of current literature from experimental social psychology pertaining to stereotyping and prejudice. Topics include: functions and costs of stereotyping, the formation and maintenance of stereotypes, and stereotype change. Recent research concerning the role of cognitive processes in intergroup perception will be emphasized.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC).
4 points

PSYC BC 3380x Fundamentals of Neuropsychology

Exposition of research and theory in neuroscience with an emphasis on the use of neural imaging techniques (EEG, evoked potentials, MEG, PET, fMRI) for exploring sensation, perception, and cognition in the healthy, intact brain.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3381y Theory of Mind and Intentionality

Survey and critical analysis of the developmental and neurological research on theory of mind - the attribution of mental states like belief, desire, and knowledge to others - in humans and nonhuman animals. Emphasis on the role of intentionality, stages of acquisition, neurological and genetic bases, and deficits in theory of mind.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and one other Psychology course. Enrollment limited to 20 students. Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3382y Adolescent Psychology

Examines adolescent development in theory and reality. Focuses on individual physiological, sexual, cognitive, and affective development and adolescent experiences in their social context of family, peers, school, and community. Critical perspectives of gender, race and ethnicity, sexuality, and "teen culture" explored.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and Developmental Psychology or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 senior majors. Barnard students receive priority. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC).
4 points

PSYC BC 3383x Neuropharmacology and Behavior

Basic principles of the study of drugs that influence the neural systems and induce changes in behavior. Molecular, biochemical and behavioral characterization of psychotropic drugs: stimulants, sedative-hypnotics, anxiolytics, alcohol, hallucinogens, and opiates. Etiology and treatment of psychological and neurological disorders.
Prerequisites: One of the following: PSYC BC1117, PSYC BC1119, BIOL BC3280 and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC BC 3384x Social Cognition

Survey of research from the field of social cognition, exploring cognitive processes involved in social functioning. Topics include attention, interpretation, evaluation, judgment, attribution, and memory processes. Both controlled and automatic processes will be considered, and the roles of motives, goals, and affective variables will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1138 Social Psychology or BC1115 Cognitive Psychology Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3387y Topics in Neuroethics

Recent advancements in neuroscience raise profound ethical questions. Neuroethics integrates neuroscience, philosophy, and ethics in an attempt to address these issues. Reviews current debated topics relevant to the brain, cognition, and behavior. Bioethical and philosophical principles will be applied allowing students to develop skill in ethical analysis.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and one of the following: Neurobiology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Fundamentals of Neuropsychology. Enrollment limited to 20 students. General Education Requirement: Reason and Value (REA).
4 points

PSYC BC 3388y Imitation and Language

Examines the concept of imitation in behavior through research on animals, human development, and adult language use. Class meetings focus on discussion of reading material to develop a theory of the cognitive mechanisms of imitation that apply to language change in spoken communication.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and one Psychology Lab course. Enrollment limited to 20 students. Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3389y Current Topics in Personality Psychology

This course offers an in-depth examination of contemporary topics in personality psychology and their historical antecedents. Topics include developmental foundations, modern theory and research on consciousness, regulation of emotion and cognition, and new approaches to personality assessment. These current issues will be discussed with an emphasis on both theory and research.
Prerequisites: BC1001 and BC1123 or BC1125. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
4 points

PSYC G 4232y Production and Perception of Language

Review of classic and current research on spoken communication. Peripheral transduction, auditory and phonetic analysis, word recognition, phrase formation, formal and informal speech, idiolect, and infant and nonhuman listeners.
Prerequisites: PSYC W2240, BC2160, or BC3164, or permission of the instructor. Not offered in 2009-2010.
4 points

PSYC BC 3465x-BC3466y Field Work and Research Seminar: The Barnard Toddler Center

The Barnard Toddler Center provides the focus for field work and research in applied developmental psychology, an amalgam of developmental, educational, and clinical psychology. Students assist one morning a week at the Center, make individual class presentations, carry out team research projects, and participate in a two-hour weekly seminar which integrates theory, research, and practice.
Prerequisites: BC1127 or BC1129 and permission of the instructor. Permission should be requested in the Spring of the year preceding registration. Enrollment limited to 16 students. This is a two-semester course only.
8 points

PSYC BC 3473x Field Work Seminar in Psychological Services and Counseling

Supervised field work (minimum of 7 hours per week) applying psychological principles to work and treatment in clinical, educational, medical, and other institutional settings. Seminar discussions of theoretical approaches to clinical problems and case materials.
Prerequisites: Three psychology courses and permission of the instructor required during program planning the previous Spring. Enrollment limited to 12 students; seniors are given priority.
4 points

PSYC BC 3591x-BC3592y Senior Research Seminar

Discussion and conferences on a research project culminate in a written and oral senior thesis. Each project must be supervised by a scientist working at Barnard or at another local institution. Successful completion of the seminar substitutes for the major examination.
Prerequisites: BC1101, a minimum of five other completed psychology courses, and permission of the instructor. This is a year-long course. Open to senior psychology majors who submit a research proposal which has been approved by the course instructor and the project supervisor.
4 points

PSYC BC 3599x-BC3599y Individual Projects
Research projects planned in consultation with members of the department.
Prerequisites: Open to majors with written permission of the department member who will supervise the project.
3-4 points.