When taking courses towards the Psychology degree, each student has many options in relation to the areas of study to pursue. However, within the degree requirements there are some elements that are consistent regardless of the degree program chosen. Below is some key information related to psychology courses that students should be aware of as they develop their long term plan schedule.
Psych 490 FALL 2025- Descriptions by Section
Section 001
Reg Adams
Social Visual Perception:
Section 002
Jonathan Cook
Social Identity & Identity Threat
In this class, we¿ll examine the concept of social identity, which refers to the various groups that people belong to and the degree to which people view these groups as a central aspect of their identity. We will focus in particular on when and how people may feel judged or negatively evaluated because of a social identity (i.e., social identity threat) and the consequences of that, as well as strategies that may reduce identity threat.
Section 005
Ken Levy
When personality goes awry: The developmental and treatment of personality disorders.
Section 006
Suzy Schref
The brain is a mysterious organ. Overwhelmingly people embrace beliefs about the brain and how it works that are complete myths! In this class, we will examine these myths, debunk them, and think about the socio-cultural factors that lead people to endorse the myths. To do so we will read popular press materials and watch movies that feature or defend these myths. We will use empirical evidence to debunk the myths. Your final project will be to create a public service announcement debunking a myth about the brain based on the science we discuss.
Section 008
Maria Vinca
The art and science of psychotherapy
Section 010
Dawn Witherspoon
Youth Development in Context: How Place & Race Jointly Affect Youth
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the theoretical and empirical literature about how characteristics of place (i.e., community, neighborhood, activity space) are associated with development during childhood and adolescence. Further, this course interrogates the intersection of place and race and their joint effects on youth development. Topics to be discussed in this class include attention to cultural variables (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, acculturation), exposure to violence, parenting strategies in neighborhoods, and a variety of youth academic, behavioral, and psycho-social outcomes (e.g., academic self- concept, deviance, friendships, substance use, and identity). An important aspect of this course is the attention to multiple forms of data, various methodologies (i.e., quantitative and qualitative), and dissemination of empirical findings (e.g., scholarly reports, newsletters, briefs, etc.) to elucidate a greater understanding of how place and its social characteristics are related to family functioning and youth outcomes. This course is designed for students who have had exposure to developmental psychology and want to learn more about how contexts outside of the family may shape development. The course will be discussion based with lectures to introduce concepts and themes.
The Magic of Attention
The human mind has an extraordinary ability to focus on specific objects, locations, thoughts, and sounds which makes it possible to navigate the whirlwind of information that we live in. This course will explore the foundational roots of attention at a cognitive level and will also branch out to the many different ways that we use attention, and that our attention is manipulated by others. For example we will explore topics such as meditation, stage-magic, film making, theater and user-interface design. This course will involve paper research, writing, and in-class presentations and demos.
Section 012
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 013
Terri Vescio
The Social Psychology of Power and Prejudice
The historical emergence of social psychology as a science that studies prejudice paralleled twentieth-century attempts to understand racial segregation and antisemitic genocide. Despite a 100 years of the social psychological study of prejudice, striking social inequities persist in the 21 st century. This class will read, discussion, and critique classic and contemporary social psychological research on prejudice, bias, dehumanization, and inter-group violence. The primary goals of this course are to introduce students to the social psychology of prejudice, to help students develop critical thinking and communication skills, and to engage in psychological inquiry into issues of social meaning while working together as a collaborative, engaged, challenging, and support group of peers and scholars. To do so we will read original research, view media materials, engage in scientific critiques, develop novel hypotheses and develop research proposals to address questions of interest to the students.
Table of Contents
Subject Pool Information (for PSYCH 100 and PSYCH 105 Students)
The Subject Pool is an Experiment Management System. As part of the requirements for PSYCH 100 and PSYCH 105, you will be required to participate in research being conducted within the Psychology Department. For those who object or are minors, you will have assignments to complete to meet the required number of experiment hours. Below you will find links to the Subject Pool and relevant information as you get started.
Psych 105 - Psychology as a Science and Profession
PSYCH 105 explores the development of modern psychology, the role of science in that development, and career paths related to scientific psychology. The course will help you explore career options and help you decided if Psychology is right for you. You can find a brief description of PSYCH 105 in the University Bulletin or review the course syllabus. Remember PSYCH 100 is a prerequisite to PSYCH 105, and this prerequisite is strictly enforced..
PSYCH 105 is NOT available at very many other campus locations. It is strictly a University Park Degree requirement. This course should be completed by the end of the 4th semester if you are a University Park student, and by the end of the 5th semester if you are a Change of Location student or a Transfer student. This course is controlled to 3rd and 4th semester standing students. If you are a Change of Location or Transfer student and are looking to enroll into PSYCH 105 for your first semester at UP, please make an appointment with an academic adviser.
Reminder: Currently there are NO substitutions for PSYCH 490 or PSYCH 105
Psych 490 - Senior Seminar in Psychology
PSYCH 490 can be viewed as your final destination within the Psychology degree program. It is an all encompassing course that integrates your years of gained knowledge from your coursework and allows you to apply your knowledge in a small more intimate classroom setting. You can find a brief course description for PSYCH 490 in the University Bulletin. In this class you will review research literature around a specific topic of study. Each semester the topics available will change. Although it may be tempting to choose a section based on time, be sure to choose a topic most interesting to you.
Some example titles of previously held sections of PSYCH 490 include but are not limited to:
- “Creativity and Innovation”
- “Neuroethology: How Animal Brains Make Animal Behavior”
- “Psychological Science in the Media”
- ” Developmental Psychopathology”
- “Assessment Centers: Research and Practice”
- “Art, Language, and Creativity in Children”
- “RJP in Managing Work-life Interfaces”
To view current topic descriptions of PSYCH 490 see above or look in the section notes on LionPath.
When the time has come for scheduling PSYCH 490 keep in mind you must have successfully completed PSYCH 301W and it is recommended that you have had 6.0 credits of PSYCH at the 400 level. Psych 301W is a strict prerequisite to which no exceptions will be made (ie. You CANNOT take the prerequisites concurrently, they must be completed prior to 490).
Course Sequencing
Many students are not aware that there is a course sequence within the major degree requirements. This can tend to cause students problems when they had not planned for it when studying abroad or taking a semester off for an internship. It is vital for students to understand prerequisites to courses and to plan for them in their long term plan schedule. Lack of planning can delay graduation especially since such courses as PSYCH 105 and PSYCH 490 are only offered during the fall and spring semesters.
Examples
Prerequisite(s) | Course(s) |
|---|---|
PSYCH 100 | PSYCH 105 |
PSYCH 100 | PSYCH 200-level courses |
PSYCH/STAT 200 AND PSYCH 100 | PSYCH 301W |
PSYCH 301W | PSYCH 490 |
Enrollment Controls
Most of our 400 level PSYCH courses are initially controlled for majors only, controls are lifted for select classes once lowerclassmen start scheduling. See the notes section in the course offering for details. Once controls are lifted minors and other non-majors can schedule these classes.
NOTE: Controls are never released for PSYCH 301 or PSYCH 490.
To inquire about course controls email ugpsychupwc@psu.edu.
Psychology Course Scheduling and Descriptions
- Psychology Course Descriptions in the University Bulletin
- New Psychology Course Designations as of Spring 2007 (New to Old OR Old to New)
- Schedule of Courses (search “PSYCH” for undergraduate courses)