Why take General Psychology?

The most common question posed to psychologists (and people taking a psychology class) is “Are you analyzing me?” In fact, much of psychology is not about therapy and mental health. Instead, psychology is an incredibly broad field that explores how humans (and other animals) think and behave. By taking this course, you will encounter information based in other sciences, like biology and chemistry. You will also see how psychology informs countless other fields such as communications, nursing, and education. Furthermore, you will see how you can take what you are learning in class and apply it to your daily life. When we discuss how psychologists do research, you can learn how to evaluate all the news you see on your social media streams; when we learn about how people learn and remember things, you can apply reliable study techniques to you other coursework; when we discuss social thinking, you can see how people are influenced in group settings and recognize it in the real world. The list goes on and on. In this course there will be at least one thing you discover that will excite you, and that will influence how you see the world!!

Class Approach

This class follows a "flipped" approach where students complete lessons (readings, videos, quiz questions) online to learn the basic information. Then, in class, students  complete a variety of  activities that are geared toward application of what students are learning, so students can get immediate feedback and ask questions on the spot. 

Reflection Assignments

Students  complete several reflection assignments where they summarize what they have learned about each unit's material, and then describe connections to one of the course's themes: social media use, stress and trauma, and drugs and addiction. These reflection papers will serve as a start for the final project. 

Project

Over the course of the semester, student  work in groups to research what psychology can tell us about real world issues of social media use, stress and trauma, and drugs and addiction. These are presented in an animated video or podcast at the end of the semester. 

Exams

Student demonstrate mastery of the course objectives through exams. The exams are essay based where students are asked to apply what they have learned to different contexts or to generate examples. 

​Fall 2019 Sections:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00-1:50

Spring 2020 Sections:
online