General Psychology (Psychology 101A)

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY: SOCIAL & CLINICAL PROCESSES (PSYCH 101A)Marymount Manhattan College: Spring 2007, Fall 2008

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to enhance students’ abilities to understand general psychological terminologies, theories, and practices. Specific attention is paid to critically evaluating basic psychological theories and practices, and contextualizing them within current events and personal experiences. Course readings draw from David Myers’ Psychology in Modules textbook, William James’ The Principles of Psychology, classic readings by John Dewey, Carl Jung, and Erik Erikson, as well as critical histories of the field of psychology by science studies scholars such as Nikolas Rose.

Themed Reading Modules

  • The Scope of Psychology
  • Histories of Psychology
  • Environment and Behavior
  • States of Consciousness
  • Sensation and Perception
  • Development and Learning
  • Emotion
  • Motivation and Work
  • Stress and Health
  • Psychotherapeutic Theories and Practices

Course Structure
Participants in this course primarily explore and evaluate the field of psychology through active class discussion (in class as well as through the class blog), two comprehensive exams, and two projects:

  • a Presentation and Post project where each participant summarizes one of the reading modules through a blog post and a corresponding in-class multimedia presentation,
  • and a group Wikipedia Project where the class, as a whole, selects 6-8 Wikipedia entries that relate to general psychology and then conducts collaborative research to improve those entries.