2011-2012 Course Catalog

Required for the psychology major

  1. Psychology 100, 280, and 281, and Mathematics 117 or 207
  2. Two courses from Group I and two courses from Group II:
    1. Group I: Psychology 240, 250 or 290, 260 or 265, 245 or 270
    2. Group II: Psychology 340 or 370, 350 or 360, 380
  3. Senior Capstone: Psychology 610
  4. Another six units in psychology (Any six units; this may include independent study or practicum credit accrued over more than one term.)
  5. One of the courses (in addition to the Research Methods sequence) must have a lab.

The courses that meet this lab requirement are Psychology 265, 335, 340, 355, 380, and 530. Majors are strongly advised to complete the Research Methods sequence, which instills basic research skills essential to a sophisticated understanding of the field, in the sophomore year (and, certainly, no later than the junior year).

Research Methods should be completed before majors take laboratory courses numbered 335 or above or courses numbered above 400. Previous or concurrent enrollment in Mathematics 117 (with the Psychology Statistics Laboratory) or Mathematics 207 is a prerequisite for Psychology 280: Research Methods I. Mathematics 117 should be taken concurrently with Research Methods I.

Research Opportunities
Majors are encouraged to engage in their own empirical research projects in Research Methods, in laboratory and topics courses, and in close collaboration with faculty members in independent study. Students have access to the department’s extensive laboratory facilities for research in neuroscience, acoustical analysis, child development, animal and human learning, social, personality, and clinical psychology. We highly recommend that students who wish to pursue honors projects begin them in their junior year.

Applied Opportunities
Several opportunities to receive course credit for work within applied settings (e.g., working in a clinical setting in the community) are regularly available — see Psychology 385 and 451. Other practica that similarly combine academic and applied components may be arranged. This includes various opportunities for placement at non–profit human services programs in the local community. For information on such practica, contact the Career Center (920–832–6561), Kathleen Fuchs (920–832– 6574), Beth Haines (920–832– 6708), Jerri Kahl (920–832–6950), or Jerry Metalsky (920–832–6705).

Required for the psychology minor

  1. Psychology 100: Principles of Psychology and preferably Mathematics 117 with Psychology Statistics Laboratory (Mathematics 107 or 207 are acceptable).
  2. One course from Group I and one course from Group II:
    1. Group I: Psychology 240, 245, 250, 260, 265, 270, 290
    2. Group II: Psychology 340, 350, 360, 370, 380
  3. One course from Group III: Psychology 310, 330, 335, 355, 420, 451, 460, 480, 530–580
  4. One additional course in psychology
  5. One of the courses must have a lab (viz., Psychology 265, 280–281†, 335, 340, 350, 355, 380, 530).
  6. C average in the minor

Preparations for graduate school
The major program prepares students well for graduate study in psychology or related fields. Students interested in graduate study should consider conducting research with a faculty member, consider taking Psychology 480, and fully utilize the Career Center and alumni who have gone to graduate school. Names and contact information for alumni can be obtained through the Alumni Relations office. For those who pursue other careers, the research skills learned by majors are widely applicable. Students who are interested in the major program or curious about what kind of career opportunities exist in the field of psychology are urged to visit the graduate school section of the departmental Web page (www.lawrence.edu/dept/psychology/grad/) and the Career Center for more information.
Students interested in mental health careers should pay particular attention to the department’s clinical psychology sequence: Psychology 250 or 290, 330, 335, or 355, and 451. Students are encouraged, but not required, to take Psychology 330, 335, or 355 and Field Experience in Clinical Psychology (PSYC 451) in consecutive terms. Psychology 451 allows students to gain supervised practical experience at a local mental health facility.
Students interested in graduate study should speak to their advisors and take a topics course related to their area of interest.

Off–campus study
See Urban Studies

Advanced Placement
Students who score 4 or better on the Psychology Advanced Placement Examination of the College Entrance Examination Board are given credit for Psychology 100 (which fulfills one of the major requirements). Students who plan to major in psychology and place out of Psychology 100 are advised to take one or two courses in Group I during their freshman year.

†The student must complete both terms of Psychology 280–281 to meet this lab requirement.

Senior Experience in Psychology
In the Psychology Department’s senior capstone (Psychology 610), small groups of students meet in independent seminar sections supervised by a faculty mentor. Sections meet to discuss common readings, provide constructive criticism of each other’s work, and to allow students to present work in progress. Discussions, papers, and presentations enhance students’ abilities to conceptualize important questions within the context of the discipline, formulate ways to answer those questions, and present ideas clearly and cogently in both written and oral form. Students pursue their project over the academic term, culminating in a senior thesis and a public senior oral presentation.
The centerpiece of the capstone experience is an original senior project, allowing students to pursue their own interests in depth, encouraging autonomy and creativity. In consultation with the faculty mentor, students will choose one of the following types of papers: a critical review of past theory and research, an original empirical study report, a theory development paper, or a paper that integrates a student’s applied work (e.g., in an internship) with its wider scholarly context. Students pursuing double degrees, double majors, and education certification are strongly encouraged to consult with their advisors and relevant department chairs to plan and negotiate their overall senior experience as early as possible, especially if they are interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary capstone that integrates their interests in both majors, or combines their student teaching with a project in their major.