Psychology Courses and Related Information

Section 001
Alicia Drais-Parrillo
Using psychology to dissect social issues

Our current social (and physical) world can feel overwhelming and chaotic, yet as humans we seek predictability and reason. In this seminar, we will use psychological science to examine topics, such as racism and other forms of discrimination, reactions to conservation and sustainability, and so forth. We will consider how these social issues affect us at multiple levels of human life (e.g., sociopolitical sphere, communities, daily lives, internal thoughts/feelings). You will be expected to read, discuss, and reflect on research. Our goal is to learn together and use psychology to understand how we have gotten to where we are in modern society and perhaps use that science to help find a way forward.

Section 002
Chardée Galan
Culture and Developmental Psychopathology

This course provides an introduction to the subfield of cultural development and psychopathology, which seeks to understand the cultural risk, protective, and promotive factors that contribute to typical and atypical patterns of development. We will review the theoretical foundations of developmental psychopathology, contemporary models of culture, and current research on how cultural experiences and processes influence the emergence of adaptation and maladaptation at different levels of the human experience. Finally, we will consider the real-world implications and applications of this perspective on research in development and the broader discipline of psychology.

Section 003
Karen Gasper
Emotions in Everyday Life

This seminar will examine how people’s feelings shape everyday life. The course is designed for students who are interested in how emotions influence topics relevant to social psychology, such as attitudes, motivation, the self, culture, creativity, decision-making, interpersonal relationships, and stereotyping and prejudice. We will discuss a range of emotions, including, but not limited to, happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, awe, love, gratitude, and boredom. The course is discussion-based and will involve reading primary source materials, critically evaluating those materials, and using those ideas to develop your own research questions and hypotheses. Key course objectives are (a) to understand some of the mechanisms by which emotions shape thoughts, motivations, and action (b) to learn how to read and critically evaluate primary source materials and (c) to become more comfortable reading, discussing, and critiquing articles. 

Section 004
Brian Crosby
The Science of Sleep

The critical nature of sleep is evidenced by the fact that we spend approximately one-third of our life asleep. Our brains cannot function properly with inadequate sleep, impacting things like our ability to concentrate, process memories, and regulate emotion. This course will focus on the science of sleep with the ultimate goal of understanding the varied reasons for why humans sleep. This exploration will include the review and discussion of research on topics such as the study and measurement of sleep, changes in sleep across development, the importance of
sleep for individual and family functioning, the function of dreaming, and abnormalities in sleep that occur in sleep and other mental health disorders. The course will be comprised of lectures, class discussions, and experiential activities related to sleep and dreaming. It is anticipated that students will leave the course with an understanding of the value of sleep and the important role it plays in our everyday life.

Section 005
Aaron Pincus
Emerging Alternatives to the DSM-5

Climate change is caused by human behavior, ranging from individual actions to company decision-making that influence business practices. The role of behaviors and decision-making means that psychology is central to understanding why we have created this threat and how we can work as individuals and members of communities to alter the direction of the shared path we are traveling. Yet, as members of the planet, psychological dimensions of climate change represent much more than this. These dimensions also encompass the psychological impacts of the changes we are creating. The impacts include the immediate mental health consequences of natural disasters and the anxieties we face living in an ecological environment that is changing around us and expected to continue to do so. These impacts mean that psychology is also relevant for helping us cope with various impacts, recognize and address climate change injustices, and be responsive to climate injustices created by existing disparities within and between countries.

We will cover these topics through in-class activities and reading and discussing summaries of research literature paired with exemplary research studies. We will also explore how Penn State, local communities, and psychologists across the globe are responding to the challenges before us.

Section 007
Rustin Meyer
Modern Personnel Psychology

 Personnel selection systems have historically been designed to maximize task performance by basing hiring decisions on proxies of individual merit (i.e., knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics identified through traditional job analyses). The changing nature of work, increased emphasis on workforce diversity, technological advances, shifting priorities beyond short-term profits, and recent legal decisions, however, have inspired some to question many of the field’s traditional assumptions. In this capstone course, we will explore the ways in which a new generation of personnel psychologists is challenging the status quo by pushing the field in new and exciting directions.

Section 009
Beth Gerace 
Mindfulness and Meaning

The first half of this capstone seminar will explore applications of mindfulness in psychology. This course will explore the metacognitive process of mindfulness and how applications of mindfulness can be used to process negative thoughts and emotions, treat psychological disorders, and enhance social relationships. Topics will include mindfulness-based therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, non-attachment, and cognitive reframing.. The second half of this course will explore theories of meaning such as Terror Management Theory and Mindfulness to Meaning Theory and how meaning in life changes across the lifespan. Topics will include developmental theories of adulthood and aging. Students will be asked to read and reflect on scholarly work in these topic areas, work individually and in groups to present ideas/summaries to the class, and hone writing skills.

Section 010
Roger Beaty
The Creative Brain

This course explores the psychology and neuroscience of creativity. It covers topics such as the measurement of creative thinking, the difference between creativity and intelligence, genius and giftedness, and methods to enhance creative thinking. Using examples from the arts, sciences, and everyday life, the course seeks to demystify the concept of creativity through the lens of cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Section 011
Maria Vincia
The art and science of psychotherapy.